Netflix’s live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender is landing next week, but early reactions to the show, specifically the first episode, have started to come out, and the results are mixed.
The embargo on The Last Airbender means that people can only talk about the first one or two episodes right now and only with brief posts on social media, but those who have seen that episode are sharing what they thought. For many, the show just doesn’t quite hit the mark. They don’t say it’s terrible in any way, but it seems to be missing some of the magic of the animated series.
Ryden Scarnato’s take above basically feels like a microcosm of the opinions landing today. Satisfied is hardly glowing praise, but he enjoyed himself overall despite changes and flaws. Everyone seems to have aspects of the series that they enjoy, but the overall reaction is one of a general shrug and a nice pat on the back for trying hard, as Lyra Hale suggests.
Nearly universally praised by those who have seen the first few episodes is Dallas James Liu’s take on Zuko alongside the visuals, especially the air-bending special effects. Both those who didn’t like the first episodes and those who did seem to agree on this point. The visuals are especially important because of how poorly the film adaptation did them, so fans can rest assured that at least the show doesn’t look terrible.
It’s hard to get a good read on just how general audiences will enjoy the series from these wildly mixed reactions to The Last Airbender. Some folks are really down on the whole thing, and others excited by the changes in the series. Given the built-in audience and love for the franchise, mixed reviews could be chalked up to nostalgia making people enjoy it more or changes making people enjoy it less, both of which might impact newcomers differently. What is clear is that Netflix took some swings with the show, and they may not have all paid off.
Avatar: The Last Airbender hits Netflix on Feb. 22.
