A show beloved for its rich themes of courage, justice, and friendship among its ensemble found-family has returned with a new chapter in a 99-minute animated feature, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, which premieres July 25 on Paramount+.
The Last Airbender Saga Continues
Families who’ve enjoyed the anime-inspired high-fantasy show — which found a massive new audience after arriving on Netflix during COVID lockdowns, after an original run on Nickelodeon — will find this continuation for Aang (Eric Nam), Katara (Jessica Matten), their flying bison Appa (Dee Bradley Baker), feels like an extended episode.
Parental concerns here mirror those in the familiar saga.
This film sequel, produced by TV series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, tilts the drama from character dialogue to lots of action – largely bloodless martial arts clashes. This creative choice fits the story considering the “Aang Gang” has aged up by 13 years.
Akin to the TV series, the film retains a heavy use of Eastern-inspired spirituality, with references to multiple deities and talk of reincarnation lifted from varied world religions.
If Christian families with young tweens can navigate Eastern and indigenous mysticism in Star Wars, you may find this hero’s journey is also one worth going on.
Returning to the Four Nations
Those unfamiliar with animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA) will be lost here, so start with that 61-episode serialized epic. Pro tip: this saga has nothing to do with blue-skinned aliens.
In storytelling that uniquely merges socio-political themes with the supernatural, four distinct nations are struggling to rebuild harmony as conflicts linger from the Hundred Year War, which was the focus of the three-season TV series.
This universe introduces that some gifted people can manipulate the elements — able to “bend” earth, fire, water or air — but only the Avatar can control all four and help the warring factions coexist.
Rewatching the original series with my own children this summer (we skipped a few scary parts) reminded me why it remains so affecting. Even after multiple viewings, the finale's image of nations finally united after decades of war carried unexpected emotional weight.
I was struck by how the water tribes, Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom were gathered as one. Yet the Air Nomads — wiped out a century earlier — were represented only by Aang.
That’s exactly the weight of history that haunts Aang as this new film begins.
Action over character
Compared to the sophisticated plotting of the TV series, typically juggling three to five storylines simultaneously, this new film has a simpler narrative.
An early action scene introduces The Denied, a resistance faction resentful of those gifted as benders. They’re trying to use firepower and technology to level the playing field against Aang, who deflects their attacks and actually saves one assassin.
Haunted by his people’s past genocide, Aang discovers a mysterious warrior, Tagah (Dave Bautista), who offers the Avatar everything he has ever wanted. An ancient staff can “harness the power of the spirit realm” to grant anyone bending abilities.
But anyone familiar with The Lord of the Rings knows a tool of unlimited power does not solve society’s problems. By the end, when a brutal, high-stakes, multi-faction battle ensues, the victor reveals true power is to show restraint.
Those who’ve lamented the loss of hand-drawn animation in recent decades will revel in its return here, with a visceral hybrid style incorporating some 3D graphics similar to Titan A.E. and Atlantis: The Lost Empire. The visuals maximize the art form in ways not seen before.
How it stacks up to Avatar: The Last Airbender
If this is a good-enough sequel, what about the other iterations of ATLA?
The much-hyped Netflix live-action ATLA started off as a decent adaptation of its animated source material in season one. But season two has veered far off the tone and substance that made the original show great.
Two graphic novels, The Promise and The Search, feel the most like direct continuations of ATLA, doing stellar work balancing the show’s dramatic/silly/personal tone with multiple character arcs.
But the Avatar franchise originators don’t always hit a home run. Another sequel series, The Legend of Korra, has an edgier approach and leans into romantic LGBTQ storylines involving teen characters, so many faithful families will pass on it.
As to this Avatar Aang feature, fans will be excited just to spend more time with favorite characters, like Zuko, Toph, and Sokka. At its heart, the story remains about a group of friends willing to risk everything to bring an end to war.
“Blessed are the peacemakers.”
Rated PG for sequences of fantasy violence and action, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender premieres on streamer Paramount+ on July 25.
Photo: Courtesy of Paramount/Avatar Studios
Freelance journalist Josh Shepherd writes on faith and culture for several media outlets. He and his family live in central Florida.
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