‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ takes an elemental stab at adapting the animated show
CNN
Translating kids’ animation to live-action is a tricky proposition, as Disney and the 2010 movie version of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” can attest. Netflix gets the look and action right in a lavish series based on the Nickelodeon show, but too-elemental dialogue and uneven performances make this eight-episode sit a bit of a grind for anyone who has gotten past puberty.
Translating kids’ animation to live-action is a tricky proposition, as Disney and the 2010 movie version of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” can attest. Netflix gets the look and action right in a lavish series based on the Nickelodeon show, but too-elemental dialogue and uneven performances make this eight-episode sit a bit of a grind for anyone who has gotten past puberty. Built around four tribes of “airbenders” with the ability to control water, earth, fire and air, “Avatar” establishes a mythical world filled with strange creatures and fantastic powers, none more so than those possessed by the Avatar, the legendary figure who alone can command all the elements. That heavy burden falls to a 12-year-old boy with a strategically placed arrow on his forehead, Aang (Gordon Cormier), who awakens after a century in ice to discover the firebenders and their leader Fire Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim) have sought to take over the world, and, fearing the Avatar’s return, dispatched Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu) to neutralize him. Taken in by Sokka (Ian Ousley) and the waterbender Katara (Kiawentiio), Aang embarks on an episodic quest through this elaborate mythology, yielding familiar situations, the occasional fleeting hint of romance (which much of the logical audience will likely call “icky”) and no small amount of spinning, kicking, element-hurling action. Adapted by writer-showrunner Albert Kim (“Sleepy Hollow”), the series seems to consciously seek to correct the missteps of M. Night Shyamalan’s lightly regarded film version, without overcoming the creative hurdles raised by having two-dimensional youths as its featured players. The credible visual effects thus adorn what too often feels like a community-theater package, replete with stilted lines about how saving the world must wait if it means endangering friends. While derived from the animated series, bringing its trappings into live-action perhaps most charitably recalls the tone of “The Neverending Story,” a 40-year-old artifact (with more practical special effects) that also put a young boy at the center of its magic-filled journey.
Comedian Nikki Glaser will host the 83rd Golden Globes tonight at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Follow for live updates on the red carpet and all the winners in TV and film.
Welcome back to “The Pitt” for season 2, where personnel transitions are hard and the actual job is even harder.
Jennifer Garner is fully aware that some people are impressed with how she successfully co-parents with her ex-husband Ben Affleck, but it’s not because she read it in a tabloid.
Beef looks a little different these days for some teens stars from the early 2000s.
“The Odyssey,” “Devil Wears Prada 2,” “Disclosure Day” and “Focker In-Law” are among the most-anticipated titles of the year. Here’s more on those and some others.
While winning acting awards isn’t rare for Timothée Chalamet, talking about Kylie Jenner, his lady love has been … until now.
With a giant evil spider monster, mysterious briefcase and a whole lot of teary characters bidding adieu, “Stranger Things” has now become a thing of the past.
The star of one of Rob Reiner’s most celebrated films says he “can finally put my grief into words,” more than two weeks after the couple were found dead.