My Take on Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender
After finishing the Netflix adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender last night, I wanted to take a moment and share some of my thoughts and feelings regarding this live action revamp of the 2005 Nickelodeon animated series. Many who know me know I am a huge A:TLA fan. The combination of martial arts, elemental magic, and Eastern philosophy as well as amazing storytelling and compelling characters created an immersive world that drew me in and never let go. In 2010, M. Night Shyamalan came out with a cinematic adaptation of A:TLA which failed miserably on every level. The story was rushed, the bending was atrocious, the dialogue was choppy and awkward, and most of all, there was no immersion into the world like there was in the original show. Fast forward fifteen years and we have yet another adaptation, but this time a series comprising eight episodes about...