I'm not going to much anything about the new movie by M. Night Shamayn. I haven't seen it and I don't intend to. I will say that maybe the best thing about it is that it will turn people on to its source material, the amazing cartoon, Avatar: The Last Airbender.
I had never seen this show until a few days ago, when on the advice of Massawyrm's review over at AICN, I decided to check this out. I just finished the last episode of the first season, and it was moving, deeply affecting, exciting, and highly addictive. I am seriously jealous of the generation of kids who got to watch something this great every day after school. I'm not trying to be down on kids cartoons or Nickelodeon when I say that this is way better than it has any right to be. In Avatar: The Last Airbender, we have a fully realized world with lore and a compelling back story, three dimensional characters, a leisurely but tightly paced quest, and humor.
In simplest terms, Avatar: The Last Airbender is about a boy, Aang, who has control of the power of air. Throughout the course of the series, Aang, must master how to control water, earth, and fire in order to end a 100 year war. Throughout Aang's journey, he is joined by a warrior, Sokka, and his sister, Katara, who is a waterbender. On their journey, they are pursued by Prince Zuko, an exiled prince from the evil Fire Nation. The series is comprised of 3 seasons, each season revolves around Aang mastering a different element. Can I just say for a second how much I respect any episodic story that ends when it's ready to. There are way too many shows and comics that end waaaaaay after their prime after strong initial showings.
I admit that I don't really know a lot about anime style animation or how to judge its quality, but I found the animation in A:TLB to be very engrossing. The style was clean and not confusing like I have found a lot of anime to be. For a weekly kids TV show, it is very good. The voice acting is also very competent.
So while I haven't finished A:TLB yet, I feel fully comfortable recommending this. I understand that there's a lot of stigma with kids shows, kids books, or kids movies. But I also think that stigma is bullshit and it can hold people back from experiencing really great art. Avatar: The Last Airbender is more grown up than most adult shows I've seen because it is not afraid to tackle important themes like friendship, trust, honor, environmental responsibility, spirituality, the realities of war, sacrifice, and family.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is at least as good as Star Wars, Harry Potter, or LOTR and quite possibly better. In about 10 years, A:TLB will have more widespread respect as the kids that grew up watching it come of age. For now though, you owe it to yourself to watch a few episodes, it's just the thing for the long lazy days of summer. That is if you're cool enough to watch a kids show.
C'mon, he has a giant flying bison!