To successfully adapt an anime series into a live-action can be a huge challenge for creators. If the past has been any proof, not a lot of live-action series have been able to live up to their hype. However, Netflix’s remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender is living up to its hype and has also been a massive critical success among fans.
Unfortunately, early live-action remakes of the series were not as successful as this one.
W. Night Shyamalan’s Avatar: The Last Airbender was a catastrophic failure
Avatar: The Last Airbender was an animated series created by Michael Dante DiMartino that aired from 2005 to 2008. The series revolved around the story of Aang, the last Airbender who would bring an end to 100 years of war and establish an era of peace.
Before Netflix decided to make a live-action series a few years ago, M. Night Shyamalan had already tried his luck in turning the Avatar anime into a movie, and boy, was that a catastrophic failure.
Avatar: The Last Airbender(2010) was based on the first season of the anime series just like the Netflix remake. Everyone had high expectations for the movie but everyone’s hopes were shattered as the film turned out to be one of the worst movies of all time. The movie seemed just like a bad dream for a lot of fans with its terrible plot, and absolutely horrible acting.
Although Avatar: The Last Airbender(2010) managed to gross almost $320 million against a production budget of $150 million, it was still a massive critical failure. The movie received a rating of 5% on Rotten Tomatoes making it Shyamalan’s worst-reviewed film to date.
Avatar: The Last Airbender(2010) is currently streaming on Fubo.
The cast of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender gives their views on W. Night Shyamalan’s movie
At the LA premiere event of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender last month, the cast of the series were asked about their views on M. Night Shyamalan’s live-action remake. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, many cast members opened up about the topic and gave their own views on the disaster of the movie.
Kiawentiio, who portrayed the role of Katara in the series revealed that she went to watch the movie as a kid back in 2010 and was utterly disappointed. She said,
“I did watch it once and as a fan I think alongside all other fans I was disappointed. But I think it’s a good way to see what we don’t want to do. This cartoon has this amazing storyline, we tried to give it the live-action it deserves.”
Daniel Dae Kim is one of the biggest names among the cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The American actor who portrays the role of Fire Lord Ozai in the series was also asked about his opinion on M. Night Shyamalan’s Avatar. However, unlike the rest of the world, Daniel Dae Kim ended up giving somewhat of a justifiable reason to explain the failure of the film. He said,
“I did see it. I have a lot of respect for M. Night Shyamalan. He assembled a great group of actors, many of whom are household names today. I think there’s a time and a place for every kind of iteration of a show…This is the right Avatar for right now.”
Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender has largely received positive reviews from fans. However, the series received mixed reviews from critics as the plot and acting in the series were criticized. Furthermore, Netflix has not yet revealed any news about the renewal of the series for a second season which has got the fans worried.
The first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender is currently streaming on Netflix.
