Critic Reviews

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is a lovingly crafted and gorgeously animated movie that features a welcome return for Team Avatar.

The movie is a must-watch for fans of the original show who have been looking for a way to spend more time with their favorite characters. It stands alone as a transition point between Avatar and Korra, but also feels like it could easily kick off a new adult-focused series that would give the rest of Team Avatar their own glorious moment in the spotlight.

It’s powerful stuff, and fans of the series will take away additional nuance, since we know what Aang’s decisions lead to, for better and worse. I suspect everyone else will find the film dazzling visually but undercooked in other ways.

Considering that “Aang” is the first in a long line of “Avatar” productions, the debut venture for Avatar Studios makes a rock-solid mark that one can only hope gets sturdier in future entries. Nevertheless, it delivers a gratifying cinematic experience to the fanbase, as visually mesmerizing as it is a worthy storytelling contribution to a brilliant fantasy series.

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender may be just as stunning if not even more visually appealing than the other Avatar franchise it often gets confused with. However, like that franchise, its narrative is just serviceable enough, especially if one isn't already invested in this complex world. Regardless of its narrative issues, which are overall minor compared to other big legacy sequels, the film is so visually riveting that it truly deserved a wider theatrical run.

It’s a brilliant continuation of the series that matures alongside its characters, rather than trying to do something completely new. After nearly two decades away from the original series, this is a remarkably faithful new story, one that will surely satisfy longtime fans.

This is a gorgeous work of animation that deserves to be seen on the big screen.

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender will bring harmony to a fandom long divided over recent live-action adaptations. While it's not as strong as the original series, it is a faithful return to form for these beloved characters that bodes well for future chapters of Aang's story and the franchise at large.

There’s an inherent and refreshing novelty to simply revisiting this friend group having aged up another decade or so, and the theater-worthy animation provides any additional glow-up missing from the good-enough story.

For most of its run, the film is po-faced serious anime business, with little space for the humor and heart that made “The Last Airbender” so special. Sure, “Avatar Aang” is ostensibly more adult — but sometimes, growing up isn’t all its cracked up to be.