Thursday, September 20, 2018

Thoughts on a Live-Action "Last Airbender"

I feel so ungrateful about this "Last Airbender" news. It could be something wonderful, but I can't help thinking of all the reasons that it doesn't seem like a good idea.

Some stories are ripe for adaptation, but others are born in their ideal form, and cannot be improved by a retelling. For "The Last Airbender," animation seems like that ideal format, which makes me fear that a live action series – no matter how good – will be a pale imitation.

By contrast, consider "The Lord of the Rings." The books are a masterpiece, and the movies are an entirely different kind of masterpiece. They complement each other—one story, but expressed through two different types of storytelling.

Can the story of "The Last Airbender" also be told in a different way? More importantly, should it be? I'm not sure. I don't want a live action series that feels like a retread of the animated series, but I also don't want a live action series that conflicts with the series I know and love.


I have to wonder...

If Netflix believes in "The Last Airbender" enough to pay for it, why not produce more of the animated series? The story has already been continued in graphic novels, which demonstrates how many stories are left to tell... and, unlike the main arc of the series, those stories haven't been told in their ideal format yet. They could actually benefit from being brought to the screen.

Of course, that's where my feeling of ungratefulness comes in. Rather than being glad for what I'm given, I'm whining for what I'd rather have instead. The truth is, I should trust that the creators of "The Last Airbender" know what they're doing. After all, they're the ones who got it right the first time. If anyone can get it right again, it's them.

I just don't know how they can do justice to everything that made their first show great, especially on a TV budget. Granted, shows like "Game of Thrones" have demonstrated that a fantasy epic is possible on television... but even "Game of Thrones" is judicious in its use of visual effects. It uses them when they really count, but not all the time. By contrast, "The Last Airbender" lives in a world filled with flying creatures, detailed choreography, and magical powers. How in the world will they accomplish that?