As it should be. Don't start an adaptation of a 3 season show then abandon it. I kind of assumed this was in the contract from the way they talked about it at the initial announcement of Netflix...
As it should be. Don't start an adaptation of a 3 season show then abandon it. I kind of assumed this was in the contract from the way they talked about it at the initial announcement of Netflix doing the live show.
Notably, it also announced the third season would be the last. I have no skin in this, since I didn't watch the original nor am I watching this show, but it's very refreshing to see commitment...
Notably, it also announced the third season would be the last.
I have no skin in this, since I didn't watch the original nor am I watching this show, but it's very refreshing to see commitment beyond one year, but also having a confirmed end point (especially from Netflix, which is known for dropping the axe on its shows mid-run, without a proper conclusion).
The original show was also 3 seasons, so they're just following the source material. Mostly that statement is a commitment to not try and extend it past the original story.
The original show was also 3 seasons, so they're just following the source material.
Mostly that statement is a commitment to not try and extend it past the original story.
any opinions on adaptational quality? I liked the show as a young person and wouldn't mind watching a live-action version... if it can live up to my expectations.
any opinions on adaptational quality? I liked the show as a young person and wouldn't mind watching a live-action version... if it can live up to my expectations.
Well, if the original is a 10 and the movie-that-must-not-be-named is a 1, I'd say this is a 4 or 5. It's way better than the movie, still nowhere near as good as the original. Sometimes it's the...
Well, if the original is a 10 and the movie-that-must-not-be-named is a 1, I'd say this is a 4 or 5. It's way better than the movie, still nowhere near as good as the original. Sometimes it's the acting, sometimes it's the direction, I dunno. It just never feels quite right, and I don't mean as an adaptation, I mean as a TV show in general. It was hard to care about it much and we stopped after two episodes I think. Maybe it gets better, but the first two were simply... fine.
Using the same rating scale (original is 10, movie is 1), then I would rate this around 7.5-8. I watched the whole thing and absolutely enjoyed it. I watched the original years years ago, and only...
Using the same rating scale (original is 10, movie is 1), then I would rate this around 7.5-8. I watched the whole thing and absolutely enjoyed it. I watched the original years years ago, and only once so far. I don't have any super strong attachments to it, so I'm far less critical. On its own merits without being compared to the original, it's pretty good. My family and friends who know nothing about it enjoyed it a lot.
My criticisms are as follows. It feels too condensed, which isn't difficult to predict. They took 20 episodes and made it only 8. This doesn't give it enough room for the characters to breathe despite the actual runtimes being not too far off. Some of the story does feel off, but not greatly so. It mostly keeps the same general vibe to me. And if it didn't, then I didn't remember it which means a complete newcomer wouldn't pick up on it anyway.
The general response of "go watch the original" isn't very helpful. There is a non-zero number of people who will never watch anything animated because they just don't want to. That's honestly the demographic these live action adaptation of animated shows/movies are targeting. I guess that's why my score is higher?
Did I imply that this was my recommendation? If so, I didn't intend to. I don't believe I said that, I simply compared the two and commented on the quality of the live action show in general.
The general response of "go watch the original" isn't very helpful.
Did I imply that this was my recommendation? If so, I didn't intend to. I don't believe I said that, I simply compared the two and commented on the quality of the live action show in general.
The runtime of the live action is only an hour shorter than the animation. They had plenty of time to pace it put. It's just a matter of how they choose to do so.
It feels too condensed, which isn't difficult to predict. They took 20 episodes and made it only 8.
The runtime of the live action is only an hour shorter than the animation. They had plenty of time to pace it put. It's just a matter of how they choose to do so.
Agreed! It's weird, but I guess having shorter but more episodes allows for a more brisk pacing? Like each episode has to sorta be connected thematically throughout, so they can't just tell 2...
Agreed! It's weird, but I guess having shorter but more episodes allows for a more brisk pacing? Like each episode has to sorta be connected thematically throughout, so they can't just tell 2 disjointed stories in a single episode even though it's roughly twice the runtime. But I'm just a guy...what do I know LOL
It's the storytelling. At least that's the problem I had. Way too much info dumping and now enough actual showing in the first two episodes. The action is cool, but the protagonist keeps getting...
It's the storytelling. At least that's the problem I had. Way too much info dumping and now enough actual showing in the first two episodes. The action is cool, but the protagonist keeps getting told how to feel and why they should feel that way. They don't get a chance to experience it themselves. They kind of just move onto the next action piece. Though episode 3 was decent visual storytelling.
There's also some bad choices in character development later on. Overall I thought it was okay.
this is an unnecessary product. The casting goes between perfect and awful/awkward. The costumes are the same. Some of the hair looks brutal while the craftsmanship of the uniforms is excellent. I...
this is an unnecessary product. The casting goes between perfect and awful/awkward. The costumes are the same. Some of the hair looks brutal while the craftsmanship of the uniforms is excellent.
I stopped after two episodes. The animated one is perfect and should be left alone.
First off, let me just say that I think your observations about the show are fair. It's an unnecessary product...for you. I'll repeat what I said elsewhere. There is a non-zero number of people...
First off, let me just say that I think your observations about the show are fair.
It's an unnecessary product...for you. I'll repeat what I said elsewhere.
There is a non-zero number of people who will never watch anything animated because they just don't want to. That's honestly the demographic these live action adaptation of animated shows/movies are targeting.
That said, you're entitled to your opinions. I don't think they're wildly out of line or anything.
Really loved the original series and will fight people who say Korra was terrible (uneven, yes. character development was outstanding though). I was pretty jazzed when I saw the first trailer but...
Really loved the original series and will fight people who say Korra was terrible (uneven, yes. character development was outstanding though). I was pretty jazzed when I saw the first trailer but I try to treat live-action remakes as their own separate thing and judge it on it's own accord. I also come from Star Trek fandom where first seasons are notoriously the worst seasons so to me, season 1 of the live action Avatar was enjoyable enough to keep me interested in a season 2.
Is it the best thing out there? Not even close but I had fun watching it. However, if you have really high expectations, want a beat by beat recreation of the original, or in general can't stomach deviations from the source material, you may not enjoy it.
I really really enjoyed it. I am not an anime person so it was a good compromise for me. my brother who is a big fan had a few small gripes with it, but still thought it was a fun time.
I really really enjoyed it. I am not an anime person so it was a good compromise for me. my brother who is a big fan had a few small gripes with it, but still thought it was a fun time.
I’m really interested in the first time experience of someone not familiar with the cartoon. Is it hard to follow or throwing a lot of jargon at you all at once?
I’m really interested in the first time experience of someone not familiar with the cartoon. Is it hard to follow or throwing a lot of jargon at you all at once?
A couple things were a little weird, like finding the group of people in the cave. But I watched it with my brother and he says apparently it isn't supposed to happen like that. It was generally...
A couple things were a little weird, like finding the group of people in the cave. But I watched it with my brother and he says apparently it isn't supposed to happen like that. It was generally easy enough to follow. And I really enjoyed all of the characters and actors. Especially the uncle and the bad guy Zhao
It might not live up to your expectations 😅 this youtube review explains my feelings about it, and live-action adaptations in general. There's just a lot in 2D animation that's so hard to...
It might not live up to your expectations 😅 this youtube review explains my feelings about it, and live-action adaptations in general. There's just a lot in 2D animation that's so hard to translate to live action, I always end up wishing for the live action version to just tell a different story within the same world, so it'll be free to tell the story in a way that fits the strengths and limitations of the live action format. So for example I would have preferred a live action Avatar prequel.
Adaptational wise it's very lacking. It's not like the One Piece adaptation that managed to capture the essence of the anime, with a few adjustments here and there. It lacks most of what makes the...
Adaptational wise it's very lacking. It's not like the One Piece adaptation that managed to capture the essence of the anime, with a few adjustments here and there.
It lacks most of what makes the original so highly enjoyable: the actors are very lacklusting and one dimensional, they took out all the fun and abadoned the "show, don't tell" approach for a "tell, don't show" one. And of course, being Netflix they couldn't resist making Katara a "Mary Sue" character.
Short answer: the series is better than the movie. Long answer: same as above but with more detail. As blasphemous as this may sound, the movie isn't the worst thing I've seen. There's only so...
Short answer: the series is better than the movie.
Long answer: same as above but with more detail. As blasphemous as this may sound, the movie isn't the worst thing I've seen. There's only so much they could do in adapting the first season into a short movie. They took a much more realistic approach to the wardrobe/costuming. That is, it looked more like clothing people would wear and less faithful to the original animation. The Netflix show is way more faithful in this regard. It's more vibrant than the movie, but doesn't seem comical at least to me. Movie Aang's Airbender tattoo is pretty intricate, and the Netflix show blends both the original animation's solid arrows with the movie's intricate designs. I really appreciated this design choice.
The special effects aren't as good, but that's mostly to be expected given how much time has passed. Fans of the original animation will also notice some odd/major changes to some of the benders and their abilities. Specifically, the Firebenders. In the movie, they cannot create their own fire. They need a source and they control it. The Earthbenders seemed way less adept at using their powers in the movie, while the first episode of the Netflix show really showcases them. They're pretty badass, and I cannot wait to see Toph next season.
The casting is really weird/bad in the movie. Obviously there's a bunch of whitewashing (Aang, Katara, and Sokka), but they also made the Firebenders Indian (South Asian) without changing their names to reflect it better. There's also how they pronounced a few people's names differently from. The Netflix show mostly does cast the roles with people who look the part more, although I'm not convinced they fit the part more...specifically Katara. Mai and Ty Lee haven't had as much screen time for me to be sure about. The rest of the casting is pretty good and is better than the movie.
I will end with one thing that the movie does much better than the Netflix show...Princess Yue's hair LOL
As it should be. Don't start an adaptation of a 3 season show then abandon it. I kind of assumed this was in the contract from the way they talked about it at the initial announcement of Netflix doing the live show.
Notably, it also announced the third season would be the last.
I have no skin in this, since I didn't watch the original nor am I watching this show, but it's very refreshing to see commitment beyond one year, but also having a confirmed end point (especially from Netflix, which is known for dropping the axe on its shows mid-run, without a proper conclusion).
The original show was also 3 seasons, so they're just following the source material.
Mostly that statement is a commitment to not try and extend it past the original story.
any opinions on adaptational quality? I liked the show as a young person and wouldn't mind watching a live-action version... if it can live up to my expectations.
Well, if the original is a 10 and the movie-that-must-not-be-named is a 1, I'd say this is a 4 or 5. It's way better than the movie, still nowhere near as good as the original. Sometimes it's the acting, sometimes it's the direction, I dunno. It just never feels quite right, and I don't mean as an adaptation, I mean as a TV show in general. It was hard to care about it much and we stopped after two episodes I think. Maybe it gets better, but the first two were simply... fine.
Using the same rating scale (original is 10, movie is 1), then I would rate this around 7.5-8. I watched the whole thing and absolutely enjoyed it. I watched the original years years ago, and only once so far. I don't have any super strong attachments to it, so I'm far less critical. On its own merits without being compared to the original, it's pretty good. My family and friends who know nothing about it enjoyed it a lot.
My criticisms are as follows. It feels too condensed, which isn't difficult to predict. They took 20 episodes and made it only 8. This doesn't give it enough room for the characters to breathe despite the actual runtimes being not too far off. Some of the story does feel off, but not greatly so. It mostly keeps the same general vibe to me. And if it didn't, then I didn't remember it which means a complete newcomer wouldn't pick up on it anyway.
The general response of "go watch the original" isn't very helpful. There is a non-zero number of people who will never watch anything animated because they just don't want to. That's honestly the demographic these live action adaptation of animated shows/movies are targeting. I guess that's why my score is higher?
Did I imply that this was my recommendation? If so, I didn't intend to. I don't believe I said that, I simply compared the two and commented on the quality of the live action show in general.
No, you didn't! Sorry that wasn't meant to be directed at you. Just something that I've read in many other places.
The runtime of the live action is only an hour shorter than the animation. They had plenty of time to pace it put. It's just a matter of how they choose to do so.
Agreed! It's weird, but I guess having shorter but more episodes allows for a more brisk pacing? Like each episode has to sorta be connected thematically throughout, so they can't just tell 2 disjointed stories in a single episode even though it's roughly twice the runtime. But I'm just a guy...what do I know LOL
It's the storytelling. At least that's the problem I had. Way too much info dumping and now enough actual showing in the first two episodes. The action is cool, but the protagonist keeps getting told how to feel and why they should feel that way. They don't get a chance to experience it themselves. They kind of just move onto the next action piece. Though episode 3 was decent visual storytelling.
There's also some bad choices in character development later on. Overall I thought it was okay.
this is an unnecessary product. The casting goes between perfect and awful/awkward. The costumes are the same. Some of the hair looks brutal while the craftsmanship of the uniforms is excellent.
I stopped after two episodes. The animated one is perfect and should be left alone.
First off, let me just say that I think your observations about the show are fair.
It's an unnecessary product...for you. I'll repeat what I said elsewhere.
There is a non-zero number of people who will never watch anything animated because they just don't want to. That's honestly the demographic these live action adaptation of animated shows/movies are targeting.
That said, you're entitled to your opinions. I don't think they're wildly out of line or anything.
Really loved the original series and will fight people who say Korra was terrible (uneven, yes. character development was outstanding though). I was pretty jazzed when I saw the first trailer but I try to treat live-action remakes as their own separate thing and judge it on it's own accord. I also come from Star Trek fandom where first seasons are notoriously the worst seasons so to me, season 1 of the live action Avatar was enjoyable enough to keep me interested in a season 2.
Is it the best thing out there? Not even close but I had fun watching it. However, if you have really high expectations, want a beat by beat recreation of the original, or in general can't stomach deviations from the source material, you may not enjoy it.
I really really enjoyed it. I am not an anime person so it was a good compromise for me. my brother who is a big fan had a few small gripes with it, but still thought it was a fun time.
I’m really interested in the first time experience of someone not familiar with the cartoon. Is it hard to follow or throwing a lot of jargon at you all at once?
A couple things were a little weird, like finding the group of people in the cave. But I watched it with my brother and he says apparently it isn't supposed to happen like that. It was generally easy enough to follow. And I really enjoyed all of the characters and actors. Especially the uncle and the bad guy Zhao
It might not live up to your expectations 😅 this youtube review explains my feelings about it, and live-action adaptations in general. There's just a lot in 2D animation that's so hard to translate to live action, I always end up wishing for the live action version to just tell a different story within the same world, so it'll be free to tell the story in a way that fits the strengths and limitations of the live action format. So for example I would have preferred a live action Avatar prequel.
Adaptational wise it's very lacking. It's not like the One Piece adaptation that managed to capture the essence of the anime, with a few adjustments here and there.
It lacks most of what makes the original so highly enjoyable: the actors are very lacklusting and one dimensional, they took out all the fun and abadoned the "show, don't tell" approach for a "tell, don't show" one. And of course, being Netflix they couldn't resist making Katara a "Mary Sue" character.
I’ve only seen the movie and loved it!!! Is the series similar or better than the movie ?
Short answer: the series is better than the movie.
Long answer: same as above but with more detail. As blasphemous as this may sound, the movie isn't the worst thing I've seen. There's only so much they could do in adapting the first season into a short movie. They took a much more realistic approach to the wardrobe/costuming. That is, it looked more like clothing people would wear and less faithful to the original animation. The Netflix show is way more faithful in this regard. It's more vibrant than the movie, but doesn't seem comical at least to me. Movie Aang's Airbender tattoo is pretty intricate, and the Netflix show blends both the original animation's solid arrows with the movie's intricate designs. I really appreciated this design choice.
The special effects aren't as good, but that's mostly to be expected given how much time has passed. Fans of the original animation will also notice some odd/major changes to some of the benders and their abilities. Specifically, the Firebenders. In the movie, they cannot create their own fire. They need a source and they control it. The Earthbenders seemed way less adept at using their powers in the movie, while the first episode of the Netflix show really showcases them. They're pretty badass, and I cannot wait to see Toph next season.
The casting is really weird/bad in the movie. Obviously there's a bunch of whitewashing (Aang, Katara, and Sokka), but they also made the Firebenders Indian (South Asian) without changing their names to reflect it better. There's also how they pronounced a few people's names differently from. The Netflix show mostly does cast the roles with people who look the part more, although I'm not convinced they fit the part more...specifically Katara. Mai and Ty Lee haven't had as much screen time for me to be sure about. The rest of the casting is pretty good and is better than the movie.
I will end with one thing that the movie does much better than the Netflix show...Princess Yue's hair LOL