Vibrant, intense live-action adventure tale has violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Lots of fantasy fighting, including hand-to-hand combat. Scenes of intense peril. Benders use the elements, including fire and earth, to fight. A village and characters are brutally set on fire. Martial arts-inspired combat is frequently on display. Swords and other weapons used. A giant millipede-like creature traps people in webs; jump scares. An abusive parent intentionally burns/scars his child's face to teach the child a lesson. Another child sees her mother burned to death in front of her, the attack shown on screen. There's a big explosion-filled (but bloodless) battle scene where a Godzilla-like creature rampages; many fighters fall screaming to their deaths.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Teen characters flirt, find romance. A few brief kisses. One character walks in on someone who's partly undressed -- he covers his bare chest with his arms as she looks at him admiringly, played for humor. A ceremonial fight includes men with their shirts off.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Actors' ethnic backgrounds seldom "match" their on-screen portrayals -- Chinese and Korean Americans wear Japanese-inspired costumes, for example -- but the fantasy series is helmed by people of color, including showrunner Albert Kim. The cast is diverse, with main character Aang played by Gordon Cormier (who's Filipino and White Canadian). Other actors have White, Korean, Japanese, Mohawk, Chinese, Indian, and Assiniboine heritage. The elemental worlds draw inspiration from Inuit culture, feudal Japan, Tibetan Buddhism, and there's a bustling Silk Road-type metropolis. Women and girls are portrayed as athletic and capable warriors, but the series ultimately still focuses on male leads (Aang and Zuko). A character who uses a wheelchair has several scenes; he's portrayed positively and isn't defined by his disability.
Responsibility, bravery, and understanding your place in the world are all themes.
Positive Role Models
some
Aang is a spirited kid with a kind nature. The adults around him are supportive.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Avatar: The Last Airbender is a live-action version of the acclaimed animated show and book series. This action-adventure series chronicles young Avatar Aang's (Gordon Cormier) quest to save the world from the evil Fire Nation, led by Fire Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim). It's more mature than the previous incarnations, with lots of fantasy fighting and scenes of intense peril. Benders use the elements, including fire and earth, to fight. Characters are set on fire, including a parent as a child hides and watches in terror. A village is violently set on fire; the destruction is brutal. Martial arts-inspired combat is frequently on display; swords and other weapons are used. A battle scene is filled with explosions and a Godzilla-like monster rampages, smashing several boats with soldiers on board. Language includes "ass," "stupid," and "idiot." The series is diverse, with several actors of Asian and Indigenous descent and on-screen fantasy worlds inspired by Tibetan Buddhism, feudal Japan, and Inuit cultures. Positive messages include understanding your own power, courage, finding yourself, and friendship.
Don’t watch this before the cartoon and judge the series’s off of it
The idea I’m trying to get at is that the show was doomed to fail but still screwed up what they could have salvaged. Almost everything that made the original great instead of ok was cut or shortened like the character development was completely cut with one of the main characters who in the original was an arrogant and kinda sexist character who became better because of the journey they took and were humbled by their defeat by a woman who was far stronger than he was but instaid of that they just made him a character that at some times was mature and serious and already humbled to the arrogant character that he was just switching when they felt like it
This is been my childhood animated series that I’ve really liked to watched and growing up finished watching. I really like the cinematic effects of everything. I really appreciate the effort that the produces did with the CGI and anything of the bending, because I know it’s super difficult to do in life action, and I really like the way they portay each style of the animation with certain martial arts, which proven that they’ve given enough time to do some research and didn’t just do, a flaky stuff and doing the actions.
The actors were really great as well. I like that there is some kind of resemblance to the animated characters and I like how they act in the live action and given that they also had to do training with martial arts as well. I’ve given them it’s a 10 out of 10 for that.
What's the Story?
In AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER, young monk-in-training Aang (Gordon Cormier) is just a regular kid with some special skills. He's an Airbender, but some people think he may be the Avatar, a person who can master all the elements. When the Fire Nation destroys his village, he's transported to another, unfamiliar world of water and snow, and becomes a part of a new community. Together with siblings Sokka (Ian Ousley) and Katara (Kiawentiio), they must fight to keep safe from the encroaching Fire Lord (Daniel Dae Kim) and his minions.
This action-packed series is decidedly more mature than its animated counterpart. But Avatar: The Last Airbender is a worthy revisiting of Aang's tale. The cast is stacked with outstanding Asian, Native American, and First Nations actors, and the world-building is as in-depth as its predecessor's. Families with younger kids might do well to start with the animated version, but tweens and teens will appreciate the swift storytelling and adventurous spirit of this now classic tale.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about bravery and courage on display in Avatar: The Last Airbender. How does Aang find courage in difficult situations?
War is a major theme in this series. How do the various worlds deal with the ongoing fighting?
The fantasy worlds in the series are inspired by real-life cultures. Which references did you notice? Does watching Avatar: The Last Airbender make you want to learn more about the real counterparts?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Polly Conway
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
