As the 100-year war drags on, the world must place its hope in the Avatar. Despite being a longtime fan who has watched the original series multiple times over and suffered through the movie adaptation in 2010, I wanted to watch this version with an open mind. After watching the latest Netflix version in full, I can safely say that my heart has been broken once again. It’s not completely devoid of good qualities, but they are few and far between.

This 2024 version of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” looks pretty good, the bending is fluid, the costumes and set pieces look like real versions of the original, and I believe that the actors are trying their absolute hardest, but what it accomplishes is surface level only. The show lacks all the nuance, subtlety and heart of the original. Even apart from the comparison to what came before, the production suffers from terrible dialogue, rough delivery, clunky sound editing and narrative dissonance. Throughout the whole show, we are repeatedly told one thing, but how the characters act tells us the opposite. Characters will explain the same thing back-to-back, and the exposition dumping would put the world’s biggest polluters to shame.

While its execution isn’t the best, the integral theme of love and friendship persists. “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). I may not have enjoyed this version of the story, but I hope they create a better season two.

Rating: TV-PG | Platform: Netflix | *Zeitgeist is written as reviews, not recommendations.