---
title: 'I Finally Watched the New Avatar Movie'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=pRO-Yn-Z-4I'
video_id: 'pRO-Yn-Z-4I'
date: 2026-07-28
duration_sec: 952
---

# I Finally Watched the New Avatar Movie

> Source: [I Finally Watched the New Avatar Movie](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pRO-Yn-Z-4I)

## Summary

The speaker reviews the new Avatar movie, praising its animation and fights but criticizing its departure from martial arts-based bending, weak character chemistry, and lack of narrative depth. Overall, they find it entertaining but disappointing for die-hard fans.

### Key Points

- **Leaked and hyped** [00:02] — The movie leaked months ago, causing a frenzy, but the speaker waited to watch it.
- **Fights lack martial arts** [00:26] — The animation and fights are beautiful, but the bending feels more like energy blasts from Dragon Ball Z than the martial arts-based bending from the original series.
- **Team Avatar nerfed** [02:21] — The entire team, especially Aang, feels weaker than at the end of the series, which is frustrating.
- **Taga as a villain** [03:03] — Taga, an ancient airbender revived, is a good villain but lacks depth due to limited runtime. His goal is to use a staff to give airbending to create an army.
- **Taga solos Team Avatar** [04:05] — Taga easily defeats and kills the entire Team Avatar, which feels underwhelming given their experience.
- **Team Avatar dies and is revived** [05:00] — All members are killed by Taga, but Katara revives them with spirit water, a repetitive and cheap plot device.
- **Denied get bending too easily** [07:05] — The non-bender 'denied' receive airbending and immediately fight on par with Team Avatar, which is unrealistic.
- **No character chemistry** [09:01] — The movie lacks banter and friendship dynamics among Team Avatar; Aang is portrayed as a bad leader.
- **Narrative weak, stakes low** [12:06] — The story feels like checking boxes with cameos, and the stakes are diminished because airbending returns in Korra.
- **Overall verdict** [15:06] — The movie is visually stunning and entertaining, but narratively disappointing. It reignited interest in rewatching the original series.

### Conclusion

While the movie is a visual spectacle with great music and action, it fails to capture the character depth and martial arts essence of the original series, making it a mixed bag for longtime fans.

## Transcript

the one that fully leaked a few months ago that had everyone in a frenzy discussing it because they couldn't resist the temptation to unwrap Santa's resist the temptation to unwrap Santa's gifts early. But I waited like a good
boy for my my dessert. So, here I am. Tardy to the party. Clean plate club. I finally watched it and overall kind of lukewarm on it, unfortunately.
And we're getting into spoilers off rip. I just want to start yapping. There are things about it that I liked. I think the animation is beautiful. I I think animation. I love the fights. I think the fights are very hype and they're I
think visually stunning. But now I'm immediately going to piggyback on that compliment to give a complaint. I feel like the fights in here kind of lose the martial arts focus that was like front and center throughout Avatar the Last
Air Bender the series. martial arts was integral to the bending and it was integral to the bending and it was present in every single facet of it. In this, it felt more like like Dragon Ball Z type fighting with like energy blasts
and [ __ ] like that. It felt like I was more watching some kind of shownen where they're using magic as opposed to like martial arts derived bending. And and it's not to say that it's bad, but I prefer the martial arts to still be like
deeply intertwined with the bending that we're watching. And I feel like they really lost that, especially at the end of the movie where it becomes basically like the final fight in Mob Psycho 100. It's like it's unrecognizable
from like normal Avatar type action. You got Ang flying around. He's got like a big power up. He's He even kind of looks like something out of Naruto at the end there with his power up with the staff fighting against another powered up foe,
Taga, who's been powered up by the staff. So now he's mutated into like a, you know, big powered up form. It's just like it wasn't bad. Like I still think it's visually very cool and the action was still hype, but I would have
preferred if it still stayed true to like the martial arts roots of it all. It feels like that was kind of forgotten. But I won't harp on it too much. I still think the animation was great and the action was still hype to
great and the action was still hype to watch. Now, I will say that it feels like they took Team Avatar here and nerfed them across the board. Like, I think across the board, each member, especially Ang, feels weaker than where
they left off in the series, unfortunately. And that kind of sucks to see because I would feel like the natural evolution would be they get even better and stronger, especially after everything
they've went through and the experience they have now. But Taga, Taga is the new actually think he's a good villain. I think he kind of suffers from a little lack of depth because they didn't have like episodes to flush him out. They had
one movie to do so. But the groundwork they laid on him, I thought was solid. He is an air bender from an ancient time who gets revived here and gives Ang and really the whole world the hope of bringing airbending back through this
staff that's able to channel the power of the full spirit realm so they can then bestow the gift of airbending to whoever they choose. And that's how Taga received it from Avatar Sonum. And Sonum is a really interesting new character
they introduce here. an avatar that willingly cut herself off from willingly cut herself off from everything really out of regret over how things unfolded during her time with Taga specifically and that staff. I
think it's interesting and I don't think it got the exploration needed to really make it land, but again, that was always going to be a tall order with a single movie to do so. But overall, I think Taga was a good character. Now, Taga is
able to completely solo Team Avatar, and you can chalk that up to them just not bender because he is the first one outside of Ang that the world has seen in a hundred years. So, I I think there is like an argument to be made there.
And Taga himself is like an exceptional warrior. They establish that early on like how powerful he is and was during his time as well. and he went through like so much misery and torture watching his brothers and everyone just fall
during era of war and it corrupted him and that's why he wants this staff to basically have an army so that way the air air nomads are the only ones left like they're in control like I I think they set him up well and they set up
that he's very powerful so I can see why team Avatar would struggle against him but I would have liked to see them put up more of a fight he kind of like really easily dispenses of them and he kills them. Like they make the decision
kills them. Like they make the decision to have them be fatally wounded by him. way. Like it's up for interpretation or something like they were able to like, you know, narrowly survive. No, they died. They straight up just got [ __ ]
murdered. They went to the damn Valhalla. They sailed off into the kicked the bucket. They [ __ ] banished to the shadow realm. Like they died to Taga pretty easily. Like yeah, they got to showcase some teamwork, but it was
useless against him. I would have liked to see it be more of like a struggle for Taga, especially since he's been encapsulated in energy. He he'd been imprisoned for 5,000 years or something. Like surely he'd be like a little rusty.
And surely the bender the benders have gotten better over the course of 5,000 years. So like the fire bending from Zuko Tooff the best earth bender in the entire world. Qatara like like you would think it would have been more of a
fight, but it wasn't. he easily defeats them, which is a little upsetting, but where they feel nerfed because at the end of the movie when he does uh give airbending to uh the denied who are non-benders and they were initially set
non-benders who have been undergoing discrimination and now they want to want the staff so they can get bending and have power for themselves after everything they've been through which isn't really explored with in this new
era of peace how they have reached this point where they are so uh desperate and and just full of agony that they want to kill the Avatar, take the staff, have bending for themselves to fight back and get power. That's not explored. So, they
denied. And I know that that plays into Kora. Like, it's a parallel to what's in Kora. Full disclosure, I haven't seen Kora. I was never really interested in seeing Kora after I heard bits and
take the plunge and watch it, especially since there is another Avatar series coming up. So, I will watch it pretty soon. But anyway, so where I feel the nerf really gets insulting is at the end. They get the bending, the denied
and immediately they're able to start standing toe-to-toe with Tooff, standing toe-to-toe with Tooff, with Zuko, with Qatara. Like, come on. Like, I get their warriors too, the denied, but they just got air bending.
like this and especially not to the level where they would actually be a level where they would actually be a threat to the core cast of team Avatar. Like Tough does defeat a few of them pretty easily, but then another one is
able to just like blow her away and then we don't see her again. And Qatara also struggles a bit as well. Zuko too. Like come on. There's no [ __ ] way they guess you can make the argument like they didn't want to hurt the denied, but
like they didn't like they still did fight back and they were struggling with the fighting back. I just really didn't like that decision because in fact everyone on Team Avatar is just perpetually dumpstered. They're getting
[ __ ] smurfed on by Taga and then by like actual like rookies. I'm talking [ __ ] bronze level players come in here and just start [clears throat] right on their cheeks. Like come on. Like that's I did I really thought that
was a bad decision there. Now another thing I really didn't like and it's something that I already mentioned is they do kill team Avatar. Kaga kills them. But Qatara was able to revive herself with the spirit water and then
revive everyone else with the spirit water as well, including Ang. Like water as well, including Ang. Like that's kind of lame. Why? We saw Ang get revived with spirit water in the series and that was fine. Why are we doing it
again? And and why are we doing the fake out deaths here and then using spirit water as the ah the day is saved type thing? I just very underwhelming. I did not like that choice either, man. The more I yap about
it, the the more things just like really didn't land for me. There is no character chemistry here in this movie. And again, I know that that's probably through things. So, things do move really fast, so the pacing is it's kind
of [ __ ] cutthroat, but like there is no care given to like actually having Team Avatar be friends anymore. like they're not joking with each other. Like there's one scene where they're joking when they first meet Taga, but outside
of that, they don't like actually banter. They don't really act like friends anymore. It doesn't come through anymore. Like there's a line here and there like to she makes a couple of like jokes about, you know, uh Taga like, you
know, I'm not into bad boys anymore. That kind of thing. But like it's like a a split second thing where like there's like a joke or something, but like the characters themselves aren't bouncing off each other. It doesn't seem like
they're friends really on screen. And Ang, and I think this is by design, is kind of a [ __ ] leader. Like I don't like that idea of just making him not good as a as a leader. I feel like we had an entire show that kind of cemented him as
being a great leader that could bring in this incredible era of peace. And in that labor. Like there is an era of peace here up until Taga and stuff, but for mostly successfully, but then we see him like actually leading his friends.
He's [ __ ] bad at it. like he's he's he's just getting carried really by Qatara and Qatara and Ang like they don't even feel like a like a real couple or anything like it just feels so flat. There's no like actual
character building moments in here at all. So the emotions kind of gone unfortunately like it doesn't it doesn't hit. What does hit though is the music.
music here and I think it complements the visuals very well. Like there I I know it's been a lot of negatives here, but there is still like some good like strong elements of this movie and I think most of them are located in the
beginning of it. Like I would have liked to see more from the Republic they're building. I would have liked to see more uh you know from this new world here in this era of peace that's being built. I would have just liked to see the
characters interact with one another again like in general as friends, but I I don't know. I I just I think it was missing a lot to make it a great Avatar
movie. I think if you don't really care too much about how it plays into like the Avatar world, I do think it's an entertaining movie. Like it's very very well animated. There is a lot of action. The action is good. It is a spectacle.
So, I do think a lot of people will walk away very satisfied with it. And it's not like I hated it or anything. I just would have really liked to have seen more. And in some ways, I feel like a lot of it was just trying to check some
boxes for things that they thought everyone would really want to see. So, like even some of the themes that this movie tackles were already tackled in the series. And they of course give you like the fun cameos to point at the
screen going, "Oh, it's good to see them again." like the cabbage merchant who actually has like two scenes and that's fun. I I'm happy they dusted off the fun. I I'm happy they dusted off the greatest hits. I just wish that the
narrative was stronger. I I just don't think that this story think that this story hit super hard. Especially knowing that it wasn't going to lead to anything. Even not having watched Kora, I know
that airbending does come back in that show. Thus, it had no chance of coming back here. And that removes a lot of the tension of it. And since the stakes are
so [ __ ] high where it's like end of the world apocalypse [ __ ] it was always the world apocalypse [ __ ] it was always just going to be wrapped up here at the end of the movie just fully. [snorts] So, it just I don't think that this was
So, it just I don't think that this was really the best story for this this kind of movie. I do like Taga and I do like some of the things they introduce here. I just I don't think the whole dish worked together super well. The some of
the ingredients I think were solid, but the meal they served I think was just lacking. What I will say though is that this movie made me want to rewatch the series, which is something I haven't done in like a decade, maybe even more.
It's been a while since I've watched Avatar the Last Air Bender, start to finish, and this made me want to watch it again. And I also imagine that this movie probably does have some things that like
contradict what was in the series, but I don't remember them like the rules in there. Like in particular, I I'm pretty certain in the series Ang couldn't just
go communicate with any avatar all willy-nilly. In here, he's he's in there [ __ ] constantly like it's an AOL chat room. dude is able to just go through room. dude is able to just go through every avatar ever instantly with no
hub or anything at all while trying to like learn about uh the the new character introduced here, son. So like I I I I'm pretty sure I remember it being a much bigger deal in the series. So maybe like as he got older he learned
how to like master the ability to commune with them and talk with them. Like I think that's probably entirely possible, but I'd have to go back and like rewatch to see if like that was ever even something that could happen
thing to do no matter how trained you were. But I I don't I'd have to rewatch is the thing. The point I was making is there might have been other things in this movie that don't play into like the established rules. I just don't remember
all of the rules now. So now I want to go back and rewatch the entire series. And I do want to watch all of Kora now to get ready for the new Avatar series coming up there as well. Again though, overall, just to reiterate, the movie is
fine. I think if you don't care a lot about how it fits into like the overall world, then you're in for just a fun spectacle because it is a really well animated film. The music is great. There's a lot of action. There's a lot
of hype. So, like I do think a lot of people will be very satisfied with it. I people will be very satisfied with it. I personally just was a little let down. I I don't think it's like terrible. I didn't hate it, but I also didn't love
it. Anyway, that's really about it. See you.