Essay Sample on Exploring The Last Airbender: Themes, Characters, and Criticisms

The Last Airbender is one of the original American action-adventure fantasy animated series featured on Netflix. Manoj Night Shyamalan was the writer, director, and producer of the film. Aang is the main character in the film, whose character pans various critics, audiences, and fans. As a result, the film is considered one of the worst films ever made in history. Other areas criticized in the film include acting, directing, casting, screenplay, visuals, characters, and editing.

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Aang is a 12-year old boy who surrenders himself on behalf of the entire village but then ends up escaping the Fire Nation ship. He later flies to Appa, his flying pet bison. Appa, Kattara, and Sokka travel to the Southern Air Temple, and Aang learns that he was in an iceberg for approximately a century and finds no air nomads as they were already swept by the Fire Nation. He later enters the Avatar State and finds himself in a spirit world where he finds a dragon spirit.

The Fire Nation controlled the earth’s kingdom, where the Aang’s group of companions arrived. As soon as they get arrested, they start a rebellion, battle, and defeat the Fire Nation soldiers exhibiting as inhabitants of the village. Aang travels to the Northern Water Tribe, where he goes to seek water-bending. He is later betrayed by a peasant and then captured by Fire Nation archers who were led by Commander Zhao. He escapes through his Blue Spirit.

Aang is later welcomed by the inhabitants at Northern Water Tribe. The Fire Nation then arrives, and Zhao initiates his attack while Zuko continues his search for the Avatar (Hampton, 2020). Zuko then captures Aang later and reenters the Avatar state to seek the Dragon Spirit for assistance in the defeat of the Fire Nation. Aang later battles Zuko until Katara freezes Zuko in ice, and leaves to join the entire battle. Having recalled the trapping in ice, Aang enters the Avatar State and transforms the waters into a gigantic wall that drives the Fire Nation back.

Aang’s world is considered cinematic and culturally appropriate. He is perceived as the latest Avatar of the air nomads. He is committed to learning the abilities that would assist him and his friends in defeating the Fire Nation. Only a few elements were remaining for him and his friends to have a chance against the Fire Nation. Some critics were disappointed by the live-action movie even though it was meant to reunite some creators and specific persons contributing to its success.

Aang, as the main character, did not accrue many points for the live-action film as those of other Netflix projects. Even so, the film exhibited new cultural resurgence in the film industry. Aang was made as a reincarnated avatar who can control every element independently and keep order (Vilas-Boas, 2020). His main intention was to bring peace by defeating the Fire Nation, a goal that is met towards the end of the film.

The Last Airbender is an exhilarating film as it gives an in-depth case study of a micro-level impact of war and the expansionist attempts of the aggressive nation. There is a starkly yet anti-colonial message passed through the movies as it integrates violence and trauma. When considered from a researcher’s perspective, the actions within the film act as warnings against the dangers of imperialism.

The four nations are individually characterized by different elements, which comprise water, earth, fire, and air. The Fire Nation is the ultimate of all, and each of the individuals within the nation is capable of manipulating or bending the respective elements of the nation, even though only one can bend all four and bring the intended balance, understood as the titular Avatar.

Aang tries to bring balance to the world that is filled with chaos since the Fire Nation had already taken advantage of the situation due to the long absence of the Avatar to expand powers across the world. Avatar tries to follow Aang’s journey of restoring peace by mastering all four elements. It was a fight of the struggling Avatar with the Fire Nation, which was portrayed as a totalitarian regime with the ambitions of being associated with imperialism.

The Fire Nation is an aggressor and a cause of discord between all the four nations. Aang makes the Fire Nation be exhibited as the primary antagonist in the show. Colonialism is condemned along with the horrific legacies left. Real-world occurrences are featured in the film, including extractive industrialization, taxation, and migration.

The film features some other repressive tactics, including the exploration of labor through prisons. Aang is perceived throughout the actions in the films, where he meets his friends and victims of the injustices (Vilas-Boas, 2020). Aang’s experiences also bring out a message and characteristic regarding colonialism. The Fire Nation, at one point, makes a huge genocide against the Air nation and eliminates all of them.

Aang is the only person who mourns the loss of centuries in frozen water. He could have exploited the period with the sharing of knowledge. The film, as well as Aang’s experiences, prove some burdensome existence and show how colonialism could contribute to various feelings of isolation. The ending depicts the loss of culture and history, a reason for too much criticism for contemporary viewers.

Conclusion

The Last Airbender is an adventure-fantasy animation that brings out criticisms in action, direction, visuals, and characters. The film brings out some controversy, especially due to the character assigned to Aang. Aang leads his team through defeat against the Fire Nation, which initiated various wars and attacking peace. Aang and his accomplices are committed, however, to defeat the Fire Nation.

References

Hampton, R. (2020). Avatar: The Last Airbender Picked the Wrong Romance. Slate. https://slate.com/culture/2020/06/avatar-last-airbender-katara-aang-no.html

Vilas-Boas, E. (2020). Need More Avatar: The Last Airbender? Try These Series. Vulture. https://www.vulture.com/article/avatar-the-last-airbender-watch-next-guide-animation-streaming.html