eaglescout910
Joined Jun 2014
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eaglescout910's rating
This show is amazing and captivates audiences long after they outgrow other children's programming.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is not afraid to tackle mature themes and impactful storylines.
War, genocide, indoctrination and propaganda, brainwashing, parental abuse, female empowerment, oppression, forgiveness, gender discrimination, and loss are just some of the major themes covered throughout the series.
So many episodes are heavy hitters that create an emotional impact that is lasting and powerful. Unlike many other series that are made to be binge-watched, Avatar: The Last Airbender is unique in creating stand-alone episodes that leave you satisfied when they're over - all while still building on an overall plot that continues throughout the entire series.
It is a masterpiece that far exceeds what is typically expected of a series made for children's television.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is not afraid to tackle mature themes and impactful storylines.
War, genocide, indoctrination and propaganda, brainwashing, parental abuse, female empowerment, oppression, forgiveness, gender discrimination, and loss are just some of the major themes covered throughout the series.
So many episodes are heavy hitters that create an emotional impact that is lasting and powerful. Unlike many other series that are made to be binge-watched, Avatar: The Last Airbender is unique in creating stand-alone episodes that leave you satisfied when they're over - all while still building on an overall plot that continues throughout the entire series.
It is a masterpiece that far exceeds what is typically expected of a series made for children's television.
No spoiler in-depth review:
I've watched through 6 full seasons. If this review was solely based on season 1, this show would easily be 9 or 10 out of 10. Season 1 is fantastic. Season 2 is also great. After that things aren't quite as great. From best to worst, I'd rank the remaining seasons: 4, 5, 3, 6. Season 6 is by far the worst (I'll get to that later).
The casting is fantastic for the most part. Tom Cavanagh, Danielle Panabaker, Grant Gustin, and Carlos Valdes are among the best. Fun tidbit: Barry Allen's father is played by John Wesley Shipp who starred as The Flash in CBS's "Flash" TV series from 1990 to 1991. He is also one of my favorite castings in this series - especially during season 1. The acting of these cast members is outstanding.
Season 1 origin story and main villain buildup are phenomenally written. Season 2 goes in an interesting direction that creates great storytelling and world building while introducing more new and diverse characters.
Unfortunately things don't stay top notch after that. Season 3 would be better if the main villain wasn't so redundant from the previous two seasons. Season 4 is better with a villain from a different background and an engaging story. Season 5 is honestly the last season I found to be decent.
As the seasons go on, they try to do more and more crossovers with other tv shows in the dc universe. The crossover episodes can (usually) be skipped over without much consequence, although it can get irritating when you know some crossovers were simply written to get you to watch the other tv shows. Occasionally they throw in things you need to know, but these are usually covered in the recap that you can watch at the beginning of the next episode. However, the crossovers also seem to go off on tangents that have no relation to the main plot happening over the course of an entire season which diverts time that could've been used for better writing development for the main plot. Writing seems to get worse the longer this show is carried out.
These crossovers were never really too much of an issue until season 6 however. Crisis on Infinite Earths, a 5-part crossover, epically destroys most of what I loved about prior seasons, especially world building and the diverse cast of characters. It is placed smack dab in the middle of season 6 and is a rare occurrence where it is almost necessary to watch for context later in the season of the main show. In fact, this crossover was an absolute disgrace. Basically it spits in the face of most of what happens in seasons 1-5 of The Flash and tells you to just throw it away as if it never existed. There were moments where I was completely confused (as were the characters) because of how the crossover changed things. They took a great show and utterly ruined it. All because they had to have a multi-show crossover that tried too hard to be as epic and doomsday-filled as possible.
Basically the big "epic" crossover destroyed this show. Seasons 1-2 are great. Watch those at least. Seasons 3-5 are hit and miss but generally pretty good. Season 6 is an utter disappointment- simply because they tried to be too ambitious with a crossover.
The casting is fantastic for the most part. Tom Cavanagh, Danielle Panabaker, Grant Gustin, and Carlos Valdes are among the best. Fun tidbit: Barry Allen's father is played by John Wesley Shipp who starred as The Flash in CBS's "Flash" TV series from 1990 to 1991. He is also one of my favorite castings in this series - especially during season 1. The acting of these cast members is outstanding.
Season 1 origin story and main villain buildup are phenomenally written. Season 2 goes in an interesting direction that creates great storytelling and world building while introducing more new and diverse characters.
Unfortunately things don't stay top notch after that. Season 3 would be better if the main villain wasn't so redundant from the previous two seasons. Season 4 is better with a villain from a different background and an engaging story. Season 5 is honestly the last season I found to be decent.
As the seasons go on, they try to do more and more crossovers with other tv shows in the dc universe. The crossover episodes can (usually) be skipped over without much consequence, although it can get irritating when you know some crossovers were simply written to get you to watch the other tv shows. Occasionally they throw in things you need to know, but these are usually covered in the recap that you can watch at the beginning of the next episode. However, the crossovers also seem to go off on tangents that have no relation to the main plot happening over the course of an entire season which diverts time that could've been used for better writing development for the main plot. Writing seems to get worse the longer this show is carried out.
These crossovers were never really too much of an issue until season 6 however. Crisis on Infinite Earths, a 5-part crossover, epically destroys most of what I loved about prior seasons, especially world building and the diverse cast of characters. It is placed smack dab in the middle of season 6 and is a rare occurrence where it is almost necessary to watch for context later in the season of the main show. In fact, this crossover was an absolute disgrace. Basically it spits in the face of most of what happens in seasons 1-5 of The Flash and tells you to just throw it away as if it never existed. There were moments where I was completely confused (as were the characters) because of how the crossover changed things. They took a great show and utterly ruined it. All because they had to have a multi-show crossover that tried too hard to be as epic and doomsday-filled as possible.
Basically the big "epic" crossover destroyed this show. Seasons 1-2 are great. Watch those at least. Seasons 3-5 are hit and miss but generally pretty good. Season 6 is an utter disappointment- simply because they tried to be too ambitious with a crossover.
One thing to consider before watching this film: Lois Lowry, the author of the book it's based off of, genuinely loves this film. In fact she feels like it is better in some ways. If she likes it that much, then it's certainly worthy of being viewed with an open mind.
If the book hadn't been written and this movie was the first time this story had been told, it would have at least a 7 or 8 star rating. People are comparing it to the book and their prior expectations too much.
Considering this adaptation of less than 2 hours is very impactful, and captures the most important aspects of the book, I think it's a great adaptation.
One thing it really takes advantage of is the visuals. The way it utilizes color, black and white, and even faded color to show the story's progression is such a clever idea.
Some say the film isn't dark enough. It's exactly what it needs to be for the story to work, especially in the way it shows how horrible things can be without emotion. Could it have been darker? Of course. Would that have made the film better? I don't think it would. This film encourages you to think and apply things to real life. No need to be shown more and more darkness when we can already envision that happening in our own real world.
Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep are fantastic in their roles and really help carry the impact of what's happening. In fact, I like the performance of all the main actors. It's challenging to portray characters who only show fleeting feelings rather than lasting emotions, but they were quite successful.
Ultimately, I consider this film to be underrated and it has not gotten the respect it deserves due to preconceived ideas from people who read the book. Movies will never capture the same magic of the book they're based off of, but this film is a great representation of the ideas and thoughts presented in the book.
If the book hadn't been written and this movie was the first time this story had been told, it would have at least a 7 or 8 star rating. People are comparing it to the book and their prior expectations too much.
Considering this adaptation of less than 2 hours is very impactful, and captures the most important aspects of the book, I think it's a great adaptation.
One thing it really takes advantage of is the visuals. The way it utilizes color, black and white, and even faded color to show the story's progression is such a clever idea.
Some say the film isn't dark enough. It's exactly what it needs to be for the story to work, especially in the way it shows how horrible things can be without emotion. Could it have been darker? Of course. Would that have made the film better? I don't think it would. This film encourages you to think and apply things to real life. No need to be shown more and more darkness when we can already envision that happening in our own real world.
Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep are fantastic in their roles and really help carry the impact of what's happening. In fact, I like the performance of all the main actors. It's challenging to portray characters who only show fleeting feelings rather than lasting emotions, but they were quite successful.
Ultimately, I consider this film to be underrated and it has not gotten the respect it deserves due to preconceived ideas from people who read the book. Movies will never capture the same magic of the book they're based off of, but this film is a great representation of the ideas and thoughts presented in the book.