Both a love letter and a proper continuation of the 90s show, made by people who obviously love the original cartoon, but also the X-Men characters and storylines. The intro theme is back, the characters are back, most of the original cast is back, the campy dialogue and storytelling format are back too. At the same time both the animation and the way themes of prejudice are presented have been updated in a way that feels more relatable to modern audiences.
It's clear that a lot of effort and heart were put into this, and despite hitting some heavily nostalgic notes, it definitely doesn't piggyback on nostalgia alone. Bringing back old, beloved shows and franchises is always risky, and it's not going to meet everyone's expectations, but if it has to happen then the best way to go about it is with care for the original material and understanding of what made it special to those who love it.
The lady who plays the third sister, is an awful actress. Disney needs to stop catering to kids when it comes to marvel and star wars, too many scenes/stories are so childish.
I was recommended by a colleague to watch this show. To put it bluntly I was sceptical - it seemed just like a kids cartoon, and I am in my mid 30s - but I decided to give it a go, mainly because he kept saying "trust me"!
Over the past month I have watched the entire series and must say I was quite impressed. While it definitely is aimed at a younger audience, like all good children's stories it appeals to parents and children alike. If anything, it appeals to adults because it reminds them of what they loved about children's stories as kids.
The first season took a few episodes to get going. It took me a while to get into it and embrace the characters. The early episodes tend to be generally self-contained stories, however towards the end of season 1 the story takes off, and the story become much more serialised. From then on out it is a really enjoyable ride all the way through to the series 3 finale. If anything it gets better from season to season.
The animation is first rate for TV. I have never really watched any anime (or anime-style, in this case) series before so I was definitely going into this green, but I found the quality to be first rate. The characters were also very well written, and the constructed world of element benders was believable within its mythos. I highly recommend this to kids and adults alike. Better still, watch it with your kids.
At the end of the day, they are just telling good stories, and who wouldn't enjoy that?
