Ranked – The best and worst character portrayals in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action remake
Avatar! Such nostalgia. This show captivated me as a kid and I’m still waiting for them to make a fourth season. Water, Earth, Fire…. Air right? It all ended too soon for how good it was.
I excitedly rewatched the anime series when it made an appearance on Netflix a few years back and I’m just pumped to have a live-action version that keeps to the script of the original. Let’s face it this is a waaay better story than One Piece.
I couldn’t help rating the live-action characters as they made their appearance through the first few episodes. I’ll rank their portrayals 1 to 10 below in no particular order.
Gordon Cormier as Aang
Aang
6 out of 10 – This Aang gets a 6 from me. It definitely works! Cormier has plenty of energy and plays the part well. Good acting is essential to the success of every enjoyable series and he surely ticks that box.
However, I think what we are getting here is a little more emotional and sophisticated Aang than was expected. This actor is a little too conceited in his delivery and he’s missing some of the haphazard rough-and-tumble boyishness that the anime character certainly had.
At some points Gordon Cormier’s portrayal reminds me more of that scene from the original series where the gang sees a play about themselves on Ember Island and Aang is played by actress in makeup much to his dismay. Am I being too harsh? Maybe.
Kiawentiio Tarbell as Katara
Katara
3 out of 10 – This Katara is a total miss for me. Katara the anime character was strong-willed, sassy and quick witted. Kiawentiio looks lost in this. She acts too shy and cutesy and mumbles her lines at points. I’m not at all convinced that she will work as the fierce fighter that Katara will grow into later on. A couple points for the awesome wardrobe and matching hairdo.
Ian Ousley as Sokka
Sokka
10 out of 10 – You simply could not find another human being to play Sokka better than this guy does. He captures every facet of the Sokka we know. The stubborn skepticism, tone of voice, clumsiness and inability to keep his mouth shut are all accounted for. Nailed it.
Dallas Liu as Prince Zuko
Zuko
7 out of 10 – Pretty Good! Liu’s portrayal gets a 7 from me. I think he does a good job of being angsty and commanding yet naïve. His tone and delivery are so good that he could have been the voice actor in the anime series and I wouldn’t notice a difference.
Though, something about him on the appearance side just doesn’t quite fit. I think the actor playing Zuko needed to be at least as athletic looking as Ian Ousley playing Sokka. Yeah, that’s it!
I’m sure this show will allow a year or two for these actors to mature while they work through additional seasons. They could all realistically grow into their roles a little more.
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Uncle Iroh
Uncle Iroh
5 out of 10 – It’s a strong performance from an experienced Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. He get’s the spirituality and wisdom of Uncle Iroh right. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lee also is a natural foodie, which is one of the most fun parts of this character – when he sporadically interrupts the plot for some dumplings.
My issue with his portrayal is that he isn’t bringing the carefree nature of the skillful-idiot Uncle Iroh from the anime series – which made this character such a joy. Seems like Lee is too serious in his delivery at times and comes off a little strict and book-wormy instead of sing-songy when he has proverbs or spirit-world wisdom to share
Nathaniel Kong as Longshot
Bonus: Longshot
Just wow! Come on, the attention to detail for some of the very minor characters is incredible. Another dead ringer for a character that might get 5 minutes of total screen time in the entire show.
