#avatar rant

[silversoul713]

F*ck it.

Someone has to say it.

The Avatar remake is good. Honestly.

For each thing that it did wrong, it did two things right and one thing better. The casting was solid, characters felt overall believable, it explored more of the world and was dark and funny, just like they promised.

No, it isn't perfect, and as much as we all like to say that the original was flawless, it really wasn't. The truth is that the animated series was as close to perfection as it could be given the medium, budget, time etc. It was above what anyone at the time expected. It blew minds! And it is unfair to expect the same level of greatness from the live action adaptation.

You cannot compare something so beloved and incredible to something that is completely fine on its own and say it is terrible just because the new doesn't live up to the original.

It isn't one to one and if it had been then it would've sucked because we all would've seen it before but better! Obviously they had to change things because of it. But they wouldn't want to take away from the journey or spend precious minutes on certain areas, so they mixed and matched, put other things in between the lines and it works!

They made it different, they gave it more. It isn't the same Avatar we grew up with and that is fine. It's a remake, an adaptation, you knew what was coming.

If you go to see a new Robin Hood movie, or Cinderella or any other famous story retold, you wouldn't want it to be perfect and precise to the version you like the most, because you've seen it a hundred times already! You see it most likely because you like the overall story, and want something new to absorb into your obsession!

Yeah, it messed up, yeah it was wonky here and there, but the things it did right and the things it did even better more than makes up for that and people need to stop expecting things to be perfect because it's not gonna happen!

It is still Avatar.

If you want the original then watch the original. If you don't want remakes to happen then grow up and accept that you don't have a say in it.

To claim that they shouldn't attempt remakes because they can't be better is a slippery slope of thinking that could wind up extremely toxic. It insinuates that if they don't know it can be just as good or better than before then they shouldn't even try. It inspires toxic perfectionism. It inspires giving up before trying.

So either close your eyes and don't focus on the things you don't enjoy like an adult, or open them properly so you can enjoy good content without being judgemental.

[genericdegraded]

I have always liked Avatar (2009), [hating it is mostly and mainly a USA phenomenon that has spread to the rest of the english speaking parts of the internet? the rest of the world doesn't hate Avatar 2009 the way americans do], and have little to no criticisms about it, but the ones I do have, have always bothered me. all my sentimental triplet ass wanted out of this movie was for the fact that Jake was a twin to be more fleshed out. it was to some degree the thing about him that I related to the most. like maybe show some more that Tommy existed, not just the "wow you look just like him, durh" basic line wich every identical twin, triplet, etc, has heard countless times in their lifes. I've always felt that they mentioned the fact just at the beginning to justify the plot (why Jake was there in the first place, reluctant hero and what not, and a way for him to have an avatar) and then when they got it out of the way they never mention Tommy again. not even in their birthday at the end, wich to me is baffling, I would have mentioned my brother at our own birthday if I were him. the most depht in emotion we get from Jake regarding Tommy, apart from his initial reaction when he sees Tommy in the box, is "he is dead, I know it's a big inconvenience for everyone" and "[the avatar] looks like him" (a line that gets undercut by the "nO, LOoKs liKE yOu" line) and he is never mentioned again (exept for saying that they got lucky with him because he had a marine brother). like. I know that not every twins relationship is like mine with my sisters, (that are basically my best friends and no one understands me better than them), but it must have been heart wrenching to no longer have him there, for him to no longer exist, and to have to step on your brothers path. doing it knowing that you are the one that is going take his place and his dream, wondering what he would think about you doing so. seeing the damn avatar that looks like your brother, and knowing that a little piece of him still remains after all.

(on that note, I don't think people understand that identical twins and triplets don't think they look alike even if they do. my sisters and I are identical triplets and I have never thought they look alike between them let alone I looking like them, sure we may look similar, but in my head it's more like when our brother looks similar to us, we just look like siblings. but I see both my sisters side by side and I see two different people, so I really think that Jake doesn't think that the avatar looks like him, he thinks it looks like Tommy, and he says so ("[the avatar] looks like him"). and a moment, that would've been extremely emotional if it were me, gets undercut by the utterly tone deaf "no, looks like you". no, it doesn't, it looks like (in his head) the recently deceased brother, let him have that moment in peace)

and the birthday thing. I am aware that it technically has been 6 years but come on, it's his first birthday without his brother existing, the first one they don't spend alive together [which i honestly dread to have to experience]. that deserves at least a mention. but apparently not, not even because you are about to fuse your consciousness with your brother's avatar for eternity, on yours and your brother's birtday. am i the only one that got that? is it just me? maybe they didn't have the best sibling relationship and I know that my experiences are not universal and maybe I am wishing for too much, but triplets and twins barely get any representation in media besides cookie cutter copy paste shenanigans with barely any depth of personality, if at all, that are not interested in identifying each individual sibling as an actual character besides giving them different colors, and this was such a missed potential that it annoys me to no end.

when I have re-watched the movie I always do it hoping to find more depth in that aspect of the story, that would make Jake a more realistic character, that would react or think like my experience as a triplet tells me he would regarding that aspect of the character, not just as plot justificacion. it just gives me endless headcanons. like, does Jake have any mixed feelings about Tommy dying and him getting to go to pandora and his avatar? does he ever feel guilty that he's to some degree glad that Tommy died? does he ever regret Tommy's death once he is fully immersed in tribe life? does he ever miss him?

and the endless jokes they both could have made about Tommy's avatar. he is more handsome than you, Tommy. now I have a clone that I actually like. now I can beat your marine ass.

there are really subtle storytelling moments in the movie, like if you are paing attention, you know that there are native people on pandora before the colonel tells us, the arrows in the tires of the bulldozer practically scream that to our faces, that's the first time in the movie that we get the hint of some humanoid alien life. or like how you can tell time passes because of Jake's hair growth (which is also a plot hole because, how did it not grow during the 6 years on the way?). or how people in the background look at Jake weird when they see him on the wheelchair for the first time.  there are little nuances like that throughout the movie. there could have been something like that that hints at that aspect of Jake's character traits. for fycks sake, there is a damn narrator in the movie and that's Jake, it doesn't have to be subtle. he could straight up just tell us how he feels about his brother being dead.

I know the the film is not interested in analyzing or pondering the psychological and emotional state and stages of having to step into your sibling's life instead of them, but I wish it had taken the time to flesh it out more. the moments were there, they just had to execute them better?

Idk, it's just that I don't think I ever see Jake mourning Tommy and I needed/expected for it to happen? Tommy gets killed a week before he gets in cryo, so for Jake it's really only been a few days since he lost Tommy when the movie starts. and it get brushed under the rug like a prop. and I am still mad about that.

[fresh-new-yoik-watah]

So mf tired of the entirety of the avatar fandom on Tik Tok for bullying me for making a video face claim for an OC. So I need the tumblr avatar fandom to be for real with me and tell me if she actually looks bad or not. I tried so hard and have done my best to make her as navi accurate as possible. The AI will not make her irises bigger so that’s the only thing I can think of that’s not truly accurate but like everything else I thought was fine??????

[salty-medley]

Well, that's interesting

I don't know if you noticed something, it's about background characters so I'm pretty sure lot of you don't even care, but even if I'm not fond of the fact they chose to make the Rough Rhinos totally bad at fighting just to make the main cast appearing better and make fun of the bad Fire Nation, I think that in Vachir's case it can mean something else.

In the comics, we learn that he was chosen by his superiors for Ozai's mission, aka finding his wife and her lover, and get rid of the lover. Now hear me: HOW THE ACTUAL FUCK this guy, member of the most elite group, the group which managed to capture the avatar while everyone was failing, and chosen among all his fellow archers, can possibly be that bad while facing Zuko, Iroh and the Gaang?

Well, we saw in the comics that he was really proud and confident, his wiki page even mentionned him as a star student (in Mrs Kwan school) , one of the best. Just imagine the schock after returning from this mission, where he couldn't even find the target due to a well known spirit who changed their faces so couldn't kill the guy, hearing the Firelord telling him to leave the Yuyan.

Ozai litteraly send him on an impossible mission ( that time I have to admit he didn't know himself about the spirit), and punished him in the worst manner: deprieving him from his whole life and somehow his identity. Doesn't that sound familiar? He'll do the same with his own son few years later, in an even more cruel manner.

But the point is, it's not even his archery talents which weren't good here, nor his tracking abilities: it was the work of a damn spirit. So why is he "that" bad except for the comical effect and the usual foil to make the heroes look good? I'd day his confidence was the key. We mostly see him hiding behind his teammates and having troubles to admit he's not good at hand-to-hand fights, but did he even needed it when he was a Yuyan? No. He wasn't trained for that at all. Nor he was trained to fight with a group of mercenaries not sharing his specialty.

And the same goes for every member ( at least the 5 original ones). That's what makes me think that just like all the Rough Rhinos he has a good potential alone but not together. Sokka couldn't fight Mongke in a 1 vs 1 in the comics. It'd be the same if each one was in his own environment. Iroh described it very well by saying "Each one is a different kind of weapons specialist. They are also a very capable singing group.", emphasizing on the fact they are different BUT also mentionning the only time they are good together: while singing.

Also we were robbed of a RR concert with possible Iroh as a guest.

[mood-2017]

why do I see people complaining left and right aboout them cutting sokkas sexism arc but not about them completely cutting sokka out of the jet arc??? which in my humble opinion was much more important to sokkas character development overall and as a leader. sokka being the only one not blindly believing jet and his heroic act and instead trusting his instinct and revealing jets twisted morals and cruel plan that could have led to the death of a whole village full of innocent people??? no one???

[starve-or-get-a-cup-of-coffee]

rather have a headache from not eating, than feeling bloated from binging

[theladystrikesagain]

how does a show released in 2024 fail harder in showcasing fully rounded female characters with flaws and strengths and rich personalities than a cartoon from the 2000s. why has television & film legitimately regressed across the years when it comes to showing women as human beings lmao

[prince-geo]

literally pleased with almost all of the new atla trailer except as per usual, Zuko's scar, idk why studios are so scared to commit to the intensity of the thing, its supposed to be shocking and obvious and textured and the first thing you see... that's the point, Zuko is supposed to struggle with feeling like it defines and brands him before finally coming to the point in his journey where he defines it.

Hollywood/big studios are known to hesitate or straight up avoid properly and honestly and unapologetically showing people with disfigurements/disabilities/facial differences etc. with the realism they deserve. Which is a shame in general for representation and humanization but ESPECIALLY in this case as its minimization actively harms it's narrative purpose as well

I promise making the scar more intense (shrivel up the ear a bit, make it intrude in his hairline, make his eye in a permanent squint due to nerve damage, for god sake REMOVE THE EYEBROW IT WAS BURNED OFF) will not make Zuko "ugly", (the actor is incapable of looking ugly and also the implication that scars make people too unappealing? yikes) but will actually do the character and his journey justice, not to mention really show Ozai's brutality, another essential narrative tool. Especially when he's bald like hello??? It should be even more stark and intense when he doesn't have hair to distract from it and cover his ear!!!

When transitioning from 2D to live action, of course some visuals are up for interpretation but that usually involved ADDING detail because the constraints of having to stay on modeling frame to frame is gone, not minimizing, removing or airbrushing. Doing Zuko's scar right to me is absolutely essential and I'm disappointed they seem just as as scared to go there as I thought they might. It doesn't have to be gory, if you've ever seen burn victims in real life or in pictures or even cosplayers/artists who are skilled in realistic burn makeup you'd know its possible to balance realism with humanity. It's possible especially with their resources to avoid the "scary Halloween makeup" route while not holding back on the brutality of the original injury.

Budget is definitely not an issue, or "scaring the kids" considering this remake is likely aiming to go a lil darker in tone than the cartoon (which was already super dark with its target audience of nickelodeon 7 year olds so no excuses) Audiences SHOULD be unsettled and upset when they see him but not because he's hard/disturbing to look at but because we are human and do not want to imagine someone doing that to a child.

It's a deliberate choice out of the all too common fear/hesitation to allow someone who is destined to eventually become a protagonist and is meant to be sympathized with to be "too ugly" while this hesitation is very rarely applied to straight up villains (again we come back to media's historic villainization of facial deformity). It's a trend that's always ticked me off in fanart too. The boy's face was melted, for gods sake. Zuko was always portrayed as an attractive boy in the cartoon (fire nation girls fawn over him) even with the intensity of his scar which is something I've always admired! People exist with scars similar to Zuko's in real life, and should not only be permitted to be represented as good guys and/or as attractive when their scars are toned down to be "palatable"

Like I said there's more that I loved than didn't love about the trailer, that can be a whole essay on it's own but I needed to get this very specific vent off my chest because it missed the mark so hard and stands out like a sore thumb in comparison to all the other visuals that hit the nail on the head to me

[1c3-c0ld-r3x1c]

How to get sick enough??

I'm failing ana. My best friend ana. I need to be more ana I am not sick enough but how do I GET sick enough

[mugentakeda]

[rosewood-multifandom-writer]

Always remember this is the one and only time I will ever speak about this Netflix live action adaptation of Avatar the Last Airbender.

The sexism elements are a very important part of the show. Sokka being a sexist at the beginning is important because it’s a part of his character development. He has this delusional view point of masculinity all while being ignorant about women and what they are capable of doing. He gets humbled hard by the Kyoshi warriors, especially by Suki, who mostly did all of the humbling, and that is where their relationship starts.

The sexist interactions between the water tribe water benders and Katara is in the show not just to have Katara gain a win over a man, but to prove her biggest point, which is simple: she is just as capable as the male water benders in the tribe, and she doesn’t care if she loses or wins, she is there to prove her case.

So removing the sexism in the live action show shoots Sokka’s character development in the foot, and it takes away the biggest character highlight for Katara. It would be just like them removing the genocide elements from the show because it would be too scary or too dark for kids, which would declaw the Fire Nation, especially Azula, who is the best female villain in the series.

[quillthrillswriting]

i'm sorry, but the atla fandom is the only place where i've ever seen people unironically use a 12 year old telling his friend that killing someone out of grief is maybe a rash decision and not healthy to argue that that same 12 year old is being controlling and is an unhealthy partner

you guys know that murder is like....a bad thing....right? especially for a 14 year old? you guys know that revenge murder isn't a healthy strategy? you guys know that anyone who would encourage that is probably actually the unhealthy one in that scenario...right??

[fresh-new-yoik-watah]

I’m honestly so sick and tired of the avatar fandom on tiktok. let people have their fun or learn to read a damn caption ???? like I’ll post an edit using a face claim over Tsireya and a million comments will be “WHAT DID YOU DO TO TSIREYA” or “Awoop jumpscare” you are not creative or funny go touch some grass. It quite literally doesn’t affect you. Just scroll past if you don’t like it Jesus Christ

[anxious7sami]

I’m so tired of the rhetoric that Neytiri wouldn’t have been a good tsahik/doesn’t fit the role, I truly feel that if you think that then you need to rewatch both movies asap. Neytiri has to be the most misunderstood/mischaracterized character in avatar, cause there’s no way someone sat and watch that whole montage of Neytiri teaching Jake the na’vi way and thought oh yeah she’d be a terrible tsahik.😒 Like we literally saw her teach Jake the spiritual part of being a na’vi and connecting to eywa, trying to teach him to SEE, explains the flow of energy and how everything is connected. We literally would not have the Jake we have now if she didn’t teach him like a tsahik would, heck he wouldn’t even be alive if Neytiri didn’t do as a tsahik would and listen to eywa and her signs. I honestly believe it goes back to people not being able to empathize with Neytiri, they see a rightfully “angry native woman” and automatically assume she wouldn’t be a good tsahik.

[therossgarden]

I am so so so so so TIRED to see people fatshaming two perfectly healthy girls because they have round faces. It’s disgusting.

The actresses of Mai and Azula are on point for their roles. Hell, if they were chosen there must be a reason, it’s not like there’s no Asian actresses out there they could choose from.

People can’t accept that Azula can have a characterization beyond “crazy and sadist sicko”. She’s a perfectionist. She’s an asset to her father. She’s jealous of Zuko’s birthright and of how it might take what she has away. Those are things that OG Azula too had. The only difference is that we actually see it in season one and have a background on her, rather than writing it in a rant. And what has been added only makes her a more complex character, given the change in the family dynamic as well.

And Mai? The actress is talented, she delivers a good Mai, and does justice to the character. She’s 17 and at the beginning of her career, of course it won’t be perfect. She gets to grow. Thing is, you guys won’t let her, because a square jaw scares you so flipping bad that you feel the need to shame her for it.

Everyone is a body positivity advocate until a girl with a rounder face shape is cast as a character in a live action you are NOT forced to watch? Seriously?

I’ve seen so many people on the internet calling them all sort of names, fatshaming them, insulting their work without even focusing on the acting. And I’m like, what’s to fatshame there? Let me tell you: nothing.

If I have to put it through your thick head like this, so be it. Even though I hate talking about and comparing bodies.

This below is a picture of Azula’s actress.

She has the face card, she has the jawline, and she has a fit, enviable body. And you still have the audacity to “fat-shame” her?

These two pictures are in costume. Again, face card and an enviable body. She even has the expression for Azula. You see a girl with a rounder shape of face and will automatically go “no she’s too cute to be Azula!!” Dude. No. When she will actually deliver as the crazy girl we know, she will devour. She will, and you all will switch back because that’s what you are, slimy switchers.

And now, onto Mai’s actress, a very beautiful girl with talent and looks. She is literally so pretty, and you dare hate on her? You dare shame her for how she looks? From what I’ve heard she’s a minor, too, so this makes you 100000% more slimy and undeserving of any sympathy in my book.

This is her, this is the girl.

She’s literally so pretty. Maybe she hasn’t got the same facial structure of Mai, but she delivered all her lines she had in the little screen time and with the discutibile scenes she was given. She was good. But you see a square jaw, a rounder shape of face, and are immediately triggered.

And you can’t even use the stupid argument of “she’s fat”, because this is literally her.

A very normal, very healthy young woman. Not as skinny as OG Mai? So what? She’s still a fricking thin girl. Nowhere as “fat” as you haters make her to be.

I shouldn’t have to explain common sense and basic decency to grown adults, and yet here we are.

This is honestly so frustrating. In the year of 2024 you can’t possibly justify insulting girls like this, with no shame. It’s absolutely idiotic and shows very a big lack of brain cells. I see you, haters, behind your device, with your insecurities and shame for yourself, laughing at two girls who made it farther than you ever will. You can critique the acting once you’ve seen it in full potential. Until then, shut your tramp up. This is very small dick energy of you.

I don’t see why I should treat you with kindness when you are so eager to make this kind of jokes about pretty and in shape girls you are very obviously jealous of. Go touch some grass, incels.

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