TV: Avatar - The Legend of Korra Trailer (News)

Fans of the hit Nickelodeon animated series AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER have a reason to rejoice. A followup series is on its way, focusing on the story of the next Avatar after Aang. AVATAR: THE LEGEND OF KORRA takes place 70 years after the last series and follows the adventures of a Waterbender, Korra, the new Avatar.

Avatar: The Last Airbender
Get More: Avatar Episodes,Avatar,Avatar Games

AVATAR: THE LEGEND OF KORRA bends onto Nickelodeon in 2012.

TVonDVD: Avatar the Last Airbender Book 1 (Review)

Avatar the Last Airbender - The Complete Book 1 Collection
2005 (2006) - Nickelodeon
Released on DVD on September 19, 2006

# of Discs: 6
Runtime: 489 minutes

The world of Avatar the Last Airbender is made up of four nations (Water, Earth, Fire and Air) that currently is in a time of unbalanced distress. For the last one hundred years, the Avatar - spiritual master of the elements - has been missing and the Fire Nation has taken advantage of that fact. The Fire Nation wants to rule the world and twelve year-old Airbender Aang stands in their way. Along with Northern Water Tribe members Katara and Sokka, a flying lemur named Momo and Aang's flying bison Appa, Aang must travel the world seeking the knowledge needed to become the Avatar he was destined to be.

Each character grows as the season goes on and has moments that will touch watchers. Highlights include learning more about Aang's life one century ago like when they travel to the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu and the current king happens to have been one of Aang's friends. There is also the time they reach Kyoshi Island where the warriors are a group of highly trained females. Sokka especially finds their time there as eye-opening and connects with one of the warriors. Katara has several moments herself, like when she helps the imprisoned Earthbending Tribe break free from the metal sea fortress prison of the Fire Nation or when they reach the Northern Water Tribe where the Waterbending master they meet there initially refuses to train her.

Like any smart DVD set, the Complete Book 1 Collection has an entire bonus disc where most of the extra content is held. Most of the other discs have at least one short extra behind-the-scenes special not counting the audio commentaries. The bonus disc is where the extras go more in-depth and there are interviews with the cast and creators as well as a look at how Avatar is made at the Sound Studios and the Korean Animation Studios.

Fans of animation, adventure and fantasy will fall in love with this series but other shouldn't be afraid to try the show. The first season of Avatar the Last Airbender is the perfect place to jump on the fantasy genre; it is hard to find a bad episode in the entire season. You will be entertained and hopefully continue on with the rest of the series.

Look to buy the Avatar the Last Airbender Book 1 DVD set over at Amazon for only $31.49.

FILM: Running Away with The Last Airbender (Review)

Fans of the highly successful Nickelodeon animated series, Avatar: the Last Airbender have been eagerly anticipating the show's translation to a live-action film but with embattled director, M. Night Shyamalan ("The Happening") behind the wheel, would "The Last Airbender" meet expectations?

The film covers the entire first season of the animated series, otherwise known as Book 1: Water. The story centers around a young boy named Aang (Noah Ringer), who is the last member of a tribe of monks known as Airbenders who have the ability to manipulate the air around them. He is found by the brother-sister duo of Sokka (Jackson Rathbone) and Katara (Nicola Peltz), two members of the Southern Water Tribe and together they go on a worldwide journey to find Aang the teachers he needs to become the Avatar he's meant to be and bring peace to a world corrupted by the evil Fire Nation.

Casting characters with a large fanbase can be tricky and there was plenty of controversy stirred up with "The Last Airbender". Noah Ringer fits the description of young Aang, but the portrayal comes up short. The lively, fun-loving character from the animated series is non-existent in the film, instead Aang is shown as quiet, moody and a boy afraid to face his role as the Avatar. Nicola Peltz fits Katara to a T. She overcomes the poor dialogue with the perfect attitude full of animated gestures that are synonymous with the character.

Jackson Rathbone does his best to fit the older brother role of Sokka but seems about ten years too old for the character. Maybe this was done by the studios to lessen the idea of three youths traveling the world on their own and making one into a more clear guide/protector role. Dev Patel plays Prince Zuko, the exiled son of the Fire Nation Lord who is obsessed with finding the Avatar to regain his father's approval. Unfortunately Patel's portrayal leaves Zuko as more of a weakened, morose son than the aggressive irritant Zuko is in the animated series.

For a film based on a successful TV series, fans would expect the look and feel of the film to match the quality of the show but M. Night Shyamalan focus was more on location shoots than the special effects and it showed in the film. Some of the decisions regarding the location of a scene seemed questionable, like having the Earth Tribe rebellion happen inside the village with Earth all around them instead of a Fire Nation Prison Barge surrounded by water which would have made more sense of the tribe submitting to the Fire Nation.

The worst perpetrator for the dismal performance of the movie is the director himself, M. Night Shyamalan. While fans can understand that the animated series set a high bar for the film to try to reach, the fact that the film is nearly unwatchable is pretty hard to believe. The film ended in a way to leave it open for the possibility of sequels to cover the other seasons of the series but the lack of fan support may make that nothing more than a pipe dream. Maybe in five or ten years the creators can look to give a live-action film another try, and bring with it the fun and energy that made the show so entertaining and was noticeably missing from the flailing film.

If you are a fan of the show, watching "The Last Airbender" will only have you comparing it to the TV series and becoming puzzled by how poorly it was made. If you are not familiar with the animated series I would recommend staying clear of this film because you probably would not be able to finish it. Instead, track down the sets of the animated series and give them a watch because you will not be disappointed.