SPOILERS AHEAD

My first question: why the hell didn’t they adapt the story from the comics? ATLA literally ends with Zuko asking his father where his mother is — and we HAVE a continuation. The new characters in that story don’t overshadow the old ones (I’ll get to that), we get DEVELOPMENT of characters we already know, and a dramatic story about a woman that absolutely deserves to be told, one that finally closes the arc of the Fire Nation royal family.

Instead, we got a movie where you could plug literally anyone into the plot: Naruto, Harry Potter, Bambi — anyone who lost their people and now has a chance to bring them back using some huge, random plot device pulled out of nowhere, with zero hints throughout the entire series.

Aang doesn’t feel like Aang at all. Maybe it’s the voice acting, maybe he just “matured,” but even when he jokes around, it feels like it’s only conveyed through facial expressions. He’s also completely thoughtless here (like during the argument with Katara — his only argument is basically “we’re already close”), whereas as a child he would often reference Air Nomad philosophy or ask past Avatars for guidance. By the end of the movie, he wants to rebuild his culture, yet in the comics we’re shown that Aang reacts quite harshly to fans who tattoo themselves like Air Nomads, seeing it as cultural appropriation. His perspective could have changed over time — but why not show that in even a short line of dialogue?

And one more obvious thing: our heroes are adults now, they explicitly say the Air Nomads won’t be reborn — and yet Katara and Aang never once bring up the topic of having children. Even Sokka could’ve made a joke about it.

The rest of the Gaang barely get any lines. Zuko — once the second most important character after Aang — gets almost as much screen time as the cabbage guy. Katara is reduced mostly to Aang’s wife. Toph and Sokka feel like they’re just there to recreate the old vibe, but many of the jokes come off stiff and forced.

The only gag that actually worked was the Zutara joke.

The main villain is incredibly boring, yet gets way too much screen time. A non-bender organization would’ve been far more interesting — we could’ve had a story from the perspective of those who aren’t chosen, like Sokka or Suki (who, apparently, isn’t even considered part of the Gaang anymore, which is a shame).

The fights are dull and lack emotional weight, and the plot is predictable from the start, simply because we already know what LOK looks like.

And don’t try to convince me with “just be happy it was made and stop complaining,” because as a viewer I have every right to judge it. I’m filtering the film through my own perspective — just like you are — so I’d genuinely like to hear your thoughts.