Avatar: The Last Airbender – 7 Mistakes The Netflix Remake MUST Avoid

At its core, Avatar is an action series. Its unique magic system, combined with an Asian-inspired setting and martial artistry, led to some spectacular hand-to-hand fights in the series. However, translating those sequences from animation to live-action, without an ample budget, will be quite the task. Especially when it comes to depicting the characters’ elemental powers.

Despite having $150 million USD to work with, the best Shyamalan could offer in his adaptation were poorly-rendered fire and ice blasts, complemented by hilariously sloppy choreography. We don’t need any more scenes showcasing six grown men doing Pilates in order to lift a single boulder.

Konietzko and DiMartino proved their strong grasp of character movement in a cartoon, but a live-action property is a completely different playing field. Still, there’s enormous potential to recreate some thrilling scenes from the original. Zuko’s Agni Kai against Admiral Zhao would be an intense duel, while Aang and Zuko’s tag-team escape in “The Blue Spirit” would be a blast to rewatch (if done properly this time). Finally, the remake has the opportunity to craft an Arctic version of the Battle of Helm’s Deep, with the Fire Nation siege of the Northern Water Tribe at the season’s end.

Of course, none of this could be accomplished without allocating a substantial portion of the budget to the fight scenes. But when it comes to presenting them in a visceral and engaging way, it’s definitely a priority.