DVD Corner

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender Blu-ray Review

“Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender” is a welcome return to the universe.

Set 13 years after the events of 2005’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” “Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender” is a feature film continuation of the animated series. While Republic City is now a home for any nation, Aang is mourning the fact that he is the last Airbender…or so he thinks. After an encounter with an outlaw group known as the Denied, Aang discovers that an airbending Avatar named Sonam may be alive. Moreover, he possessed a powerful staff (no spoilers as to what it can do). Aang sets out on a journey to find Sonam alongside the old gang of Katara (now Aang’s girlfriend), Toph, Sokka, and Zuko. The group do not find Sonam, however, but a follower of his known as Tagah. Like Aang, Tagah seeks the staff, but for his own nefarious purposes. The Denied are also plotting their own agenda to add further conflict.

As someone who believes “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is one of the best animated series of all time, I was eager to see what was in store with “Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender.” Originally set to be a theatrical film, ‘Aang’ was relegated to a Paramount+ release. It’s a shame the diehard fanbase never got to see this on the big screen as it would have been a stellar communal event.

Anyway, from start to finish, the movie is an emotional return to the Avatar universe. Sure, there’s been spin-off series, but “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is still the crown jewel. While the film’s story penned by Tim Hedrick and Christopher Yost might be a bit slight in the grand scheme of things, it’s a joy to reunite with these characters and catch-up with them to see what they have been doing in the years since we last saw them. There may not be much in the way of surprises as it’s pretty obvious where the Tagah story is headed, but there’s some proper character development for Aang who must accept the past and overcome his grief while looking forward to the future.

As a theatrical film, director Lauren Montgomery does a grand job making this look and feel like a full fledged film. You see the budget on screen in every frame. Each still could be a picture on the wall as the lush detailed animation work is that glorious.

The big elephant in the room is that the voice cast is entirely different (with the exception of Dee Bradley Baker as Appa and Momo). Personally speaking, this felt entirely pointless to me. That’s no disrespect to Eric Nam (Aang), Jessica Matten (Katara), Roman Zaragoza (Sokka), Dionne Quan (Toph), and Steven Yuen (Zuko) who all slide into the roles with ease, but it really feels like something is missing here without the original voice talent of Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Michaela Jill Murphy and, of course, Dante Basco. On the plus side, there are several new characters perfectly voiced by Dave Bautista (Tagah), Freida Pinto (Avatar Sonam) and Ke Huy Quan (Avatar Xian).

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.39:1 1080p. How does it look? The colorful animation looks positively breathtaking in hi-def. Note: A 4K release is also available.

Audio Track: Dolby Atmos. How does it sound? The action has never sounded better than with this explosive Atmos track. Note: Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are also included along with English subtitles.

Extras include a Digital copy.

November 12, 2026 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Animated Movie, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender Blu-ray Review, Avatar: The Last Airbender