Avatar The Last Airbender Part III

Alright on to the final stretch of the series in which Aang must end the Great war between the Fire Nation and the rest of the world. If this chapter in TLA was a movie,it would be the climax like Book 1 was the beginning and Book 2 was the eventful middle.

Okay here goes nothing (If you have not seen this and would like to be suprised do not read on,the spoilers are everywhere)

Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 3: Fire (2007)

Presentation: 20/20 (Once again,same great intro with Mae Whitman taking the helm of narration along with a great montage of the four elements which at this point will always get a 20 in my eyes. Now into the beginning of Chapter 1,Aang wakes up after being defeated at the end of last season to find himself on a Fire Nation ship and everyone in Fire Nation garments and he fains thinking it was a nightmare,when he wakes he finds out he has hair! That's right the bald guy has hair.I really think that was a genius way to start off a new season after those dark and edgy events prior)

Plot: 20/20 (Sokka has devised a plan to end the war,an invasion on the Fire Nation actually during an eclipse which would render all firebenders powerless but in the meantime he along with Katara, Aang and Toph must hide within the Fire Nation. Iroh is imprisoned but has not given hope and realizes that he is destined to conquer Ba Sing Se but no in the way he thought he would. Zuko is wondering if he did the right thing back in Ba Sing Se at the end of last season and starts to wonder if he will ever receive his father's love. Once again Zuko is the second focus after Aang and company and it all comes together so nicely mid-season in which the plot shifts to which Zuko must teach Aang how to firebend before Sozin's Comet arrives and lends too much power to all firebenders.)

Characters: 20/20 (Aang is becoming even more pro-active and more determined after what happened last season to right by everyone he cares about which is such an incredible change from what he was back in Book 1. Don't get me wrong he'll probably still enjoy penguin sledding when he can but he's become the prioritizer. Katara begins to show a much darker side never really examined before and also matures a lot. Sokka becomes a warrior and skilled leader and sheds all rashness from prior books but he still maintains some of the comic relief,but he also shows a tender side. Toph goes to new level in bad-ass in fighting and pushes Sokka out of the comic relief bubble and hogs it,however we finally get a real look into her past in this book as well. Zuko switches sides entirely after having an epiphany in Chapter 9 and becomes the good guy that must redeem himself after all the horrors committed in the preceding Books. Iroh is absent for most of the this section but he is still a mentor figure to Zuko. Azula is put on the side as the secondary antagonist and we see a human side to her at a few points even though she is still a cruel but darkly charismatic character. New to the crew is Fire Lord Ozai,the very demon who scarred and banished Prince Zuko and mentored Azula. He is the villain who like Azula is cunning and merciless but not as vulnerable either to being hurt. Mai becomes Zuko's love interest and plays a very pivotal role at one point,making her more than a goon with personality. Ty Lee however remains a goon. Regardless all characters undergo so much change and that is something you don't see everyday.)

Eisen's Role: 20/20 (Nothing new again,same awesome voice from before. I said his work as Aang at any point is extraordinary and I stand by tha)

Whitman's Role: 19.5/20 (She comes off as a little bit too angry at times when I don't think that was supposed to be the case,but that's barely noticeable and for the record,she's still got the perfect voice for the "motherly" character and still continues the incredible narration)

DeSena's Role: 20/20 (I've said it before and I'll say it again This guy might very well have the coolest and creepiest range of voice pitch,I mean seriously one minute Sokka has the gruffest,most boastful and gusto voice you'd expect from the macho guy he is, but then.....KAZAAM his voice cracks and he's got the most adorable voice when crying at the same time. Sometimes it's the perfect dull other times he's got the most exaggerated reaction to something as simple as "an elbow leach" lets say,this fits incredibly well with Sokka as a character. That can be attributed by a rumor that Jack DeSena actually improvised on the first episode and made him the melodramatic comic relief he his when originally he was going to be much more serious.And that fine print still stands)

Basco's Role: 20/20 (Still great voice,and that tone change I mentioned earlier is even more dramatic and really does wonders to balance out the loudness that is Sokka. I'll never forget how he said "that's rough buddy" to Sokka after they talk about lost girlfriends. No other person could've made that sound so cool and that's what I like about Basco's voice)

Baldwin's Role: 18/20 (He's impressive and really gets into character,but Mako's work in prior seasons is just too hard of an act to follow,for one he lacks the sweet voice Mako could generate when Iroh wanted to relax. However he's fantastic at the lecturing and angry side of Iroh. This switch reminds me of when Michael Gambon replaced Richard Harris as Dumbledore that while Harris was too hard to follow and certainly superior in acting,Gambon brought in a new interpretation. Well same with Greg Baldwin who gave Iroh a more aggressive edge.But Mako's work will always have a place in my heart,may he rest in peace)

Flower's Role: 20/20 (Once again,Flower never ceases to amaze in her work as Toph. Same perfect tough girl voice and now officially one of the coolest laughs too)

DeLisle's Role: 20/20 (Still got the perfect voice of evil that is Azula,but in this book Azula must also have a hard time at regular social life and have a breakdown. On both counts DeLisle is fantastic from the awkward laugh to how she sees everything as an act of war Ex: " Your so good-looking,....your looks could sink a Fire Navy battleship,....that's how sharp you look")

Leigh's Role: 20/20 (Now that Mai has become a more important character,I thought it best to mention her voice actor Cricket Leigh who did a great job at the emo girl that had a secret.Considering Mai has to have a monotone voice,she did a lot to make you feel sorry for her in a way not unlike how Dante Basco did Prince Zuko)

Hamill's Role: 20/20 (At last Luke Skywalker manifests himself unto this crew,except this time he ain't fightin' an emperor that shoots lightning,he is the emperor that shoots lightning.He still manages to capture the evil laughs he excelled at as The Joker and add a very spine-tingling voice as well.Mark Hamill as usual does not disappoint)

Pictures: 20/20 (Even farther improved in this season than before,everything is so well rendered like the colorful flames in Chapter 13, Aang's tattoos, and the stage effects in Chapter 17.But then just when you think it can't get any better,they really go all out in the finale. The battle is so good looking,the water effects are stunning. This show feeds the eyes well before the mind)

Execution: 20/20 (Every episode was perfectly placed. The direction is fantastic once again and the events unfold so well. For example the very end of the series has a well placed dose of deux es machina in which Aang does not kill Ozai after a magnificently done battle,but instead finds a way to strip him of his firebedning.Had Aang killed Ozai he would've compromised his principles. Before the grandiose finale is an episode that is incredibly campy episode in which the Gaang goes to a play based on their adventures but it's horribly potrayed. All in all it's done to prep for the end. Then end is a happy ending yes but's very well written and you've been waiting for it the whole time and it's not forced either which is something few shows are like. Most end because the network tells them to,these guys naturally had one ready)

Final:19/20 (First off all I preferred Book 2's darker premise and I miss Mako's work as Iroh and in both regards,this Book will never be as good as the previous Books. However it's still incredibly executed, the picture quality has increased,and the fun factor never wavers and the dialogue is extraordinary. This truly is the climax if all 3 seasons were a film)

Avatar The Last Airbender Part II

Now that I have the entire of Book 2 w/Book 1 and I have had a week to watch all 20 Chapters in this ever so exciting saga that just feels more like one long movie than your average run-of-the-mill cartoon. As such I have labeled it as a movie

For those who have either watched the "film" or show or have read the preceding review will know that Book 2 continues right where Book 1 left off in which Aang, Sokka, and Katara have left the North Pole from which a battle took place and are now headed to The Earth Kingdom to help Aang find a master to teach him Earthbending.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 2: Earth (2006)

Presentation: 20/20 (The season starts off with [minus the intro with Mae Whitman's great voice and bad-ass display of the bending arts] the gang leaving the North Pole into the Earth Kingdom with Aang and Katara receiving gifts and Sokka once again just getting the "treat them with respect lecture" which ya' know what,it made me micro chuckle. After that subtly humorous part,we see Aang have a nightmare in which he is against himself in the Avatar State which as anyone who watched book 1 would know is very terrifying. Anyway I think it's a very good way to start the new Book)

Plot: 20/20 (Our ever so powerful friend has learned Waterbending and has now set off to find a master to teach him Earthbending with faithful friends Katara and Sokka,once they do find an Earthbending teacher,the Gaang must get to Ba Sing Se,the Earth Kingdom capital in order to tell the Earth King of the one way to conquer the Fire Nation [who started the war] and end the war. Meanwhile Princess Azula [sister of our banished and tormented Prince Zuko] has been sent out on a mission to capture The Avatar along with Prince Zuko and Iroh [who are deemed by Fire Lord Ozai as failures for not capturing The Avatar]. Zuko and Iroh know this and as such are trying to hide within the Earth Kingdom during which Prince Zuko begins to question everything he was taught.)

Characters: 20/20 (There are now 4 new characters to the series,all of them female,but before I get to them,I'll start off with the familiar Gaang and the "villains". Aang is no longer quite as flighty as he used to be,he's much more proactive and willing to do what's necessary but he's still very adamant about not killing people,thankfully he's still the same lovable goofball from the iceberg just a little more matured. Katara is still the same strong-willed character from before but she shows a softer side a little more than last Book. Sokka is no longer the victim of snot monsters or heartbreak [though he does fall into a fissure one chapter] and he becomes the leader for the group and retains the comic relief. On that note comes a new character to the team who is blind. Her name is Toph and she just as brutal as the Earth she bends so well as such Aang picks her to teach him the ways of Earthbending [curiously enough she's also one of the few characters with a surname] and you know what? She can KICK ASSSSSSS while bringin' out the one-liners [somethin' Sokka just can't do. Next you have Prince Zuko who is considered a failure by the Fire Nation and thus is supposed to be rounded up by villainess Princess Azula and thus is forced into hiding which I argue forced him to start looking at things differently and ultimately decide for himself to act not be acted upon [Book 1] so he's an anti-Hero with a troubled past. Iroh reprises his role as the mentor/father figure but he to shows a level of bad-ass never seen before when he takes out a huge team of elite Earthbenders in a few seconds,but he's also a character you just want to give a hug as well. Now that Zuko and Iroh are no longer the antagonists, a new trio are introduced.First you have Princess Azula [I've mentioned her a few times now without much explanation for that I'm sorry] who is THE PERFECT VILLAIN she's inspirational,ruthless,cunning,and skilled and you can't sympathize with her,it's fantastic! Her sidekicks [also girls] are Ty Lee [who is a complete ditz in a way not too much unlike Numbuh 3 {Kids Next Door} or Daphne Blake {Scooby Doo}but incredibly acrobatic and nimble to the point that she can take out 6 people with a few jabs] and Mai [a skilled knife thrower with a very dull,cynical personality. She is like the "IMO/Goth" of the series] who are henchman are very complex despite being goons which is something I love seeing once in a while. Ever character just gets so much cooler and complex as time goes on.)

Eisen's Role: 20/20 (Nothing new here whatsoever,nor does there need to be.I've said what I've wanted to say about his work in the last review. Don't worry his work is still just as impressive and it's hard to follow an act like that let alone top it)

Whitman's Role: 20/20 (Nothing changes once again,she still continues with that incredible narration at the beginning that few can compete with. Still continues to embody Katara in all ways possible)

DeSena's Role: 20/20 (Same great voice change to fit all the great and terrible things that Sokka must undergo)

Basco's Role:20/20 (No longer are there any parts where Basco is to stiff when he shouldn't be. Now he has added another voice to Zuko which makes sense because Zuko himself is undergoing great morality changes throughout this section. He has a much more uplifting tone now but still has the tormented quietness from the first Book.)

Mako's Role: 20/20 (Once again still the great wise man voice that you could believe to be intimidating and at one point Iroh does berate Zuko and this guy pulls that part off well [watch Chapter 17 to see what I mean].Still just as amusing as it used to be. His voice for sad Iroh really makes you want to hug the character [that's alot comin' from a guy who hates being touched].It's so sad he died before Book 3)

Flower's Role: 20/20 (Jessie Flower did in fact voice a one chapter character before and she did great on it [watch Book 1,Chapter 14].Flower returns as the voice of newcomer Toph Bei Fong with her ever so sarcastic,jocky,and brutally honest character. I just love how she pulls off all those insults Toph throws. Make no mistake Toph does have her share of soft and embarrassing moments and Flower still excels at those. Because of the inclusion of Toph and her excellent voice-acting,Book 1 no longer feels complete to me)

DeLisle's Role: 20/20 (Legendary voice-actress Grey DeLisle joins the Avatar gang as the villainess Azula,and well she's got the perfect voice for someone that sadistic. I just love how she says "Zuzu" or how she can make you think Azula is actually being sincere for a split second only to then to do something horrible. Once again DeLisle nails a role)

Pictures: 20/20 (The animation is even better than before,some things were done that I thought I could never see in anime. Those artists really figured out how to make you believe Toph was blind before even saying she was. The green crystals and fire were spectacular)

Execution: 20/20 (Great direction once again,I just love how it actually got darker and edgier and how the ending was in fact a downer.I'm sorry but things have to get bad before they get good and besides you happy ending people got your ending last Book. There were great chase scenes this time around and the battle scenes were made even more epic. But once again it wasn't all action the tender,sad moments return like when Sokka looks at the moon or when Aang looses Appa for the first time.I'd spoil more but then you might not watch it/watch it again)

Final: 20/20 (The greatness continues only this time deeper and darker along with some new characters.This definitely feels like a 10 hour movie rather than a kids show but it still has great slapstick humor.)

Okay it's official I've found a place where I can watch M. Night Shymalayan's hack of a movie and adaptation without wasting my good money but first I must finish Psych Season 4, Start Psych season 5,and finish Avatar Book 3 so can I commence Part 3 in which Aang must prepare to face the Fire Lord and end the war that has plagued the world for 100 years.

Uber Psycho Tom is signing off.

Avatar The Last Airbender Part I

Alas I Uber Psycho Tom have returned because one of my favorite shows has been assaulted by one director named M. Night Shymalayan (I purposely misspelled it because he couldn't bother to correct the lead actor's pronunciations of the main characters and besides now it sounds cooler) who strangely actually directed The Sixth Sense (which I should put on my Top List along with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho [Happy 50th birthday Psycho :).]) and Unbreakable and I even enjoyed little known B movie The Happening.

Now I have not in fact seen The Last Airbender at all but I've heard enough negative things about it to know it can't be good along with the fact that live action attempts before almost always fail with few exceptions.

As such I will review the first season of Avatar altogether as if it were a 10 hour film becuase it does at times feel that way and for those who might be reading this,they need to know that that film isn't what Avatar is about and it is bad representation,and for fans who might catch this to restore hope.

Since Shymalayan's attempt focuses on the first season,I will review the original source so hear goes nothing.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Book One: Water (2005)

Presentation: 20/20 (The very first 5 seconds have a montage of 4 people using martial arts to bend the four elements being Water,Earth,Fire, and Air and how they all lived peacefully until the Fire Nation decided to take over the world and that only guy called The Avatar who has the power to master all four of the elements can stop them. It then comes down to that this "Avatar" has returned after beliefs of having vanished but he is only 12 years old and only knows airbending. Also we don't meet him while a journey is happening or by any reqeust. it's just a teenage girl and her brother have an argument and her anger causes the iceberg he [The Avatar] is frozen in for 100 years to crack. This is a lot to take in in a block of text like this I know but I assure you the presentation is incredible and a long way away from all the cliches you'd think there would be)

Plot: 20/20 (So basically like I said above everyone lived in peace until the Fire Nation [specifically Fire Lord Sozin] used a comet which increases their bending power to start a war against all the other nations in hopes of controlling the world and in doing so killed off all of the Air Nomads except Aang the Avatar who ended up in an iceberg for 100 years thus escaping death. He is freed unintentionally by two Southern Water Tribes teenagers named Katara and Sokka. Aang is supposed to save the world with his mastery of the four elements and connections with the spirit world. Problem is he barely learned he was The Avatar before becoming frozen and thus only knows airbending. Katara is the only waterbender in the South Pole and she barely knows how to control what she knows. So Aang and Katara must journey to the otherside of the world where the Northern Water Tribe is so they can both learn how to waterbend. Sokka promised he would take care of Katara to his father as such he to has to come along on the trek to other side. On the other side of things Zuko the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation was banished by his father and the only allowed to return if he captures The Avatar thus he must follow them to North Pole)

Characters: 19.5/20 (I love all the characters all with such unique personalities. Katara is a strong-willed and courageous girl on a quest to get Aang to the North Pole and further perfect her waterbending skills,but she is tormented by grief and becomes the "mother figure" of the group which also extends to others she sees in trouble. But this leads her to be self-righteous at times. Unfortunately she can also comes off as bossy. Aang is slacking,fun-loving,peaceful,and at first innocent guy shouldered with greatest responsibility one could ever get.He does not resort to violence and will not kill anyone unless they do something incredibly grievious to those he cares about. The third contender to the Avatar Gang is Sokka, Katara's older brother who has no bending abilities at all. He instead relies on trying to be the greatest warrior he can be and as such is naturally adept at carrying out and planning important things and using important assets to the best they can. Ironically he doesn't end up in the heat of battle and gets captured. He also serves as the incredibly good comic relief with all the puns and complaints and how he handles the ladies [Ex: Suki in Chapter 4]. He's the one who will mostly likely end up in a monkey trap or covered in gruel. On the villains side of things you Zuko is tormented by his banishment and imprisoned by his desire to regain his honor by capturing the Avatar but he isn't purely just after the avatar he does care about his Uncle Iroh and is going through a lot of changes. He is a skilled fighter in both firebending and swords. Iroh acts like his mentor who has a slightly humorous edge but is mostly just wised and obsessed with tea and Pai-Sho.)

Eisen's Role: 20/20 (Great work,incredible. He's got the perfect tone for being the cute innocent kid,but he also can sound threatening which is just like what Aang is. Usually peaceful,devilish and innocent but intimidating when in The Avatar State)

Whitman's Role: 20/20 (The first voice you hear every epsiode watched,she did a fantastic job as a narrator and as a sensitive,empathetic but very ambitious character. Very good at being the "hell hath no fury" character and laid back character that makes Katara,Katara which from what I hear Nicola Peltz did not do.)

DeSena's Role: 20/20 (This guy might very well have the coolest and creepiest range of voice pitch,I mean seriously one minute Sokka has the gruffest,most boastful and gusto voice you'd expect from the macho guy he is, but then.....KAZAAM his voice cracks and he's got the most adorable voice when crying at the same time. Sometimes it's the perfect dull other times he's got the most exaggerated reaction to something as simple as "an elbow leach" lets say,this fits incredibly well with Sokka as a character. That can be attributed by a rumor that Jack DeSena actually improvised on the first episode and made him the melodramatic comic relief he his when originally he was going to be much more serious. Partially creating one of the coolest characters in all of cartoon-dom,I should give the guy a 21,but that's not fair now is it)

Basco's Role: 19.5/20 (There were a few spots where his voice was just too stiff that it came off as a bit wooden.Still for a guy with only one reason to live,for the most part Basco's dead serious tone definitely works well and certainly does wonders to balance out all the facepalm moments with Sokka,or when Aang gets to cutesy,or Katara feels to self-righteous. Also it adds humor to lines that would otherwise feel corny like say "Well,aren't you a big girl now")

Mako's Role: 20/20 (This is the guy who does Iroh. And,...he FANTASTIC at it. He's got the perfect voice for an old relaxed guy but also believably intimidating which Iroh is. In fact he was one of the greatest Fire Nation generals at one point and still has those skills [Alright I spoiled that part but you'll have to find out the rest]. His voice might be the most fun voice in the series to try to imitate[and fail terribly at] between all those "proverbs" with Zuko,or when he's talking about tea or being Zuko's father figure)

Pictures: 20/20 (I just love how everything is so well rendered from the suspended animation used for the iceberg to how all the fight scenes are so well done, Katara's hair "loopies" look great as they wave. All the locations are incredibly attractive and even the more tender parts aren't choppy. Zuko's scar is really creepy and the color choice for Aang's tattoos are just marvelous. I don't think I've seen a cartoon that's looked so good in so long [Batman Beyond comes to mind on that one and that was 6 years prior])

Execution 20/20 (Every episode was well directed and everything came to together so well and at the same time,there were pockets of laughs in between like the Cabbage Merchant who always gets his cart destroyed or when Sokka becomes a victim to the tiniest things. I just love how Katara always got so angry when someone wronged her and how the first time it actually caused Aang to be free or how Katara can always manage to keep everyone in an alright mood,especially Aang when he finds out his people were completely killed off and he goes into a horrible state destroying everything and yet she did it. That being my point of how well written the relationship between Aang and Katara really was. Also the conclusion is much like Romeo and Juliet in the sense that Sokka fell in love with someone who was to be married and then this person had to sacrifice her life to restore the natural balance of the world. On top of that was the most epic fight scene where Aang joins with The Ocean Spirit and wipes out an entire navy. There are plenty more great scenes in the series but that one scene is is like what we were waiting for for a long time.While there are 20 episodes,18 lead up to one massive battle with tender parts in a way not to different from how The Chronicles of Narnia was done. And what's more it's all clear and I really don't want to give away any more than I already have except there are no visually confusing parts and despite being about war that looks like one they can't lose,they still manage to have a good time. I wish I could do that)

Final: 20/20 (Great characters that work well for a cartoon and a movie,it was written in a way that it feels like the greatest 10 hour movie rather than a simple show with incredibly complex characters,great execution,attractive locations,great voice acting and deep thinking while maintaining slapstick humor to keep children entertained.I'm glad it managed to be as good at the last 5 seconds as it did with the very first 5 seconds with those clips displaying what air,earth,water,and firebending look like.)

I look forward to reviewing part II which covers their adventures in The Earth Kingdom in which Aang journeys to find an Earthbeding teacher