Well, I’m not a VFX expert, so it’s likely that much like many others I’m easier to impress, but the effects in the video below do feel as though they’ve been executed quite well, though by watching a couple of times it does feel that the experts might state that there are a few moments within the sequence that might need to be tweaked just to make it even more impressive. With that in mind though the idea of a live-action Airbender or Legend of Korra series could be exciting to see reach Netflix, where it appears to be heading if there’s any luck. But the one hurdle in the way is the loss of faith that was endured when the last movie came along since, despite the special effects and the idea that it had anything to do with the initial story, many fans simply didn’t like what they saw, as it would appear that they didn’t feel that the movie took into account everything that was needed for the story to really come to life. Worse still was the idea that it was designed to lead into a sequel that never happened since it was pretty much DOA after it hit theaters.
Learning from a failure though is what makes Hollywood what it is, well, that and a lot of money and talented people. But the idea of building something that will take from the failure of hte first movie enough inspiration to make it right would be impressive. The video below is impressive enough that it should be able to get people on board with the idea of seeing another live-action story within this world, and it’s even possible, perhaps, that from Avatar: The Last Airbender, that things would go straight into Legend of Korra, which would be a pretty cool transition. Some fans might actually speak against it, perhaps stating that each story needs to be its own, but there’s a way to transition that would be pretty cool, though it would be up to the interpretation of the writers and the director working on the project.
Avatar (lok) Intro Sequence in Live Action [test footage for an upcoming fan film] from TheLastAirbender
Retrieving the faith of the fans would be a great goal to have with this video and everything that came after, since without that this story isn’t really going anywhere. The whole idea behind it is great and there’s enough material to push a show or a movie that could continue into a series that might last for a while. But the idea of getting people to pay attention and stick around is bound to be one of the biggest challenges. Fans don’t like to have their expectations stomped on or even ignored, and no matter if they’re in the right or the wrong, they do make a big difference when it comes to the box office numbers. Even a successful box office run isn’t bound to save a movie from the negative press since once that money is exchanged and counted toward the movie it’s not exactly something that can be taken back. But the sentiment that goes into a bad review is kind of like a negative currency that will do what it can to harm the reputation of the movie rather than the financial success it might be enjoying. Think about it, plenty of movies have come and gone that have had a successful box office run but have failed to inspire the fans. The box office is for counting the money of the curious and the possibly dedicated and doesn’t reflect the overall approval of the movie.
Social media uses a different kind of currency that any movie should be glad to get, and that’s fan and critic approval that can elevate a movie to legendary status, or can send it sinking like a stone to the depths if people aren’t impressed. Many movies have made their budget back and more but have been ripped to pieces not too long after when the curiosity of the masses was settled. If anything of Avatar is to have a chance, even on a streaming network, then it’s going to have to learn the hard lesson that was imparted by the last live-action Avatar movie, the fans need to be sated, even if it’s just enough to keep them happy, or any movie, or series, will tank without fail.
Simply going by the effects that are shown above, it feels that this might be a decent showing that will spark a bit of interest in the fans once again, especially if the story is worthwhile and will follow the source material, as fans will be highly appreciative no doubt. There’s a lot yet to see and develop before such a thing can happen, but the big hope here is that whatever comes along will be done in a way that will be satisfying if only to make it a success.
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