​“Super Troopers 3” stars Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Paul Soter, Steve Lemme, Erik Stolhanske, Hannah Simone, Nat Faxon, Chace Crawford, and Brian Cox.  Released on August 7, 2026, the film has the Super Troopers stopping a drug ring before the upcoming wedding.

The film was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, who also directed films such as “Puddle Cruiser”, “Club Dread”, “The Dukes of Hazzard”, and “Easter Sunday”.  It is the third installment in the Super Troopers film series.  The State Police is usually known for going far and beyond to defend a state they’ve sworn to protect.  But when it comes to these troopers, the lawbreakers aren’t the only ones the state needs protecting from.  Broken Lizard started as a comedy troupe that performed in various stage sketches, clubs, and college campuses, delivering various physical comedy and gross-out humor to their audiences.  However, thanks to the success of their first wide-release film, “Super Troopers”, Jay and his crew became the cinematic comedy team that put themselves on the Hollywood map.  While they were also responsible for movies that express their adultery shenanigans, “Super Troopers” was the one that truly defined their brand of humor.  Despite its mixed reviews, the comedy involving the obnoxiously silly team of state troopers became a cult hit for its absurd humor and the cast’s chemistry, resulting in a long-awaited sequel more than a decade later.  Eight years after their return to the big screen, the incompetent troopers have returned once more to conclude the trilogy with even more ways to make their jobs more “interesting”.  Does it offer enough silliness to warrant their return, or should audiences prefer to fire them on the spot?  Let’s find out right meow.

The story once again centers on the Vermont State Patrol, led by Senior Trooper Arcot “Thorny” Ramathorn (Chandrasekhar), who continues to pull practical pranks on the citizens and even each other.  The troopers are then called upon for a special assignment: a special Indian wedding between radio operator Rodney Farva (Heffernan) and Sarita Makundan (Simone), Thorny’s sister.  However, Thorny isn’t too pleased with this proposal, resulting in him coming up with various schemes to break up the relationship.  When a pernicious new drug ring enters the equation, Thorny and the rest of the troopers must crack the case and save the wedding.

I hadn’t gotten into the “Super Troopers” trend until around the time “Super Troopers 2” was released.  While I admired the first film for its stupidly enjoyable charm and cast, the sequel was a surprisingly huge downgrade from a comical and storytelling perspective.  For those who haven’t read my “Super Troopers 2” review, it’s basically a retread of what made its predecessor work back in 2001, such as the cast’s chemistry and low-brow humor, but without the charm.  Then again, it had been a while since I last saw “Super Troopers 2” in the theater, and I wasn’t exactly big on Broken Lizard’s brand of humor.  So while I was extremely cautious about its supposed final chapter of the trilogy, I was also hopeful that “Super Troopers 3” would improve on its story while retaining the elements from its predecessors.  Fortunately, it was able to accomplish just that, which should make fans of its predecessors happy.  Sadly, that doesn’t mean the film should be pardoned for how crude and unfunny it is.

On the bright side, the film did try to do something different with its premise outside of the characters’ usual mockery and dumb shenanigans.  “Super Troopers 2” took a hard nose dive from the first film by becoming its replica, but with the rivalry between the U.S. and Canada and not as funny.  Thankfully, Chandrasekhar and his Broken Lizard team took that criticism to heart while making “Super Troopers 3”.  It not only continues where the previous movie left off, with the Vermont State Police residing within the border of Canada, but it also provides a narrative that’s seemingly worthy of the characters’ “growth”.  Instead of facing off against another police force, “Super Troopers 3” focuses more on Thorny’s concern about his sister’s future with Farva.  If you’ve watched its predecessors, then you’ll know what kind of person Farva is.  If not, then long story short, he’s a distasteful butthole.  That alone is why I thought “Super Troopers 3” is slightly better than the second film, as it provided the opportunity to actually develop some of the troopers instead of going through the same routine as last time.

Granted, they do pull some dirty pranks amid their latest drug case, such as mocking people’s phrasing as “sexual".  Besides that, it’s basically “Meet the Parents” with Indian culture.  While it’s a meaningful gesture to those who aren’t fans of the second installment, the story’s execution is anything but.  Instead of taking advantage of Thorny’s growth towards Farva, “Super Troopers 3” stuck to the usual narrative pattern that made the first film popular: a series of low-brow gags involving sex, drugs, and stereotypes that carry the plot on its shoulders.  While they may have been excusable back in 2001, it further proves that these types of jokes don’t have as much impact as they did two decades ago, mainly because people’s perspectives on this type of humor have changed since then.  They’re not only tedious with their barrage of stereotypical humor and Farva’s annoying behavior, but they also failed to strike a funny bone in me.  There were a couple of moments that were a tad amusing, but they’re sadly not enough to overcome its grossness and weak slapstick.  Add in the on-the-nose cliches, iffy editing, and underdeveloped characters, and you get yet another mediocre round of dumb, scattershot shenanigans performed by the most witless police force on the planet.

If that’s exactly what Jay Chandrasekhar attempted to deliver in his direction, then consider that task accomplished.  Chandrasekhar continues to understand that “Super Troopers” isn’t a comedy masterpiece, yet proceeds to have fun with its idiotic concept anyway.  His blend of raunchy humor and heart is obviously more on the former side, but his passion for the idea still thrives, ensuring that his audience is willing to accept this crazy ride-along.  Regardless of the quality, it’s hard to ignore how much fun he and his Broken Lizard gang had in making the film, which is mainly the reason for my tolerance towards it and “Super Troopers 2”.  Sure, the jokes don’t land as much as they wanted them to, but the Broken Lizard cast compensates for them through their crude charisma and chemistry, even if the characters are incapable of doing their duties.  It’s one of those instances where I may not be a huge fan of a celebrity’s work, especially when it comes to comedy, but I do admire them for entertaining those who do.  I don’t watch a lot of Broken Lizard content, save for “Super Troopers”, but I can’t fault them for doing what they love, despite the execution falling flat in its story and humor.

Overall, “Super Troopers 3” fought the cinematic law and easily lost without a shred of dignity, resulting in another mediocre and tasteless sequel to the troopers’ first big-screen patrol.  It does mark a minor improvement over the second installment regarding its narrative, favoring a silly “Meet the Parents” scenario over another feud with a different police force.  Unfortunately, this minor compliment isn’t enough to pardon it from its most heinous crime imaginable: being an unfunny, by-the-numbers, and repetitively tasteless comedy.  The Broken Lizard crew once again delivered enough charm in their crudeness to make its trope-heavy premise slightly tolerable, emphasis on the “slight”.  Other than that, this latest cinematic duty offers exactly what you would expect from a “Super Troopers” film, for better or worse.  However, from my perspective, it careens heavily on the latter.  It’ll likely entertain those familiar with the comedy troupe’s adult brand of humor, but for everyone else, it’s not worth seeking out right meow, in the theater or otherwise.

“Ice Cream Man” stars Ari Millen, Charlie Zeltzer, Shiloh O’Reilly, Kiori Mirza Waldman, Sarah Abbott, and Benjamin Byron Davis.  Released on August 7, 2026, the film has the residents of a suburban town confronting a mysterious ice cream man.
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The film was directed by Eli Roth, who also directed films such as “Cabin Fever”, “Hostel”, “The Green Inferno”, “Thanksgiving”, and “Borderlands”.  There’s nothing more refreshing and sweet to eat during the summer than a cone of ice cream.  On a hot summer day, we would travel to the nearest ice cream truck or store and grab our favorite flavors to make our taste buds cool with delight.  I mean, who doesn’t love to eat ice cream during the summer or any other day?  Heck, I would even say that it’s to die for…literally.  After helming the poorly-received film adaptation of “Borderlands”, splatter master Eli Roth returns to the horror genre that made him a household name with another insanely bloody concept that’ll make his fans either cheer or wince in terror.  This time, he asks the question, “What if a harmless treat like ice cream can make people go crazy?”  As one of the movies from Roth and Media Capital Technologies’ horror label, The Horror Section, this latest slasher film aims to be another gore fest that pays tribute to the earlier days of splatter cinema, while ensuring that people will never pick up an ice cream cone again.  Is it as sweet and satisfying as our favorite dessert itself, or should audiences pick a different cinematic treat instead?  Let’s find out.

The story occurs in a peaceful suburban town, whose tranquility is interrupted by the arrival of an ice cream truck.  Driven by the mysterious Ice Cream Man (Millen), the truck captures the attention of the town’s children eager to try out its delicious treats.  While harmless at first glance, the residents get a horrific wake-up call when their children suddenly turn into zombified maniacs and start killing them.  The remaining survivors, including a young boy named Jared (Zeltzer), discover that the Ice Cream Man is selling ice cream that’s causing the kids to go rabid, prompting them to survive the onslaught and put an end to the server’s sweet terror.

I’ve watched enough of Roth’s films to understand his vision for the genre: “the gorier, the better.”  While I’m not a fan of “The Green Inferno”, I did enjoy the “Thanksgiving” segment from “Grindhouse”, as well as its film adaptation, for his take on the genre’s holiday-themed slasher theme.  He did helm films outside of horror, with the result being hit-or-miss, particularly the “Borderlands” movie, which I thought was just okay by entertainment standards, but was also admittedly his weakest film so far.  With my experience being mostly on his horror outings, I was both curious and cautious towards his idea about an evil ice cream man.  Of course, the former being whether Roth can inject enough creativity into its gore and concept to deliver another entertaining horror treat.  At the same time, it risks being too absurdly gross for its own good, making the experience unwatchable for general audiences.  In a way, it may seem like it’s only made for fans of Roth’s disgustingly insane vision and no one else.  After seeing it for myself, I can conclude that it’s exactly what it’s intended to be, for better or worse.
   
“Ice Cream Man” is better identified as an unused “Grindhouse” segment, with its modern exploitation aura and practical gore effects overshadowing its narrative substance.  It’s basically an 86-minute ride through one of adults’ most heinous nightmares: zombie kids with a sugar rush.  If that’s your thing, then you might find some delectably unhinged madness within this Children of the Corn-inspired massacre…assuming you have a strong stomach for it.  However, if you’re looking for a hint of depth in this blood-soaked chaos, I hate to say that you're not going to find much in this horrifying flavor.  Trust me, I tried.  The film does deliver on its concept, but other than that, it’s equivalent to having food from a very cheap restaurant.  It tastes okay, but the flavor doesn't last very long, even during the drive home.  Amid its reflection of old-school exploitation mayhem, “Ice Cream Man” is a run-of-the-mill and surprisingly tedious slasher that has the advantages of its twisted concept, but lacks a stronger narrative to complement its sadistic charm and shock value.

One thing I can credit Roth for is that he delivered the gore via practical effects pretty effectively.  There have been a few moments where the visuals looked cheap or uninspiring, though I did read that it used AI-generated imagery for specific sequences.  If so, then that would've explained the inconsistency of these effects.  However, when it comes to the scenes involving the kids killing the adults, Eli Roth knows that practical effects are the way to go.  As expected, “Ice Cream Man” is undeniably crazy through the kids “innocently” doing childish stuff with people’s guts.  With its practical effects, Roth captures the insanity and cheapness of a “Grindhouse” feature by expressing its dark innocence and having some fun with it.  It does come at the expense of not having enough compelling scares to make this nightmare truly terrifying, but Roth occasionally compensated for it with his dark humor.  Not all of the film’s comedy landed for me, but there were a couple that I found pretty humorous.

Unfortunately, despite the good intentions from a visual perspective, Eli Roth lacks a convincing narrative heft to make it stand alongside his earlier works.  As I said earlier, the film is basically all gore and no substance, with Jared and the other young survivors witnessing a horrific massacre stemming from the Ice Cream Man.  It plays through the similar narrative beats as other slasher films, such as the killings and the killer’s history, but none of these tropes work well enough to excuse its bland characters and clunky dialogue, which is pretty common for most modern horror movies.  It does have its moments of twisted entertainment, but without any characters worth rooting for, the blood-soaked premise ended up losing its flavor as it progresses.  If Eli Roth were to take some time developing the characters further, then the film’s twist ending would’ve been more impactful.  Instead, it just comes off as an eye-rolling copout attempt to potentially start a new horror franchise.
 
Most of the cast weren’t anything that special either, especially the kid actors.  Understandably, they’re not professionals, but that doesn’t mean they’re excused from their lack of effort.  Charlie Zeltzer did the best he could as Jared, the only child survivor who didn’t eat the ice cream due to him being lactose intolerant.  Even though his line delivery was anything but sweet, it was a bit more tolerable than the other supporting kid actors.  The only actor I thought made the most effort was Ari Millen as the Ice Cream Man.  Despite having no dialogue, Millen’s performance through his actions and menacing presence is as sadistically charming as the concept itself.  Was it enough to make the Ice Cream Man one of the best slasher villains of all time?  Not really, but I can tell you this.  He made me not want to buy ice cream from him and his ice cream truck.  I prefer the ice cream from Culver’s.

Overall, “Ice Cream Man” lacks the narrative flavor to make this cinematic horror treat worthy of my taste buds, cinematic or otherwise.  Eli Roth delivers another Grindhouse-like experience that’ll likely impress some of his fans with its sheer amount of gore, dark humor, and blood-soaked chaos.  Sadly, those looking for more substance underneath this dessert may not want to come back for another round.  It’s not without the sadistically amusing moments that nearly saved it from becoming a total disaster, including Ari Millen’s eerily entertaining turn as the ice cream man from Hell.  Other than that, this is another heavily cliched and surprisingly tedious splatter fest that’s better off serving its twisted creamy goodies far away from here.  With this and “Borderlands” being his recent stinkers, maybe it’s time for Roth to start getting that “Thanksgiving” sequel off the ground as soon as possible.

​“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, and Mark Ruffalo.  Released on July 31, 2026, the film has Peter Parker confronting a mysterious threat while protecting New York as Spider-Man.

The film was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who also helmed “I Am Not a Hipster”, “Short Term 12”, “The Glass Castle”, “Just Mercy”, and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”.  It is the 38th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the fourth film in the MCU Spider-Man film series.  Since Spider-Man’s spectacular debut in “Captain America: Civil War”, our eyes have been set on the webhead’s future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and so far, it has been quite a glorious ride.  Despite being surrounded by other popular Marvel characters, Tom Holland’s take on the character proved to be a cinematic draw as big as the other adaptations of Spider-Man.  His encounter with the multiverse was supposed to be the closing chapter of the supposed trilogy, especially with the ending.  However, this next chapter shows that this is just the beginning of the next chapter of his brand new life.  In a rare occurrence regarding Spider-Man films, Tom Holland’s version has leaped outside the trilogy phase to continue the hero’s coming-of-age journey that started in “Homecoming”, with him being the protector of New York City.  Of course, with everyone not knowing his identity and new threats to face, his life will be anything but amazing.  Is this brand new day worth swinging towards to experience, or is this Spider-Man saga better off as a trilogy?  Let’s find out.

The story takes place four years after the events of “No Way Home”.  With the world left forgotten about Peter Parker (Holland), he moved to New York City to begin the next chapter of his life.  Now, he’s anonymously protecting the city as their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man from various criminals, while dealing with the consequences of his life-changing choice.  The most notable one is that his former classmates, MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Batalon), have moved on without knowing who Peter is.  As his life spirals out of control, Peter starts undergoing a surprising evolution within his body, affecting his spider-like abilities in the process.  Even worse, he has to deal with a powerful new threat stemming from a mysterious young woman (Sink).  Peter will have to join forces with Frank Castle (Bernthal) and Bruce Banner (Ruffalo) to confront the villain and discover his new identity beyond the mask.

There’s no doubt that I have a soft spot for Spider-Man, both as a superhero and a human being.  In terms of the Marvel universe, Spider-Man is one of my favorite characters because of his coming-of-age arc, witty quips, and striving for responsibility.  While I enjoyed the film adaptations featuring Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, I also admire the MCU version of the superhero for its refreshing take on the journey.  Instead of rewatching Uncle Ben die for the thousandth time, “Civil War” and “Homecoming” jumped straight into Parker’s journey to adulthood as he balances his normal life with his duty as Spider-Man.  Ever since those movies, I’ve enjoyed his presence in other installments, thanks to Holland’s authentic and charismatic performance.  “Brand New Day” sought to be no exception, as Parker graduates from high school in a high-stakes, multiverse adventure and enters the harsh reality of adulthood by himself.  Because of this, it attempted to provide more maturity in its tone and themes while retaining the lighthearted charm and heart of Jon Watts’ MCU Spider-Man trilogy.  The result is another amazing sequel that not only highlights Spider-Man’s growth and responsibility, but also delivers a rewarding mixture of emotion and superhero action to boot.  However, I wouldn’t say it’s one of my top favorite Spider-Man films.

“Brand New Day" still contains the usual aspects seen in the predecessors, notably Spider-Man allying himself with another Marvel character acting as his “mentor”.  “Homecoming” had Iron Man, “Far From Home” had Nick Fury, and “No Way Home” had Doctor Strange and two other variations of Spider-Man.  For “Brand New Day”, Spider-Man is joining forces with the Punisher and the Hulk, with the former being an unusual choice, given his violent tendencies from his mature outings like “Daredevil” and “The Punisher: One Last Kill”.  But I guess that’s one way to introduce the kids to the Punisher outside of cartoons and games instead of his R-rated projects.  On the one hand, it continues the MCU’s ability to showcase its unique team-ups in a fun, dynamic way in terms of the action, emotion, and chemistry, notably Spider-Man and Frank’s “brotherly” bond.  Seeing the Punisher in family-friendly territory may seem uncanny at first, but it found a way to make it somewhat work, thanks to Jon Bernthal’s solid performance.  On the other hand, those wanting a proper solo Spider-Man movie without any MCU characters making guest appearances may find this element a bit overplayed.

This aspect still works for the fourth time, thanks to the execution of Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers’ screenplay, which balances the superhero spectacle with a character-driven narrative.  Instead of another high-stakes, universe-in-peril scenario, “Brand New Day” focuses more on Spider-Man “keeping a low profile” by saving just New York City and nothing else, akin to the first two MCU Spider-Man installments.  It’s basically another run-of-the-mill superhero movie at that point, but what really drives the story is the moments when Peter Parker isn’t being Spider-Man.  Amid the superhero theatrics, “Brand New Day” deals with Peter’s loneliness and the burden he carries from his actions in “No Way Home”, prompting him to perform his duties alone.  He struggles to regain the human connection he lost, but also has to deal with his identity regarding his “evolution”, which may be equivalent to his maturity.  With Frank’s background playing similarly to Peter’s, the film provides an engaging and thoughtful depiction of the pair’s unlikely cooperation, with some humorous chemistry thrown in there.  But, at this point, it can feel like it’s playing some similar beats from earlier installments, mainly the “self-identity” theme from “Homecoming”.  I also thought we didn’t get enough of Spider-Man’s partnership with NYPD detective Jean DeWolff, played by “The Bear” star Liza Colón-Zayas.  I think if they emphasized that partnership more and made the runtime less bloated, we could’ve gotten a self-contained solo movie that further highlights Peter’s loneliness without throwing in teases for future MCU installments.

Fortunately, even with these mild shortcomings and a lengthy runtime, “Brand New Day” still functions as a well-balanced superhero movie that combines popcorn entertainment and character-driven storytelling.  The former part is largely due to Destin Daniel Cretton’s direction.  Cretton has certainly made some pretty good movies, like “Just Mercy,” in terms of his handling of emotional depth and a steady framework.  However, his approach to “Shang-Chi” and “Wonder Man” is what made me appreciate the filmmaker even more, especially the former.  “Shang-Chi” delivered some of the best action scenes in the MCU, with Cretton injecting a slick, dynamic, and stylized flair into the choreography without relying on unnecessary zoom-ins and shaky cam.  That alone may have been the reason he was chosen to take over Spider-Man’s continuing journey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Based on what I saw, I’m glad that they made the right choice.  “Brand New Day” has Cretton copying the blueprints from the action in “Shang-Chi” and applying them to Spider-Man’s arachnid abilities and parkour stunts with visionary and fluent finesse.  It’s a refreshing way of depicting Spider-Man’s incredible agility during his battles, with his showdown against the Hand being my highlight of the film.  It’s also paired well with its visuals, especially the first-person web-swinging sequences, although there were a few scenes where the CGI looked a bit off.  Cretton also did a pretty good job at balancing the film’s grounded moments with the comedy, a common element seen in other MCU installments.  It does risk tearing the tone apart with its approach of adding in a joke after a serious moment, but thankfully, “Brand New Day” managed to avoid that blunder almost entirely.

Tom Holland has been having an incredible run as Spider-Man since he got his start in “Civil War”, especially in regards to his performance.  What I loved about this Spider-Man so far is that this iteration feels both fresh and familiar without the need to retell his origin story.  This is evident in Peter’s growth, which has him going from an eager yet irresponsible teen wanting to become an Avenger to a mature young man learning responsibility from the choices he made.  This journey benefited strongly from Holland’s charisma, authenticity, and emotional balance, which fully showcase Peter Parker as a human being beyond his superpowers.  “Brand New Day” shows that Holland still has that talent, delivering another outstanding performance that highlights the qualities that made Spider-Man popular.  Zendaya was also wonderful in her role as MJ, especially in terms of her heartwarming chemistry with Holland’s Peter.  Sadie Sink, whose character was unknown until its release, made a surprising impression for me.  While I can’t explain who that is in case you want to watch it yourself, I can say that she is a compelling antagonist who also has something in common with Peter.  Sink did a fantastic job conveying that menacing presence through her performance.

Overall, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” swings past its superhero fatigue with an amazing, thematically rich follow-up that resets Spider-Man’s status quo.  It does play a couple of familiar beats as its predecessors, notably for its team-up aspect.  However, the movie marks a rare feat in Spider-Man’s cinematic run by zipping towards his fourth theatrical outing while avoiding tripping over potential hurdles along the way.  Through Tom Holland’s incredible performance and Destin Daniel Cretton’s fluently stylish vision, this latest sequel offers another round of superhero entertainment that blends its genre flair with character-driven emotion.  It may have suffered a bit from its unnecessarily bloated runtime, and a couple of emotional moments fell short of the story it’s telling.  Nonetheless, this is another example of the MCU’s ability to provide human connection and grounded narratives within the franchise’s superhero extravaganzas.  If you’re a fan of Spider-Man, especially one from the MCU, I do not doubt that you’re going to love this one as much as you did for its predecessors.  Personally, I still prefer “No Way Home” as my favorite MCU Spider-Man film, but “Brand New Day” continues to prove that this approach is still the best thing to happen to the titular web-headed hero.

​“Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender” stars Eric Nam, Dave Bautista, Jessica Matten, Román Zaragoza, Steven Yeun, Dionne Quan, Taika Waititi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Freida Pinto, and Ke Huy Quan.  Released on Paramount+ on July 25, 2026, the film follows Aang and his team as they search for a powerful staff.

The film was directed by Lauren Montgomery, a storyboard artist known for her involvement with several direct-to-video features and television shows, including “Avatar: The Last Airbender".  She also directed films such as “Superman: Doomsday”, “Batman: Year One”, and “Justice League: Doom”.  It is a continuation of the animated television series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.  When someone asks how Nickelodeon became one of the pioneers of kids' programming and animation, they would reply with titles like “Rugrats”, “SpongeBob SquarePants”, and many others from the 1990s.  For others, the one series that made Nickelodeon a household name alongside Disney and Cartoon Network was “Avatar: The Last Airbender”.  With its stellar animation, lovable characters, and great storytelling, “Avatar: The Last Airbender” became a prime example of all-ages entertainment, shaping our perspectives on animation as a medium.  While perceived as another cartoon for kids, “The Last Airbender” packed plenty of mature themes and emotional depth to delight older audiences, not just children.

Its success spawned a franchise that would eventually lose its footing, thanks to Paramount’s recent mishandling of the IP.  While we did have “The Legend of Korra”, which is as good as Aang’s coming-of-age journey, we also had some clunkers that lacked most, if not all, of the core ingredients of the original.  That includes M. Night Shyamalan’s cinematic take on the series and the ongoing live-action series on Netflix, which I thought was a decent improvement over the former.  Unfortunately for us fans, that bad luck hasn’t improved with Paramount’s formation of Avatar Studios, which sought to revive the brand for fans and newcomers through upcoming projects.  The first of many to come is a cinematic continuation of the original show, featuring a much older Team Avatar on another thrilling adventure to maintain peace among the four nations.  It was supposed to be one of the most anticipated films of the year for fans of “Avatar” and animation, but that was until Paramount decided to ship it to Paramount+ instead because it thought “PAW Patrol”, out of all the brands, is worth seeing in theaters.  It doesn’t help that the online leaks made the decision even worse, not just for us but also for those who worked really hard to bring this project to life.  

Of course, to top it all off, Paramount decided to dump the film on the streaming service sooner than expected, as a belated response to the hackers responsible for leaking it early.  While it was nice of us to see Aang’s return early, everything that’s happened before basically killed our anticipation before the film even came out.  Regarding the low box-office numbers, business decisions, and marketing, it’s certainly the case of Paramount’s mistreatment of its current animation lineup compared to other studios like DreamWorks and Pixar.  Regardless, that hasn’t stopped my eagerness to return to the franchise I grew up watching, even if it’s not on the big screen as it was originally intended.  With that said, let’s see if this latest continuation has the power of the Avatar State to meet our expectations.

The story takes place thirteen years after the events of “The Last Airbender”.  Aang (Nam), the current Avatar and the last living Air Nomad, has successfully brought peace to the Four Nations with the help of his friends, Katara (Matten), Sokka (Zaragoza), Zuko (Yeun), and Toph (Quan).  However, despite the tranquility he brought to the land, Aang has yet to achieve peace of his own, living with the regret of being the only Airbender left alive.  That all changes when he discovers another Airbender frozen in ice named Tagah (Bautista), who tells him of an ancient staff that could restore the Air Nomad society.  This leads Aang and Team Avatar on another exhilarating global quest to find the staff and heal his inner torment.  They would also have to battle a villainous group known as the Denied, who seek to claim the relic and use its power to dominate the world.

I’m obviously one of the folks who appreciates “The Last Airbender”, even upon my second viewing when it was on Netflix.  I also thought “Korra” and the current live-action adaptation on Netflix were pretty solid expansions of the series that left an impressive cultural impact.  The one by M. Night Shyamalan?  Well, I’ll let you take a guess at what I thought of that version.  That alone was enough for me to get excited about “Avatar Aang”, which was supposed to be the first theatrical film in the franchise since the 2010 adaptation, until Paramount screwed us over.  Of course, I refused to watch the leaked version of the movie beforehand, so I could fully support its official release and experience its artistry with fresh eyes.  Unsurprisingly, I made the right call, but the question worth answering is whether the wait in doing so was worth it quality-wise.  That answer is a resounding yes.  Regarding its presentation, themes, and character moments, “Avatar Aang” is a welcoming and entertaining reunion with Team Avatar that's filled with dynamic flair and subtle emotion that reminds us why we love the series in the first place.  However, I wouldn’t consider it to be on the same level as Pixar or Studio Ghibli in terms of story execution.

One of the main aspects that made “Avatar: The Last Airbender” a classic isn’t just the animation style, but rather its blend of kid-friendly appeal and mature themes, particularly for Aang’s journey.  He not only had to take responsibility as the new Avatar, but he must do so while confronting his survivor’s guilt, which stemmed from him running away from his duties before the Air Nomads’ destruction.  It’s some pretty heavy stuff for a Nickelodeon show that’s seemingly aimed towards children, but it’s portrayed in a way that both kids and adults can relate to and even appreciate.  This theme continues with “Avatar Aang”, with Aang still feeling overwhelmed with grief over his past actions until he’s given the opportunity to bring air-bending back.  However, his actions could lead him to make the ultimate decision to retain the peace he fought hard to get.  It’s the subtle thematic nuance in the “Last Airbender” franchise that helped me appreciate it for what it was, mainly the original show that started it all.  When combined with its physical comedy, notably the anime-like character expressions and charm, it amounts to another consistently fun and heartfelt adventure for families that highlights the true meaning of peace.

That being said, while the themes it represented are sublime, how it portrayed them narrative-wise is another story.  The screenplay by Tim Hedrick and Christopher Yost offered plenty of promising aspects that could’ve made its thematic impact as powerful as the Avatar State.  One notable example is the bond between Aang and Tagah, where both sought a common goal of peace but through different methods, notably when it came to power and even revenge.  Unfortunately, the film didn’t really take the time to explore them fully due to its inconsistent pacing and minimal world-building.  The film is around 100 minutes long, which is common for most animated movies, but the pacing felt shorter than that.  Instead of balancing its narrative flow with the visuals, “Avatar Aang” lets the presentation do the talking, with the story taking a back seat for most of the trip.  Additionally, with Tagah’s hatred of the Earth Nation playing a role in the journey, the film would’ve benefited greatly if Toph had been given more to do.  Not only was she well voiced by Dionne Quan, the voice of Kimi from “Rugrats”, but she was also one of the best parts of the film for her humor, personality, and action scenes.  So it was a shame that the movie missed that opportunity.

Another aspect of the story I found pretty underwhelming was the Denied, a group of non-benders seeking to gain power through an ancient staff.  They also played a role in Aang’s struggle with his past actions, but they don’t seem much of a threat compared to the movie’s actual antagonist.  If you watched the leaked version, you’ll know who I’m referring to.  If not, I won’t spoil the reveal so you can get the full experience.  This opposing group certainly has moments in their development, mainly for one of the members, Kallik (Viswanathan), but again, the pacing didn’t give the movie enough time to fully realize that potential.  Lauren Montgomery, the film’s director, definitely deserves credit for showcasing the thrills and stylization of specific sequences, notably the element-based action.  Given her experience with the animated DC direct-to-video films and “The Last Airbender” show, it’s no surprise that she was a decent choice in bringing the hard-hitting, heart-pounding excitement into the world of “Avatar”.  But when it comes to her approach to the narrative, Montgomery felt pretty restricted by the given length, which limited the film's ability to fully expand on its themes.  However, even with those limitations, there’s still some joy to be had in Aang’s quest for peace, and the heart still exists well enough to draw me into its continuous journey.

While it’s a shame that the original cast from the series didn’t return for “Avatar Aang”, the new actors voicing Team Avatar did a respectable job conveying the charisma and spirit of these characters.  Their efforts to convey genuine emotion in their dialogue were surprisingly underwhelming at times, but aside from that, the cast ensured they carried the team’s legacy with pride and respect.  Eric Nam was a solid choice in voicing Aang, highlighting the character’s balance of maturity and silliness, as well as his internal struggle within himself.  This also happened to be Nam’s second film role, following 2014’s “Transplant”, aside from his being one of South Korea’s most recognizable figures.  With his upcoming role in “K-Pop: The Debut” on the way, it should be interesting to see if Nam can also become a superstar in Hollywood.  Dave Bautista also delivered some decent moments in his performance as Tagah, especially in his grief and rage over what happened to his people.  But as I said, the direction for the vocal performances kept those specific emotions from being genuine and raw, which is a shame given my appreciation for Bautista as an actor.  I would also give some of the supporting cast credit for providing fun comedy amid its mature moments, including Román Zaragoza as Sokka and Ke Huy Quan as Avatar Xian.

Finally, we have the film’s animation, which is obviously the reason why it definitely deserves the previously planned theatrical treatment.  The animation is produced by three companies: Flying Bark Productions, Studio Mir, and Studio Ppuri, with the former two being well-known for producing shows like “The Legend of Korra” and “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”.  With these studios in charge, I had no doubt they would cook with the style of “Avatar Aang”, especially in feature-length form, and I was right.  The art designs for the movie’s environments are absolutely stunning, especially when combined with the scope of Damon O’Beirne’s cinematography.  Additionally, the lighting and vibrant color palettes flawlessly match the usual anime-inspired presentation seen in the “Last Airbender” series, notably the physical comedy, capturing the cinematic feel of its small scale to its fullest intent.  However, what really set the bar high was the combination of 2D hand-drawn animation and CGI environments, stemming from Deep Canvas technology, which had previously been used by Disney for films like “Tarzan” and “Treasure Planet”.  They both flow together seamlessly, not just for the character moments but also the stylized action.  In a way, it’s almost akin to watching an episode of “The Last Airbender” but in a cinematic format.  Given my experience with the show, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Overall, “Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender” boasts a decent harmony between story and presentation to deliver a consistently entertaining reunion between Team Avatar and the franchise’s fans.  Regarding the scope and visual dynamics, it’s hard to ignore that its switch from a theatrical to a streaming release was a massive slap in the face for us, both as "Avatar" lovers and as supporters of animation.  Regardless, this is a worthy continuation of Aang’s saga that retains the action, humor, and heart the original show is known for, while also providing a clear example of the effort and passion put into the art of animation.  It doesn’t quite master all of its power to highlight its thematic depth and characters within its narrative flow, leaving its awe-inspiring visuals to do the heavy lifting.  But as a supporter of the Nickelodeon franchise, I was nonetheless satisfied with its attempt to continue Aang's legend, even though it would’ve been a lot nicer to see it on the big screen.  Hopefully, with enough support, we could see it expand into more theaters beyond its awards-qualifying run.  If you’re a fan of “The Last Airbender”, it is definitely worth watching, though don’t expect it to be on the same narrative levels as other great animated films.