When it comes to adaptations, the truth is that there's never a surefire path to success. If they stay too close to the original, there's the possibility that your average consumer is alienated or you don't engage a new audience. If wholly different, the diehard fans that made it a success in the first place – the ones that initially made it seem like a good idea to adapt at all – will likely be disappointed. And if you try to appease both, you're just as likely to let both down instead.
Netflix's live-action take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, for all its foibles, feels like an earnest attempt at a harmonious middle ground that never quite leaves the original behind nor faithfully recreates it enough. It's disappointing, but the struggle between the two is fairly apparent. It does seem somehow appropriate that the series has trouble with one of its own key themes: balance.
