Paramount+ Just Added One of the Worst Adaptations of All Time

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Turning a TV show or book into a movie is incredibly difficult. While films like The Godfather, The Shawshank Redemption, and the Harry Potter series are excellent examples of successful adaptations, many others have failed to capture the spirit of the original. Recently, Paramount+ added a particularly poorly received adaptation of a popular cartoon, which some critics have even called a terrible movie.

M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender, originally intended as the first film in a series, is widely considered a disappointing adaptation and failed to gain traction with audiences or critics. Based on the first season of the popular Nickelodeon show Avatar: The Last Airbender, the movie began streaming on Paramount+ on December 1st. It follows Aang, the last of the Airbenders, as he trains to control all four elements and bring balance back to the world.

The Last Airbender Movie Is a Major Disservice to the Nickelodeon Series

M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender is famous for being a terrible movie. Instead of being a good adaptation of the popular animated series, it’s widely considered a disappointing and disrespectful take on the original, and is often cited as one of the worst films ever made.

The movie The Last Airbender didn’t live up to the original animated series. It took itself too seriously, changed key details from the show’s story, and felt incredibly rushed. Characters like Aang and Sokka weren’t as engaging as fans remembered, the special effects and bending sequences were poorly done, and the acting wasn’t convincing. Beyond these issues, the film faced criticism for casting mostly white actors in roles inspired by Asian and Indigenous cultures and for mispronouncing character names, which many found offensive.

Even after more than ten years, The Last Airbender is still considered a huge failure. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave it a dismal 5% rating, and audiences weren’t much kinder, scoring it at 30%. Renowned critic Roger Ebert called it a painful experience, and David Nusair of Reel Film Reviews labeled it a major letdown from a previously reliable director. R.L. Shaffer from IGN went even further, calling the movie a complete disaster – a poorly made adaptation with weak acting, bad choices, and a story that simply explains things without offering any real substance.

What’s New on Paramount+?

While The Last Airbender isn’t a great choice, Paramount+ has added a bunch of excellent movies in December. New additions include Annihilation, Braveheart, Django Unchained, Fargo, Forrest Gump, Inglourious Basterds, and all four Batman films directed by Tim Burton. If you’re looking for holiday cheer, you can now stream Adam Sandler’s Eight Crazy Nights, Ernest Saves Christmas, and both versions of Miracle on 34th Street (from 1947 and 1994).

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2025-12-17 01:43