The first three episodes of Avatar: Seven Havens, the latest animated entry in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe, premiered last night on Paramount+, and the reviews are pretty positive across the board. As of writing, critic reviews are so positive that it’s earned a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. User reviews aren’t too far off either, as Avatar: Seven Havens’ Popcornmeter is also sitting at an 81 percent positive.
However, while Avatar: Seven Havens’ new characters, writing, and soundtrack are being uniformly praised, a few reviews aren’t too impressed with the fluidity of its animation (or lack thereof). For those of you looking forward to the show, this is probably not a surprise, as some fans labelled the art style as looking “cheap” and “fanmade” when the second trailer for the show dropped back in July.
Still, fans will at least be relieved to hear that the story is up to scratch–especially considering that Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender’s plot was a point of contention among the fanbase.
Funnily enough, even though Avatar: Seven Havens is streaming on Paramount+, it would seem that Netflix is indirectly to blame for the quality of the new series. That’s because both Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra’s original showrunners, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, returned to work on Avatar: Seven Havens after their professional relationship with Netflix broke down following the release of the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series.
And if you’re worried about getting too invested in Avatar: Seven Havens due to the Paramount/Warner Bros Discovery merger, well then I’ve got some good news for you. Hard to say if this was in any way influenced by the positive reviews, but Paramount announced that it’s already greenlit seasons 3 and 4 of Avatar: Seven Havens during a panel last night at New York Comic-Con.
The series captures the original magic of The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, from powerful bending action to adorable animal companions. (I would die for Geet.) But it also fashions an incredible new take on the world we’ve come to know and love, one that’s part-Mad Max, part-Jean “Mœbius” Giraud. It’s an incredible sandbox for Seven Havens’ tale of finding connection in a dire time, and a reminder that change is truly the Avatar franchise’s greatest superpower. – Belen Edwards
After the “Avatar Aang” movie and the poorly-received live-action adaptations, it feels like “Seven Havens” is getting back to the basics, in the animated episodic format where it thrived in the first place. These are six engrossing, rich and entertaining episodes — a great sign of what’s to come for the future of “Avatar,” and a veritable treat for the fans who have been waiting so patiently. – Michel Ghanem
While some viewers might find this a slow start after so many years away, and there isn’t a clear Big Bad as in previous series, the first three episodes of the new Avatar are thrillingly emotional, beautifully animated, and stunningly scored. It’s great to have this world back, even if it is a broken post-apocalyptic version that’s perhaps not too far from our own. – Alex Zalben
Arriving more than a decade after its predecessor, Seven Havens reminds us why the Avatar universe remains so beloved across all age ranges. With its young protagonists and Teachable Moment subplots, Seven Havens is very much a children’s show — more explicitly so than the YA atmosphere of Korra. Yet it’s also a pleasure to watch as an adult, particularly in the literal sense of Seven Havens being better looking than 99% of genre programming elsewhere. Hit pause at any point, and you’ll see beautifully conceived fantasy architecture, cool creatures, and characters brimming with visual personality. It’s a real thrill to see Avatar return to our screens, ready to welcome a new generation of fans. – Gavia Baker-Whitelaw
“Seven Havens” maintains the visual style that DiMartino and Konietzko established with the previous “Avatar” series: anime-inspired 2-D animation, with softly luminescent colors and imaginatively designed characters and locations. But what has always drawn fans to this franchise is the storytelling, which is simultaneously simple and ambitious. – Noel Murray
In the six episodes provided to critics, this crew hasn’t quite coalesced into a unified team, but “Seven Havens” successfully cultivates enough curiosity about how its world works to buy some time. “Seven Havens” introduces another quirk to the Avatar legend I’m forbidden from disclosing, though it takes some pressure off Pavi as Karthik explores his theory that the Avatar can help revive the dying art of bending. (There are fewer benders born to each successive generation, we’re told, even as manipulating the elements is a vital defense against an onslaught of lightning and wind.) Combined with the imagery and an expanded pool of references, “Seven Havens” successfully makes clear that it’s a new and different kind of Avatar series, while maintaining the transportive world-building that’s helped the franchise endure. – Alison Herman
I take no pleasure in now agreeing with much of the early sentiment towards Avatar: Seven Havens. When the trailers first came out, the collective response to the animation was fairly tepid, but I firmly planted my feet on the “wait and see” side of the line. Trailers are rarely representative of an entire product! But I waited, and I’ve seen, and I’ve unfortunately been left wanting. The classic Avatar theme rising up behind Nisha and Pavi embracing their destiny is wildly effective when it happens, but it can’t make sequences that follow look any better. – Rollin Bishop
While Paramount isn’t beating the allegations as a rights owner who seemingly resents Avatar‘s still-beating fandom, Seven Havens never feels like it’s spinning its wheels as a safe, derivative work coasting on brand recognition. Granted, its premiere takes a while to get off the starting blocks, but the series has a strong foundation and the potential to become the most radically different rendition of the Avatar universe yet. Hopefully, the subsequent episodes of Seven Havens will see its animation feats sync up with the show’s engrossing reshuffling of its rich worldbuilding. – Isaiah Colbert
What’s made this franchise so beloved has been its willingness to go on that journey with its young characters, maturing and deepening and changing without losing that initial childlike sense of hope and joy. Where it’ll take Pavi now remains to be seen. But should Seven Havens borrow a page from its predecessors, I think it’s safe to say she’ll do her Avatar ancestors proud. – Angie Han
Unlike a lot of legacy sequels, though, Seven Havens never leans too heavily on what came before. And even if progress is slow, the early episodes promise a fuller exploration of the show’s distinctive world, from the culture and character of the other six havens to the truth about Korra’s role in it all. The series still needs to figure out what story it wants to tell, but it’s no great burden to spend a little extra time in its colorful, charming world while it does so. – Ross McIndoe
