In the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, there are options in fighting called jing, which guide how one directs their energy. Of the 85 of them in existence, neutral jing stands out as a particularly methodical approach, where one listens and waits until the moment is right to strike. It’s known as the key to earthbending, as the likes of characters such as Toph and King Bumi specialize in, though there are other characters who have utilized this technique too; such as in Season 3, when Iroh waited until the solar eclipse before breaking out of prison.
But it should go without saying that the method is not exclusive to how someone fights. Had neutral jing been applied in the aftermath of Paramount’s decision to give the show’s long awaited feature film follow-up,The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender, a release on Paramount+ rather than in theaters, a lot of what has fallen out in recent weeks could have been avoided.
With the exception of the cast, the crew, and the fans who actually are capable of neutral jing, there are no innocent bystanders in the online leakage of The Legend of Aang. Paramount is at fault, the person who leaked it is at fault, and the “fans” who gave into temptation and watched the whole thing are at fault.
Paramount is at fault for deciding to move the film’s release to just its streaming service. The decision disregards the artists who’ve worked so hard at it to get it ready for the big screen, and it disregards the fans. Avatar: The Last Airbender has always brought the energy and quality suitable for the big screen; from the score, the animation, the fighting sequences, the characters, and the world building. To completely ignore what so many of them have wanted for so long really shows that the higher ups at Paramount have no idea who the core audience is and what they want.
The person who leaked the film is very much at fault. The idea of there being a choice of whether or not to leak is nonsense. They absolutely should not have posted it on the Internet for the world to see, regardless of whether it was a Paramount+ exclusive or not. For one to interpret this as the individual behind it making a point to Paramount can only go so far. It is a complete insult to everyone who has worked so hard on it.
The “fans” who decided to go ahead with watching the leak are no better. Rather than be respectful of the team behind it, they decided to give in to instant gratification. Aside from disregarding the efforts of everyone who worked on it, they’re also ruining the chances for the franchise to continue to grow. Also, while nothing has been revealed yet, I wouldn’t be surprised if we wind up having to wait even longer for its official release, and that would be coming after numerous postponements already.
This whole unnecessary, completely avoidable experience reminds me a lot of last year, when the documentary, Selena y Los Dinos, was made available to stream as part of the Sundance Film Festival’s virtual program. I consider myself lucky enough to have seen it on there, because within a day of the virtual program going live, the title was pulled from the lineup, due to people filming clips from it and making them available on social media.
This feels like stating the obvious, but given both case instances, it needs to be said: It is really not that hard to be a fan, while also being respectful. Breaking copyright laws like illegally posting clips — if not a whole film — online, and watching them is the opposite of that. That just demonstrates lack of impulse control and respect for the creatives who’ve put in who knows how many years of work into making the final product, only for it to be treated as dispensable. In my opinion, you’re not a true fan if you would willingly stoop so low like that.
Going back to The Legend of Aang, what should have happened and what needs to happen now?
It should be obvious on Paramount’s part that they should have never changed the release plans for it. Now they should probably switch it back to a theatrical release, for damage control if anything.
The person who leaked the film absolutely should not have done that, and the fact that they’re now going to be facing legal consequences for their actions is a good step in holding them accountable. That’s what should happen when one decides to “troll a little bit.”
As for the “fans,” there are multiple factors at play as to how they could have responded to all this. A petition could have been created to send to Paramount when the release plans were changed. If that fell through, then they could have done what audiences last summer did when KPop Demon Hunters came out on Netflix: make it such a huge streaming success, that the thought of it not having a theatrical release is wild.
As far as the leakage goes, it’s like I said: If you’re truly a fan of the franchise, you wouldn’t have watched it. While those individuals definitely should feel guilty for having watched the film already, I do believe there needs to be consequences for them as well.
There are no innocent bystanders in all this, aside from the cast, crew, and the actual fans. It is most honorable that the latter are practicing neutral jing by restraining from watching the leak. It shows that they really do care about the creative team behind it. While the future surrounding the film’s official release is currently murky, please continue to utilize the key to earthbending. Wait until the moment is right.
