Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Legend of Korra - Book Four: Balance Blu-ray Movie Review

"We're both fierce and determined to succeed, sometimes without thinking things through..."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown March 25, 2015

Could any season of The Legend of Korra live up to the series' outstanding third Book, Change? Balance faces this and another, perhaps more daunting, challenge: wrapping up the acclaimed animated saga with a lower production budget, a move from cable to online streaming on Nickelodeon.com, and without a major villain from previous seasons posing a threat. Suddenly the answer isn't so easy to come by. As an unapologetic fan, my unwavering faith in co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko screams, "of course!" But after watching the end result -- twice now -- it appears otherwise. I'm sure there's a version of Balance every bit as stunning an achievement as Change; a version that surpasses all expectation, brings every character arc to a satisfying close, ties up every loose end, and goes out with a bigger bang than any season before it. This just isn't it. With a one-dimensional Big Bad, a rather routine string of obstacles for Korra to overcome, and several fan-favorite characters benched for little to no good reason, Balance is the most disappointing chapter in The Legend of Korra series. It isn't a complete failure, or even dull or tiresome. Far from it. There's still plenty of dramatic heft, smartly penned surprises, belly laughs, heart-pounding action, and climactic showdowns to be had. But it all comes as a bit of a letdown, never quite rising to the level of its predecessors, much less the final season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, with which it shares a number of similarities.

To save the world, Avatar Korra (Janet Varney) endured her most intense battle yet. Years later, still broken and bruised, Korra begins a journey of self-discovery and survival as the strong prey upon the weak in an Earth Kingdom entrenched in chaos. When an aggressive military force led by the power hungry Kuvira (Zelda Williams) rises up and declares itself the source of law and order, the fate of the Earth Kingdom, and soon the entire world, hangs in the balance. Only the Avatar and her friends and fellow warriors -- Mako (David Faustino), Bolin (P.J. Byrne), Asami (Seychelle Gabriel), Tenzin (J.K. Simmons), Lin Beifong (Mindy Sterling), Suyin Beifong (Anne Heche), Opal (Alyson Stoner), Jinora (Kiernan Shipka), Varrick (John Michael Higgins) and Zhu Li (Stephanie Sheh) -- can set things right.

First, the not so happy news. Balance lacks, you guessed it, balance. Or at least the balance of other seasons of The Legend of Korra or The Last Airbender. We've seen antagonists like Kuvira before in a variety of media; idealists who lose their way as their power increases and their outlook becomes more dogmatic. Many, many times before. Worse, the politics behind the Earth Kingdom's hostile takeover not only require a lot of precious attention -- attention that could have been devoted to, say, a more complex and compelling villain (or villains, a la Zaheer and his rebels -- it rarely amounts to anything interesting or impactful. Last season it was the return of air-bending. This season it's... a turf war. (Inadequate but rightful heir vs. proven military leader.) It doesn't help that almost every storyline somehow connects back to the Council's irritating Earth-King-in-waiting, who wastes Mako's screentime and isn't nearly as funny as the creative team seems to think. Several other subplots drag as well. Korra again -- again! -- has to prove she's up to the task, and on multiple occasions. (How many times is this now?) Beifong family drama continually takes precedence over most of the season's other conflicts. Toph's long-awaited return gains a lot of great momentum only to screech to a halt. And Kya (Lisa Edelstein) and Bumi (Richard Riehle) have practically been left on the cutting room floor.

But fear not, even the most disappointing season of The Legend of Korra is more refined, rewarding and addictive than 90% of children's animated television. Korra's empowerment continues to involve actual empowerment (best exemplified in "Beyond the Wilds"), bitterness runs deep, rivalries and tensions (generally) intensify or resolve themselves naturally, and emotions, consequences and relationship struggles flow organically from one episode to the next. If somebody messes with gruff-n-tough Lin, for example, you can bet that decision will have an effect on her dealings with that character for the rest of the season. Kuvira's arc and the towering platinum mech Korra and her allies have to eventually bring down is tied up too neatly (think Book One: Air's final hurrah), but nothing appears as if from nowhere. If it comes to pass, commendable effort has been invested in planting the appropriate seeds long before it occurs. Mild spoiler alert: even Korra's seemingly eleventh hour romance -- a twist of sorts in the closing moments of the finale that caught many fans off guard, some of whom complained that it felt random and forced -- is in the works from the earliest episodes of Season Four. Didn't notice it? Watch through the season again. My first trip through Change ended with a "wait... what?" My second trip had me smacking my forehead from the start, wondering how I missed so many clues along the way, marveling at how subtle and convincing the relationship evolves, and applauding DiMartino and Konietzko's bold choice.

Other elements are as strong as ever, from the series' breezy blend of comedy and drama to its incredibly likeable characters, rapidfire, laugh-out-loud dialogue, and eye-popping, jaw-dropping, cheer-rousing bending battles. The use of metal bending this season is even more thrilling than last (although Book Three's combination of metal bending, lava bending, resurgent air bending, et al was collectively more creative and exciting); the knock-down, drag-out fights are real nail-biters, and the final dust-up between Kuvira and our heroes is exhilarating and suspenseful, as usual. (Again, I could do without the giant robot, but, the moment it lumbered on screen, my son lost his mind. So I can't grumble too much.) Then there's the visuals and the music, which complement each other perfectly. The expressiveness and fluidity of Studio Mir's character animations are impressive to say the least, and Jeremy Zuckerman's music is infused into every grand vista, swift kick, sorrowful exchange, and burst of bending the season has on tap. The voice performances and casting are excellent as always too, with one exception: the flat, unengaging Williams, who breathes less and less convincing life into Kuvira with each passing episode.

Ultimately, Balance is more rushed than previous seasons and lacks some of the fine-tuning the Avatar saga, be it Korra's story or Aang's, has built its reputation upon. Though most likely a product of Nickelodeon's inexplicably poor treatment of the show in its fourth season, there's still too much disappointment to endure here to declare Balance the best, or even among the best seasons The Legend of Korra has to offer. It's good, very good if you're comparing it to other shows. But it's not great. And if any animated series deserved greatness, it was this one.

The Legend of Korra - Book Four: Balance Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

After two problematic presentations (see Book Two: Spirits and Book Three: Change), Book Four: Balance features a solid 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode on par with the Blu-ray release of the series' first season, Air. Minor instances of banding and slight, practically negligible artifacts pop up from time to time, but only as far as the animation dictates, and almost always when computer generated lighting effects have been applied. In other words, most of the anomalies fans will encounter are inherent to the source. Everything else is on point. Colors are bright and bold, with vibrant, consistently striking primaries, vivid bursts of spirit-infused purples, watery blues and fiery reds, and deep, inky blacks. Detail is terrific too. Lines are crisp and clean, with very little, if anything, in the way of aliasing. Background brushstroke textures have been preserved without issue. And significant noise, macroblocking, ringing and other issues are kept to the barest of minimums. Bottom line: the presentation isn't free of distractions, but it represents a welcome improvement over its Season Two and Three predecessors.

The Legend of Korra - Book Four: Balance Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

One aspect of every Legend of Korra Blu-ray release has remained reliable, from the opening act of Air to the climactic finale of Balance: Paramount's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround. As before, the latest mix packs enough punch and power to impress several times over. Dialogue is intelligible, carefully prioritized and neatly grounded in the soundscape. The LFE channel grabs hold of every fight, battle, and action scene, flexing its muscle at any given opportunity. Fire erupts, earth rumbles, wind thunders and water surges, all to outstanding effect. Not to be outdone, the rear speakers help create immersive environment after immersive environment, from the panicked metropolis of Republic City to the remote testing grounds for Kuvira's super weapon, the tangled depths of Toph's forest home, the dank prison that houses Zaheer, and the crumbling buildings and toppling towers that frame Korra's final battle with the Earth Kingdom's military forces. Directionality is precise, cross-channel pans are smooth and the entire experience delivers. Add to that Jeremy Zuckerman's music, which ebbs and flows beautifully across scenes of peace and war alike, and you once again have a lossless track that's primed to please.

The Legend of Korra - Book Four: Balance Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentaries: Disc One offers seven cast and crew audio commentaries: "After All These Years" with creators/executive producers Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko and writers Josh Hamilton & Tim Hedrick; "Korra Alone" with DiMartino, Konietzko and voice actress Janet Varney (Korra); "The Coronation" with DiMartino, Konietzko and Hedrick; "The Calling" with DiMartino, Konietzko, writer Katie Mattila and director Colin Heck; "Enemy at the Gates" with DiMartino, Konietzko, Varney and voice actor John Michael Higgins (Varrick); "Battle Zaofu" with DiMartino, Konietzko, Varney and voice actress Zelda Williams (Kuvira); and "Reunion" with DiMartino, Konietzko, foley mixer/supervisor Aran Tanchum and lead sound designer Benjamin Wynn.
  
  Disc Two includes six more: "Remembrances" with DiMartino, Konietzko, Varney and voice actors PJ Byrne (Bolin) and Seychelle Gabriel (Asami); "Beyond the Wilds" with DiMartino, Konietzko, Varney and voice actor David Faustino (Mako); "Operation: Beifong" with DiMartino, Konietzko and composer Jaremy Zuckerman; "Kuvira's Gambit" with DiMartino, Konietzko, Hamilton and Hedrick; "Day of the Colossus" with DiMartino, Konietzko, co-executive producer Joaquim dos Santos and supervising producer Lauren Montgomery; and "The Last Stand" with DiMartino, Konietzko, dos Santos and Montgomery.
• 2014 Comic-Con Panel (HD, 35 minutes): The complete Legend of Korra panel from the 2014 New York Comic-Con. Guests include DiMartino, Konietzko, Varney, Faustino and Byrne.
• The Making of a Legend: The Untold Story Part II (HD, 8 minutes): This "Legend of PuppetBender" faux-featurette offers a tongue-in-cheek glimpse behind the scenes of the series.
• Republic City Hustle (HD, 10 minutes): A 3-part animated short about Mako and Bolin's childhood.
• Kuvira vs. Prince Wu (HD, 2 minutes): An extended Nick promo.

The Legend of Korra - Book Four: Balance Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Legend of Korra - Book Four: Balanced isn't as strong as previous seasons, particularly Book Three: Change, but it delivers an entertaining (albeit loose and lopsided) thirteen-episode finale that brings things to a semi-satisfying close. Paramount's 2-disc Blu-ray release is even better, with a solid 1080p video presentation comparable to its Book One: Air counterpart, a terrific DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and a generous helping of special features, including thirteen audio commentaries. Fans, complete the saga. Complete your collection. Newcomers, head for Book One: Air and work your way to Book Four: Balance. There are bumps along the way, but it's a journey well worth taking.