Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Legend of Korra - Book Three: Change Blu-ray Movie Review

"It's the dawning of a new age, the end of the White Lotus, and soon, the end of the Avatar..."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 12, 2014

Whew. Avatar fans certainly dodged a bullet this summer. As The Legend of Korra's third season neared its incredibly suspenseful endgame, Nickelodeon suddenly, and without warning, yanked the show off the network's broadcast schedule and announced it would release the remaining episodes online, prompting widespread panic and outrage among the series' fanbase. Was Korra being cancelled? Cut short before creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko could finish their planned four-part saga? Would Book Four be left to the imagination? Had Nickelodeon gone mad? Thankfully, Nick wasn't in the mood to completely alienate the faithful Avatar fold. The Legend of Korra: Book Four may only be available online, but it's available, and I couldn't be more relieved. Book Three is a spectacular season of thrills, laughs, heartache, sophisticated storytelling, masterful world-building, harrowing battles, shocking gut punches, staggering consequences and, true to its name, dramatic change. To think it all could have been hacked off at the knees, or that Korra's third journey -- which ends on a devastating emotional cliffhanger -- might not have continued... well, let's not dwell on the despair and disappointment that might have been. The Legend of Korra isn't merely alive and well, it's finally standing shoulder to shoulder with Avatar: The Last Airbender. No small feat.

As the human and spirit worlds enter a new age of cohabitation after the events of Book Two, Korra (voiced by Janet Varney) makes a startling discovery: non-benders across the Earth Kingdom are suddenly being granted the ability to bend and manipulate air, among them Aang's son Bumi (Richard Riehle). Making it her mission to rebuild the decimated Air Nation, Korra sets out with her friends -- Mako (David Faustino), Bolin (P. J. Byrne) and Asami (Seychelle Gabriel) -- to recruit the first of what she, Tenzin (J. K. Simmons) and his family hope will become a new tribe of Air Nomads. Opposing the Avatar at every step of the way, though, is a group of four deadly fugitives who escape the custody of the White Lotus after more than a decade in prison: airbender Zaheer (Henry Rollins), explosive firebender P'Li (Kristy Wu), lavabender Ghazan (Peter Giles) and armless water-witch Ming-Hua (Grey DeLisle). But it's not just Zaheer and the deadly Red Lotus Korra has to contend with. Overzealous spirits, Republic City rejection, a corrupt Earth Queen (Jayne Taini), air bison poachers, Earth Kingdom street gangs, feuding sisters Lin (Mindy Sterling) and Suyin Beifong (Anne Heche) and a young airbending thief named Kai (Skyler Brigmann) are only a few of the challenges the Avatar has to face.

Book Three unfolds slowly but deliberately, with great care being taken to show that Korra's world-altering decisions in Book Two carry significant, oftentimes difficult weight. The fallout from her clash with Unalaq and Vaatu affects more than Republic City too. Once again greeted as a menace rather than a savior, the Avatar -- always at odds with those in power -- turns her attention to the biggest source of post-convergence change: the emergence of new airbenders, which is approached by the series' writers from so many different angles that it becomes as rich and complex as a natural evolution in a sprawling fantasy mythos should. More than a gimmick, the resurrection of the Air Nation also grants tremendous power to the third season's primary villain, bringing the consequences of Korra's actions full circle. Zaheer's goals are shrouded in secrecy; the threat he and his murderous anarchists pose is not. (Kudos to the show's creative team and animators for devising some of the most jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring, occasionally diabolical bending in Avatar's two-series, seven-season history.) With Korra's skills expanding, Zaheer's powers growing, and Team Avatar racing to keep up, each character in new, interesting ways, the Legend of Korra stakes have never been higher, or more riveting.

There's also a sense of deep, unwavering confidence driving the entire series. Story, animation, dialogue and music come together to stunning ends, with the season's title fights and blazing bending battles remaining fresh and unique. The showrunners aren't content to simply rehash what's come before, nor are they afraid to stir up the pot and give us things we didn't imagine possible. Book Three goes big, bigger and bigger still, ramping up the action as deftly as it allows its young protagonists to mature and transform. The trials of adolescence aren't abandoned, but as Korra, Mako and Bolin enter early adulthood, the manner in which they deal with problems, adjust to setbacks, tackle conflict, and overcome hurdles is much more seasoned and, on occasion, quite complicated; hardly the kid stuff one might expect from an animated series that calls Nickelodeon home. There are no easy answers in Change. No quick solutions. No perfect path to peace. Every victory a burden, every defeat a chance to regroup and refine. It's this commitment to decidedly grown-up storytelling and character development that makes The Legend of Korra so addicting and unpredictable, so accessible to parents and children, so wonderfully engaging, deeply moving and utterly satisfying. Book Three is without a doubt the show's finest hour. It's also one of the best seasons of the entire Last Airbender/Legend of Korra saga, and that's saying something.

The Legend of Korra - Book Three: Change Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

So how does Book Three's AVC MPEG-4 video presentation fare? Unfortunately a bit worse than Book Two's decent but problematic 1080i presentation. Though encoded at 1080p via what appears to be inverse telecine processing (click here for further explanation), the most recent Korra release suffers from several issues; some familiar and not so surprising, some not-so-familiar and slightly irritating. First the familiar. Banding and macroblocking are back, and back with a vengeance, plaguing the series from start to finish and appearing everywhere from dark, moonlit environments to vibrant, warmly lit close-ups of our heroes. Neither is terribly debilitating, but each one is so prevalent that it's hard to ignore. The macroblocking is generally coupled with the banding too, which tends to exacerbate the unsightliness of it all. As to the more surprising anomalies, prepare to contend with pulldown lines, ghosting, and intermittent aliasing (most, if not all of which are consequences of the shift from 1080i/29.97fps to 1080p/23.98fps). The good news is that it's not that hard to get past all these nagging little mishaps. Taken on its own, each eyesore is rather easy to overlook. The bad news is that, together, those single eyesores amount to a collective distraction, and in an absorbing animated series like The Legend of Korra, being distracted is the last thing anyone needs, particularly in the midst of a climactic battle or as characters reach emotional crossroads.

Thankfully, other aspects of the presentation are spot on; to the point some will complain about my video score being too low. Color and contrast are bold, vivid and dazzling, boasting lovely hues, explosive primaries and satisfying black levels. Clarity is excellent as well, with crisp lines and well-resolved background textures and brushstrokes. Softness creeps in, but really only as the dynamic, often cinematic animation dictates. And quick comparisons reveal the differences between the Blu-ray and DVD presentations of Book Three are significant. Bottom line? It's worth admitting that most viewers won't notice 80% of the video issues mentioned above. Banding is apparent, but only those sensitive to ghosting and what not will be yanked out of the experience (and even then, only occasionally). That doesn't make the results any less disappointing, or the sting any less annoying, but the various issues also aren't crippling enough to suggest avoiding the release completely or holding out too much hope for an alternative. Proceed accordingly.

The Legend of Korra - Book Three: Change Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Like Book Two, Book Three's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is terrific, packing enough punch and power to convert the skeptical and impress the uninitiated. Dialogue is intelligible, carefully prioritized and neatly grounded in the soundscape. The LFE channel, meanwhile, grabs hold of every fight, battle and action scene, flexing its muscle at every opportunity. Fire erupts, the 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 bustling streets of Republic City to the impoverished lower level of Ba Sing Se, the barren deserts of the Earth Kingdom, the serene peaks of the Northern Air Temple, the valleys of the air bison, and the vast mountains and canyons that serve as the stage for Korra's final battle with Zaheer. Directionality is precise, cross-channel pans are smooth and the entire experience delivers. Add to that the series' music, which ebbs and flows beautifully across scenes of peace and war alike, and you have a lossless track worthy of praise.

The Legend of Korra - Book Three: Change Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentaries: The Blu-ray release of The Legend of Korra: Book Three features 13 candid, informative and extensive audio commentaries -- one for each episode, nine of which are BD-exclusive tracks -- that fans will find to be both entertaining and revealing. Participants include creator/executive producer Michael Dante DiMartino, creator/executive producer Bryan Konietzko, co-executive producer Joaquim Dos Santos, composer Jeremy Zuckerman, supervising producer Lauren Montgomery, directors Melchior Zwyer, Colin Heck and Ian Graham, lead sound designer Benjamin Wynn, foley mixer/supervisor Aran Tanchum, and writers Tim Hendrick, Josh Hamilton and Katie Mattila. DiMartino and Konietzko lead each commentary. No voice actors are present, which will no doubt come as a disappointment to some, but it allows the production team to focus on dissecting and exploring their processes without veering off on recording-session tangents (as animation voice actors tend to do on episode commentaries).
• The Spirit of an Episode (HD, 67 minutes): Also available are 13 four to five-minute behind-the-scenes featurettes (one for each episode, nine of which are exclusive Blu-ray) that touch on character designs, story developments, and memorable or challenging animated sequences. Among the materials presented by key members of the creative team are abandoned concepts, storyboards, concept art, animatics, martial arts reference footage and more.

The Legend of Korra - Book Three: Change Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Book Three: Change is Korra's best season to date. With a near-perfect blend of exhilarating action, laugh-out-loud comedy, heartbreaking drama, striking animation and stirring music, the series has arrived at a whole new echelon. With Book Four bringing the entire saga to its conclusion in the coming weeks, The Legend of Korra might just achieve the same classic status as The Last Airbender. Sadly, Nickelodeon/Paramount's Blu-ray release is more hit or miss. While the 2-disc set's DTS-HD Master Audio track and its supplemental package are both excellent, its video presentation is riddled with issues; nothing disastrous, but certainly disappointing. Ah well. Even at its worst, the video presentation can't keep The Legend of Korra down. Don't avoid this release just because it suffers from a few eyesores. The series is getting far too good to pass up.