Some avatar fans seem to put an unfairly high bar on this adaptation. The animated series was a masterpiece, but if we're all honest, the first couple of episodes were not. Good, yes, but by no means perfect.
So with this in mind, this live action version is actually quite decent, at times maybe even better than the original. Some of the new material would not have worked in the kid-oriented animated show, but added a welcomed layer to the story and emotional arc. The visuals are (mostly) excellent, with beautiful sets and costumes and for the most part good looking bending.
Sadly, there are a number of flaws preventing the episode from being truly great. The acting is hit and miss and some of the dialogues/monologues felt unnatural. The earthbending was also a bit off. Finally, maybe the worst CGI was the avatar state. Did they really have to use a fully CGI character?
I don't know if it is good enough to bring new viewers. The fact that I already care for these characters surely helped some of the emotions connect while it may fail to do the same to someone else. Still, I feel that this is a promising start, and I hope netflix greenlights more seasons because I think the imperfections can be ironed out and we have all the ingredients for a great show in the future.