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

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

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown, March 25, 2015

Could any season oflive up to the series' outstanding third Book,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 ofevery bit as stunning an achievement as; 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,is the most disappointing chapter inseries. 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, with which it shares a number of similarities.First, the not so happy news.lacks, you guessed it, balance. Or at least the balance of other seasons ofor. 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,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 ---- 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 ofis 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'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.: 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 throughended 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,is more rushed than previous seasons and lacks some of the fine-tuning thesaga, 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 declarethe best, or even among the best seasonshas 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.