I am starting to feel sorry for M. Night Shyamalan. He was the master of suspense and perfecting that final twist in a film that turns it upside down. I have enjoyed most of his films: The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, The Village and Lady in the Water. That’s right – even The Village and Lady in the Water. But then The Happening came out and I was really let down. It was his first R-rated movie and it was a bummer. Now he is trying his hand at PG movies with a children’s fantasy epic called The Last Airbender.
Now…this comes from a Nickelodeon show that was animated. So to try and convert an anime into a live-action movie is a difficult task. The nations of Fire, Water, Earth, and Air lived together in peace because of the Avatar (not James Cameron’s version) until he vanished over 100 years ago. Since then, The Fire Nation started a war against the others and have been overtaking small towns and villages and slowly taking over the world. But then one day Katara (Nicola Peltz), a Waterbender, and her brother, Sokka (Jackson Rathbone) find Aang (Noah Ringer).
Aang is an Airbender (the last one of course) but he is also the one and only reincarnated Avatar. The Avatar is the only one who has the power to manipulate all four elements. There are Earthbenders, Waterbenders, Airbenders, and Firebenders, but only Aang can control them all. Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) plays Prince Zuko, a prince who has been banished by his father, Fire Lord Ozai (Cliff Curtis), and the only way to get back in line to his throne is to bring the Avatar to him.
Visually, the The Last Airbender is stunning. The EFX are great and some of them look really cool in 3D, especially when the ocean hits a high point and standing still. But the story itself is simplistic, and adds nothing new to its genre. Some scenes look beautiful and contain magical environments. A lot of this movie is based on magic and karate. But the story cannot keep up with the EFX. The acting is not terrible, but it is not good. It is hard to believe that these characters really believe in what is going on. Ringer gets better throughout the movie, specifically when it comes to his martial arts. But at the beginning, it is not good at all.
And these actors may suffer because of the script. The dialogue is so simple-minded and bland. They explain everything to you as if you are not capable of keeping up. The movie is practically talking down to the audience. Some of the above mentioned visuals are more breathtaking than others, and the 3D adds something to the movie, but it is not exactly necessary either. Regardless, the kids probably won’t mind as this will be a fun movie for them. But M. Night is undeniably in a rut and hopefully he can find his way out sooner rather than later.
The Last Airbender was supposed to be this epic fantasy movie, but when it is over, you feel disappointed and cheated. And this movie is only the opening chapter in Aang’s journey. So this may be good news or bad depending on how this movie makes you personally feel. The easiest thing to do would have been for Nickelodeon to take their animated show and make it into an animated movie.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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