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THE LAST AIRBENDER

By'

Victoria Alexander

FilmsInReview.com

 

Slavishly amateurish with no heart. Cold, not engaging, and dull. Bad writing and film school-level directing. What happened to an exciting story?

 

THE LAST AIRBENDER is the film adaptation of the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender that aired for three seasons on Nickelodeon and the Nicktoons Network. THE LAST AIRBENDER was shockingly made for $150 million and marketed with a budget of $130 million, making total costs at least $280 million. Various news sources report that the whole LAST AIRBENDER trilogy will be made for around $250 million.

 

I doubt there will be a trilogy (Book 1: Water; Book 2: Air and Book 3: Fire) after Hollywood sees the box office on this. Sure, M. Night Shyamalan has a contract for all three, but there is always – or should be in this case - an exit clause for the studio based on performance.)

Written, produced and directed by Shyamalan, it is a bore. It has no soul and it’s cold. The story is terrible. Where was Shyamalan during filming? The scenery is so cheesy, I am wondering if Shyamalan stayed at his Pennsylvania family compound - dubbed Creighton Farm – and directed by remote viewing the production on his iPad.

Shyamalan’s run of bombs continues, but at least he stayed out of acting in THE LAST AIRBENDER. Or was he one of the Air Nomads flaying his arms in exaggerated neo-ballet/karate chops dance moves?

 

Don’t feel bad for Shyamalan – his career still rests on 1999’s phenomenal success, THE SIXTH SENSE. He can continue directing commercials, music videos and Hindu billionaire’s daughter’s weddings.

 

THE LAST AIRBENDER is about a 12-year old, Aang (Noah Ringer), who is really 112 years old. He’s a know-it–all. I’m sick of movie kids preaching to me about morality and nobility of spirit.

 

Aang is the latest reincarnation of the legendary Avatar that the world has been waiting for. Though he is capable of bending all four elements, he has only learned to bend air. So he wants to learn from masters how to bend water, earth, and fire. It is also the Avatar’s obligation and duty to maintain balance in the world, but he doesn’t want the job. So he runs away. The hell with saving the world!

 

Being the Avatar is a very important position similar to Jesus or, more recently, The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. Gyatso was plucked from his hardscrabble farming family (he was the fifth of sixteen children) and recognized as the tulku of the thirteenth Dalai Lama at the age of two. From the age of two on, he was never alone. He even pooped with an entourage watching. Likewise for Aang (Noah Ringer), who somehow runs away to hang out with his friends, siblings Katara (Nicola Peltz), a Waterbender, and Sokka (Jackson Rathbone). Where were Aang’s companion-caretakers?

 

Wikipedia says Aang is a vegetarian!

   

While we never see or hear a peep out of his parents – maybe he was an orphan? – Fire Lord Ozai (Cliff Curtis), the current Fire Lord of the Fire Nation, is looking to kill him. Ozai’s neglected and disrespected son, unhappy Firebender Prince Zuko (Dev Patel), is looking for Aang. He’s got a big chip on his shoulder.

 

In THE LAST AIRBENDER universe, there are four nations: Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. The Fire Nation doesn’t want to keep sharing power and wants absolute control. The Fire Nation starts a war against the other three domains that continues for a very long time. It’s a “Help us Aang, you’re our only hope” situation.

 

Azula (Summer Bishil), Prince Zuko’s bitch of a sister, is the tease at the dénouement of the movie and will be the villainess in Book 2: Air, unless the fans stay loyal to Team Jacob.

 

My weekly column, “The Devil’s Hammer,” is posted every Monday. http://www.fromthebalcony.com/editorials.php.

 

If you would like to be included on my private distribution list for a weekly preview, just email me at masauu@aol.com. 

 

Victoria Alexander lives in Las Vegas, Nevada and answers every email. You can contact Victoria directly at masauu@aol.com.

 

Member of Las Vegas Film Critics Society: www.lvfcs.org/ Member of Broadcast Film Critics Association: www.bfca.org/

 

 

 

---
by Victoria Alexander
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Posted June 30, 2010, 4:13 am

corwin zelazney
Val is right, you have no idea what you're talking about. Yes, I'm a fan and have a unique perspective. Yes, as a fan I'm pre-disposed to be favorable to this film - but you didn't even do a middle schoolers level of research here.

This is arguably the closest adaptation of a story for film as is done.

The sad thing is that fans of the show will "get it" and enjoy the movie while the lazier among us will dismiss it as just too hard to understand.

Fine. Your loss.

And btw, your little mix-it with Twilight did not go unnoticed. You make it very clear that your loyalties lie in the Eclipse camp, thus rendering your entire review as nothing more than sour grapes against a movie that has the temerity to go up against your beloved Twilight.
Posted July 1, 2010, 11:20 am

Mr X
Where is the Val response? I cannot find it anywhere.
Posted June 30, 2010, 4:22 am

Eugene Toussaint
i wanted to say it myself but val vieira already expressed it so eloquently.
Posted June 30, 2010, 4:29 am

Leo Felicia
pzpz, victoria.

much respect to val. zero for victoria
Posted June 30, 2010, 9:02 am

Bryan Hovland
This review sucks. It seems like you skimmed through Wikipedia and used it as your main reference for the review.
Posted June 30, 2010, 9:31 am

Ummm okay Victoria, i know that's your job to criticize the movie and let us know if it's good or bad. But dissing a movie that you don't have any clue what you talking about that's kinda sad, like a sad panda. You should a least view the anime first before hand. There is so much detail into it. I'm not expecting Shyamalan to make the movie a 100% similar to the anime but as long it stay true to the story I'm happy like a tiger. You make me really sad but oh well, next time do some research first. Remember we the public are the critics. I couldn't say any better than Val,
Posted June 30, 2010, 9:36 am

Daniel Laygo
LA
What an awful review. It's obvious that you are not familiar with the origin of the film, which is based on only Season 1 of the animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender. As a true fan of the animated series I couldn't have asked for more of what the film adaption presented. Everything is precise and true to the animated series with more action and excitement that will have you in total awe. 8.5/10
Posted June 30, 2010, 12:01 pm

Rachel B
You have clearly not seen the film and/or are working for Paramount.
Posted June 30, 2010, 1:17 pm

Rachel B
Called it! This Paramount employee is spamming the same nonsense on multiple sites: http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy333/firebend/wwtfamireading.png
Posted June 30, 2010, 9:40 am

Anthony Morgan
You literally have no correct thoughts on this movie. You obviously had no clue what the cartoon series was about before making your sorry ass attempt at a review. If you don't understand something, keep it to yourself. Don't act like a know-it-all bitch. Jesus Christ, are there no valid critics anymore?
Posted June 30, 2010, 12:00 pm

Rachel B
Bear in mind this film is marketed primarily towards people exactly like Victoria - people who have NOT seen the original series and know nothing about it going in. Perhaps you are more angry at Shyamalan's failure as a movie-maker to adequately adapt this series?
Posted June 30, 2010, 9:55 am

Peter Dennis
Something about it just doesn't sit right with me. I feel like a school teacher who is reading a book report turned in by a kid who obviously never read the book and just relied on the CliffNotes. I have to wonder whether this critic has actually seen the movie, or whether she simply watched The Last Airbender series on Netflix, flipped through a few Wikipedia articles, made some assumptions that M. Night Shyamalan would screw it up, then threw this review together and uploaded asap to ensure it was the first available review of the movie. If that's the case, poor form. If not, and she did actually see the movie, she needs to go back to school and work on her writing skills, because this review is just really poorly written. Case in point, read the paragraph "Wikipedia says Aang is a vegetarian!"

Seriously. I don't know what I'm going to rate this movie, but I give this review an F-.
Posted June 30, 2010, 10:57 am

Eddie Nunez
"made some assumptions that M. Night Shyamalan would screw it up, then threw this review together" - That's a lot of what I'm feeling about the review. I mean, the movie could very well be as bad as she's suggesting. M. Night has, after all, made some pretty bad stinkers lately. However, she bashes him in three separate paragraphs, glosses over the film, asks very mundane questions (like where are his parents) and describes the film as cheesy and amateurish. Well, what do these descriptors mean? They seem to serve, for me, as a more apt decription of the review rather than film.
Posted June 30, 2010, 10:49 am

Eddie Nunez
Well, to be fair to Victoria it's not her job to watch the cartoon series. However, there seems to be an awful amount of vitriol in the review which suggest, to me, that the piece is more about dissecting M. Night's abilities rather than providing a critical analysis to the film. It begs the question did she go in expecting/hoping to hate this film?
Posted June 30, 2010, 11:05 am

Sean Patrick
Folks, can we have a little perspective please? Victoria is reviewing the MOVIE not the cartoon. You folks are upset about what you perceive as factual inaccuracies with Victoria's review but have YOU seen the movie? Maybe, the movie fudged these elements from the cartoon. Victoria, I assume, is working from what she saw in the movie. I've not seen the movie yet but I am sure that dramatic license has been taken. Things that you know from the cartoon may not be the same in the movie and Victoria not being being all that familiar with the cartoon would not have anyway to know the difference.
Posted June 30, 2010, 11:57 am

Rachel B
As a fan of the original series myself, I hate to break to everyone, but the movie really IS as bad as Victoria is making it sound. For starters, it is the movie's responsibility to provide the background and story, not the viewer's to research on their own beforehand. Had Shyamalan done an adequate job as a screenwriter and director, these questions would not have been left unanswered. Aside from that, Shyamalan also changed a considerable portion of the characters and story - to say that this is one of the most faithful film adaptations is downright laughable. Not only have the races of the characters been changed, even the pronunciation of their names was changed, simply to suit Shyamalan's tastes. Several important recurring characters and vital plot points have been dropped entirely from the film. Whole sections of the story have been completely rewritten. When Aang attempts to glide off the deck of Zuko's ship at the beginning of the film, does Zuko catch him, forcing him into a battle and eventually triggering the Avatar State for the first time? No, Aang simply glides off into the distance while Zuko stares slack-jawed. When the gaang reaches the North Pole, does Katara have to struggle against a society ingrained with sexism to earn the right to train with Pakku? No, he simply accepts her as a pupil from the get-go. Seriously, if you're angry that people viewing the movie have no clue what's going on in this universe and none of the plot makes sense, point your fingers at Shyamalan, not the audience.
Posted June 30, 2010, 12:00 pm

Sam Somethingelse
Some of you are being just plain ignorant here. Victoria is talking about a movie, not the show. That's what she's reviewing, not the show. This is a MOVIE review. Just so some of you know, the movie is supposed to be seen by both audiences who have and HAVE NOT watched the cartoon from before. It's foolish of those of you who are attacking her because she's simply reviewing the movie. She didn't have to see the cartoon in order to watch the film. Or, rather, she should not have had to, considering the movie was meant to be based of the show. But, apparently, you need to see the cartoon in order to understand the film, since most reviews about TLA pretty much drag it to hell.
Posted June 30, 2010, 2:03 pm

Val Vieira
The points that I was making were that she's getting her facts skewed and she doesn't understand the basic plot elements of the story, which are the same in the movie and the cartoon. She clearly didn't make any real effort to analyse and understand the film as a true critic should. I'm pretty sure the other "ignorant" people think the same thing.
Posted June 30, 2010, 1:06 pm

Oscar Rodríguez
While I don't doubt for a second that Shyamalan managed to screw up the series, this review is one of the worst written I have ever read. It has no logical coherence whatsoever (take for example the absurdly random "Wikipedia says Aang is a vegetarian!"). The writing makes me unsure of whether the critic did not understand the movie at all--and, thus, hated it--, or if she desperately needs some basic writing and redacting lessons.
Posted July 2, 2010, 2:47 am

Rosie Nguyen
Well, in my point of view, and im a teen by the way. I loved the move. I thought it had good special effects, but some of the acting was way off. I thought everything did pretty okay, but since I've seen the cartoon series I guess my opinion doesn't count. Because thats literally what you all are saying here. I would have seen the whole movie trilogy. I thought it was all exciting and adrenaline racing. How many other cartoon based movies have you seen that doesn't have a "help us, you're our only help" situation ? It's based on a cartoon ! It's basically a kid's movie ! And wrong, being the Avatar isn't the same thing as being Jesus. I take that extremely rude me being a Christian and all. "I'm sick of movies teaching me about morality", once again, it's a children's movie. If you haven't got the clue, he's a monk ? He's trained to learn all of this ?
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