The Last Airbender: Review By Daveactor7
He is the last of his kind.....were talking about Shyamalan right?
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OVERALL0.5HORRIBLE
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Story
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Acting
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Directing
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Visuals
Reminder: I will judge the story on how it is conveyed in the film
The film opens up with a girl named Katara (played by Nicole Peitz) who is a water bender, basically she can control the element of water. Her brother Sokka (played by the terribly miscast Jackson Rathbone) has the usual argument with his younger sibling as they follow a pair of tracks that lead them to the discovery of a boy named Aang (played by newcomer Noah Ringer) encased in a sphere of ice along with a gigantic creature called Appa. From the beginning of the film, the dialogue is just terrible and incredibly cheesy. The exchange between Katara and Sokka is just plain and it does not even establish a base for people who are not familiar with the series to climb on. Well it is no surprise due to the fact that Shyamalan also wrote the screenplay, all by himself. Like his other films, characters are not really the thing for him. The strongest where his characters actually are interesting is in film "The sixth sense" which garnered him an oscar nomination. Now? He deserves the razzie for worst screenplay.
Continuing on with the story, the boy, Aang, can control the element of air, which can control every other element: fire, water, and earth. This shows him as being a sort of savior, due to the fact that the fire nation has been cruelly controlling all of the nations (water and earth) for a long time. Why is there no air nation? He is also the last of his kind. The last airbender in the world. Airbenders had been qiped out long ago. Wow that sounds pretty serious, but the screenplay disregards its importance and just keeps its focus on the best thing about the entirety of the film: the visuals once again. FX company Industrial Light and Magic create cgi characters, worlds, and effects that are worth more of the attention and yet, they are decent. That says a lot there. The creatures served no purpose then to rather be in the entirety of the film for no more then five or so minutes. The cgi Appa, who has a very strong background within the television series, has a screen time of perhaps two minutes altogether. In this sort of film, the cgi characters seemed very unnecessary.
The antagonist of the film Zuko, who can control fire, has been pursuing Aang for quite a while ever since his exile from the fire kingdom by his father. Now what the hell is Dev Patel doing playing a villain? I can only see him as the main character from his oscar winning film "Slumdog Millionaire" and I just laughed on his portrayal of Zuko. He gives a performance that it is neither intimidating nor impressive. He seems to just struggle with the lack of interesting dialogue that is given to him. His change of heart later in the film was unforeseen and it was just too confusing to apprehend. The script seemed to have just taken him out of the film and placed him back in later on, an almost totally different character. Also, Zuko's father Ozai (played by Cliff Curtis) and Uncle Iroh (played by Shaun toub) are totally unneeded in this film. Both of these characters have changed too much from the television series. I could not even find the slightest aspect of a antagonist within Ozai's character.
Escaping from the clenches of the firebenders, he flees with Katara and Sokka to the remaining nations, where he arouses them up for a rebellion against the fire nation. Having not cared for the film in the first place, I just gave up here. How could the same concept from the television show have gone bad here? The answer: Shyamalan squeezed in the entire first season into one less then two hour long film. He cut out so much important aspects from each episode that it was quite noticeable.
The only thing I actually did like was James Newton Howard's score and it was quite impressive, boasting great symphonic themes and it so obviously did not belong in the film. This film did not deserve such a score not could it even support it. My favorite part where the score is at its best was when Aang is sliding amongst ice, in combat with fire benders who have invaded the water nation. The fight sequence being in all slow motion just made me laugh, the score did not fit at all in that sequence.
Howard's score belonged in a film of epic proportions. This was definitely not that. Come to think of it, none of the fight sequences were worth watching and are very obviously choreographed. The constant usage of slow motion just makes Shyamalan seem like he is trying so hard to convey Zack Snyder.
Shyamalan's portrayal of the story is just so dull and terrible that in the end, the FX effects are the ones that do the talking. My advice? Stick to the television series, by far much, much more better and more fun to watch, all without getting a huge headache.
This has been a review by daveactor7
Comments (59)
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IlikePie202
@Supes LMFAO
2 years agoby @Ilikepie202Flag
slysnide
His characters for "Unbreakable," "Signs," and Giamatti for "Lady in the Water" were alright. And as for the dialogue, keep in mind that this was a Nickelodean Studio production. ;)
What gets me is that "The Kennedy/Marshall Company" jumped aboard. They must've figured Night couldn't screw up part one of a japanime TV show....which I'm not a fan of for its equally cheesy dialogue and animation, amongst other things.
2 years agoby @slysnideFlag
Daveactor7
@Supes LMAO
2 years agoby @daveactor7Flag
Dan
*throws holy water at @RobbyPoopy*
2 years agoby @dan1Flag
Bane5000
blasphemy @robbypoopy, BLASPHEMY LOL
2 years agoby @bane5000Flag
IlikePie202
If you guys are telling me that you should judge it on how poorly made put together it is... than vampires suck DEFINITELY gets it right away for worst of the year. I wouldn't consider it as a movie, but then why is it in theaters? To those people with awful tastes, and think Epic Movie is better than The Godfather aren't let down by Vampires suck! Therefore I hate Airbender, bur vampires suck is much worse.
2 years agoby @Ilikepie202Flag
Bane5000
They even ruined when Zuko first goes to Katara and Sokkas village looking for Aang, in the show u see Sokka putting on war paint and standing on the wall of the village ready to take on whatever is coming...in the film it just shows him grab his boomerang but is then stopped by Katara, doesnt even speak up to them and automatically surrenders...for being the guy whos left in charge of protecting his village by his father, he did a wimpy ass job of it...
2 years agoby @bane5000Flag
Bane5000
@THE SCREENWRITER,,,Seriously man, how hard would it had been just to keep the pronunciation of the names correct....theyre names are Aang and Sokka....NOT AHNG N SOE-KA
2 years agoby @bane5000Flag
MovieFreak97
My two cents. Worst movie of all time is Jaws - The Revenge. Second goes to Halloween - The Curse of Michael Myers.
2 years agoby @moviefreak97Flag
SCREENWRITER
Plus...they pronounced character names wrong. How the hell do you f*ck that up?
2 years agoby @the-screenwriterFlag
Daveactor7
@Pie you cant really compare the two, one is a spoof and one is a *cough* adaptation. Spoofs are just dumb but airbender wasnt trying to be a spoof and it epically failed. I dont regard spoofs as movies anyways :P
2 years agoby @daveactor7Flag
SCREENWRITER
I'm with Supes. I didn't even consider Vampires Suck as a movie.
2 years agoby @the-screenwriterFlag
Dan
The only people that like those movies are people with taste nobody would take seriously. They don't count in my world :P
You have to consider which was a bigger letdown, let alone how poorly put together it was, and Airbender is still miles ahead worse. Nobody had high expectations of Vampires Suck.
2 years agoby @dan1Flag
IlikePie202
@Supes some people actually like those retarded spoof movies, you know. Overall as a movie, Vampires suck is worse, and it's a more dreadful time.
2 years agoby @Ilikepie202Flag
Dan
@Pie While I'm sure Vampire Sucks...sucks lol, Airbender still takes the crown because not only was it horrible, but it let down a huge audience of devoted Avatar fans. Everybody already knew Vampire Sucks would be crap, just like all the other spoof movies. Airbender was a worse experience, because people wished and hoped it would be good, and Shyamalan let us all down. That is a bigger slap to the face than something expected to be bad.
2 years agoby @dan1Flag
IlikePie202
@Supes and Dave you guys are forgetting Vampires suck. that piece of sh*t stinks 10 times worse than this
2 years agoby @Ilikepie202Flag
SCREENWRITER
This has been added into my favorite reviews list.
2 years agoby @the-screenwriterFlag
Daveactor7
@Pie well id have to say for worst pic of all time, its either this, Jonah Hex, or Battlefield Earth
2 years agoby @daveactor7Flag
Dan
@Pie It WAS the worst movie of 2010. Followed closely by Jonah Hex.
2 years agoby @dan1Flag
Daveactor7
@Pie hell no it is
2 years agoby @daveactor7Flag
MovieFreak97
Fully agreed. The worst movie of 2010
2 years agoby @moviefreak97Flag
IlikePie202
@Dave it's not the worst movie of all time. I hate it, maybe 1 star, not 0.5 stars. It has some redeeming stuff (not much). Dev Patel is good, and the visuals are okay.
2 years agoby @Ilikepie202Flag
Cartman
worst movie ever - give the directors chair to a 5 yr old, it can think and direct better.
Zuko is a badass character in the cartoon. The slumdog millionaire fellow do not match him by looks, by voice, by anything. Even Aang is no way matched with the cartoon.
The only movie which i hated most in spite of all that special effects. Great Review Man!!!
2 years agoby @c-a-r-t-m-a-nFlag
the Narrator
Seconded @Supes, especially on the Kioshi Warriors. However, I would have also wanted "The Blue Demon" done better, particularly the episodes ending. It has potential to really give the audience a chance to see a glimpse of what would've been had the fire nation not attacked. It was a chance to show true emotion and empathy from Zuko and Aang, but it failed, just like everything else in the film. *sigh*
2 years agoby @narratorFlag
Dan
How can you think this bullsh*t is any good, even if you haven't seen the animated series? It's sh*t regardless. Bad acting, bad screenplays are bad acting, bad screenplays. Period. People just have sh*tty f*cking taste I swear.
2 years agoby @dan1Flag
Bane5000
"next Star Wars"
...Really, well if thats wat he was aiming for, he already tripped and fell at the starting line with this movie
2 years agoby @bane5000Flag
Bane5000
@daveactor7...thats what ive been trying to tell people...stick to the show, its way more entertaining then this pile or crap movie...people who have seen the show agree, but people who have only seen the movie thinks its good, oh how naive they are...i bought all 3 books of the show last year and though it was more expensive, it was still money well spent it then buying the dvd for this...how shall i say it...Disgrace to a lovable show and awesome mythology held in the animated series
2 years agoby @bane5000Flag
Daveactor7
@movie agreed
2 years agoby @daveactor7Flag
MovieManiac
This is actually the worst movie that I have ever seen. I would actually rather watch dragonball: Evolution (Definately also in top 5 worst movies i have ever seen) over this steaming pile of crap.
2 years agoby @moviemaniac66Flag
SCREENWRITER
You guys can still call me Screeny. I just prefer The Screenwriter as the username. lol
2 years agoby @the-screenwriterFlag