Ahvahtahr Ahng, we need you!

Viewer,

You don't have to go far to read a poor review of The Last Airbender.

As the first live-action adaptation of the popular Nickelodeon series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, many people had high hopes for this film. However, it seems that fans and critics alike have slammed the movie for poor casting, poor acting, rushed plot and blatant racism.

Die-hard fans of the series are furious at the absence of key characters and background story. M. Night's groupies are sure the fault lies anywhere but on an egotistical director/writer.

Reviewing the movie as it stands....most of the complaints are still valid. (To save time, I'm just going to discuss the script.)
 
This movie has a lot to convey. In 103 minutes, we're covering the entire first season. At 20 minutes a show, and 20 episodes total, that's 400 minutes of plot. Even if you cut out time for filler and non-essential asides you still have several hours of information. The script of this movie simply does not do justice to the amount of source material.

The areas of plot which require the most explanation are eerily silent. Explanations of interesting concepts are cut short, as if the movie were trying to reach an even younger demographic than the original Nick crowd.

The dialogue is stilted and unbelievable. The characters speak as if they didn't live in their world. ("Yes we have a very spiritual place", "we could be friends you know", "may I introduce you to the mysterious ocean and moon spirits?")

The conversations between characters do little to convey a sense of the social hierarchy or cultural traditions that brought the show to life. Adults speak to children as if they were on equal ground. The lord of the fire nation speaks to his generals casually during times of war and turmoil. Honestly, what boss spends that much time listening to an employee complain before thinking "I hired you to take care of stuff....why can't you do it?" Not mine!

As a movie on its own, The Last Airbender it's AWFUL....as a live-action representation of an animated show it's worse than my humble vocabulary can hope to express.

M. Night must be the Ahvahtahr himself. I certainly feel subdued by all the elements....

-Sylvia

P.S. This movie is a stick of gum. SKIP IT. Or get it on DVD and stage your own Mystery Science Theater special from the couch.


In case you still aren't sure whether you should watch this movie, I listed a few other complaints....
1.    There is no main character. You don't care about anyone because you don't know who they are or where they are coming from. There is no emotional connection.
2.    There's no comic relief. (Unless you count the people coming out of the ground with drill bits on their heads...it was funny that we were supposed to take that seriously.)
3.    The race criticisms are legit. Eastern-looking characters are evil. The good guys are Caucasian. M. Night's explanation doesn't show a relation to the show or social commentary. The original show was pretty clear about the physical attributes of each nation. They were all identifiable races.
4.    None of the kids act like kids. Aang doesn't act like Aang did in the first season.
5.    Zuko has no noticeable scar tissue. A little odd for a character whose scar tissue is one of his defining physical and psychological traits.
6.    The characters lack interest in their own story. How about the scene where we all stand still and watch someone kill the spirit of the moon? Why didn't anyone do anything?
7.    "He's making fire out of nothing!?" Why would other firebenders fail to understand the concept of personal body heat in its relation to fire? It is clearly stated in the show that this is a fundamental lesson in the world of firebending.
8.    "Show them the power of one"? Why would the Avatar guide be on a power trip? Sounds a little unbalanced...
9.    The monks NEVER tell him he can't have a FAMILY in the show. Why would this be added to the script? At best it sounds like a misinterpretation of the GURU episode. At worst it is a harmful revision that will alter the entire process of becoming the Avatar.
10.    Most of the movie reflected the activity of the first and last two episodes. But the content of these scenes is lost in the movie representation. The humor and confusion of Aang's awakening and the fear and anger of that final battle in the North is nowhere to be found.....

Come on...Why not save yourself the trouble and watch the real AVATAR at work. Check YouTube.com or Nickelodeon.com for some great clips and episodes. Or buy it today on Amazon.com.