The Last Airbender: An Expensive Disaster
The new M. Night Shyamalan 3-D kids’ film The Last Airbender centers on a quasi-messianic young lad who, from out of nowhere, arrives to save the Earth and create peace to quell all rivalries. In short, he is hope and change personified.
And get this: the means by which he intends to accomplish all of his lofty goals is by blowing hot air everywhere he goes.
It will not surprise you to learn that The Last Airbender is, like another would-be hero I could name, an expensive disaster — inept, boring, and weird. It’s completely unlike the previous twist-ending Shyamalan films such as The Sixth Sense and Signs. In fact, you would never know it was a Shyamalan feature at all because it, unlike the others, is based on pre-existing material: Avatar: The Last Airbender (that title obviously had to be changed given recent events at the multiplex), which was a Nickelodeon adventure series for kids.
The little kid — the “Avatar” — appears at the outset encased in an icy sphere discovered by a teen boy and girl (Jackson Rathbone, Nicola Peltz) who are members of the Water Nation — one of the four great tribes based on the elements of earth, air, fire, and water. These tribes are locked in conflict and mistrust.
Within a tribe, those who have mastered an element are called “benders” and can throw it at their enemies. So the girl, an apprentice “waterbender,” can make some hocus-pocus movements with her hands and harness water (and ice) to do her bidding. If a villain should come after her, she could force him away by throwing a blob of water at him (this looks as ridiculous as it sounds) or even make icicles pop up in a cage around him.
There’s no getting around the fact that boring exposition covers about as much of this movie as water does the surface of the earth, but I’ll try to keep it brief. Aang (Noah Ringer), the Avatar, is the chosen one who disappeared from Earth 100 years ago and is needed both to bring back peace among the humans and to form a rapport with the gods, known as spirits. Except he’s not exactly the same Avatar as the one who disappeared. He’s a reincarnation of him, one of many going back in a long line. (References to Eastern religions and stylings are sprinkled liberally throughout the story.)
The Avatar, with his shaved head, looks like a Buddhist monk except for the ridiculous arrow-shaped tattoo on his scalp that points down between his eyes and, at tense moments, lights up like a Vegas neon sign pointing the way to the buffet. He is sought by the rival tribe the Fire Nation, whose psychotic king has burned his son (Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel) and exiled the prince until he can, by wandering the Earth, find the Avatar and bring the chosen one to captivity.
I thought that was Little Barry – the Oil Bender… wasn’t there an Indonesian movie coming out soon about all the heroics of young Oilbama? In any event, a movie like this about Barack Hussein should be called “The Last Oilbender”.
I have to wonder if the author knew anything of the source material. I.e. the original show was called Avatar: The Last Airbender, hence the movie by the same name. No need for a change in title.
I’m mainly curious though to see how well the movie condenses a 13 episode season 1 (I believe it’s 13 episodes) into a single 90 minute movie. If you do not know the source then I accept your review as that of an outsider and chalk it up to another “inside baseball” type of movie. (I.e you had to watch the series before the movie.)
Did you not see this right at the outset of the review? “it… is based on pre-existing material: Avatar: The Last Airbender (that title obviously had to be changed given recent events at the multiplex).” It doesn’t matter if the original show was called “Avatar.” Cameron’s movie hit the theatre’s first. He wins, trademark-wise. A film company would be completely head-up-the-arse to try and release something called “Avatar” at this point.
As for the movie: I will not see it. I absolutely despise “chosen one” type heroes. I don’t believe in royalty or “special people.” I believe in ordinary people who make themselves exceptional through hard work and courage. Indiana Jones: regular guy stuck in a situation where he has to excell.
I take you have never seen the series.
The cartoon series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” came out several years before the Cameroon movie.
You’re not getting this. It… does… not… matter. When it comes to trademarking, Cameron beat this film to the theatre. It doesn’t matter if it was a TV show beforehand. Movies and TV are completely different animals in trademark law. Otherwise the producers of the TV series could have sued Cameron. They didn’t. They never could have.
And, no, I have never seen the series. And I will not see this movie. I saw the trailer, which is supposed to entice me into the theatre. It failed to do so.
This is disappointing, but not altogether unexpected. The cartoon show was very well written, with amusing dialogue and fun throughout. With three seasons of 24-minute episodes, however, you have a lot more time to let exposition happen in bits and pieces (which ends up being a lot more interesting anyway), and concentrate on moving the plot along.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that movies, with their time restrictions and the arduous process of getting them made, are a poor medium for adaptations.
The problem with “hero” movies today is that the world is too cynical to believe in any mysticism but is dying to get some. This one may suck, but there’s a lot of Twilight fans out there who want a pale hero who does nothing but mope and make moony faces at his beloved mopey girlfriend in the woods. I’d rather see this that Twilight on any day ending with Y.
The Last Airbender stuff is a lot like the prequel Star Wars trilogy: they need a Han Solo to even out the bullshit mysticism and make it an adventure with some sense of humor about itself (imagine how awful the original Star Wars would have been without Han.) There’s some comic relief in some of the Nickelodeon Avatar, but not enough.
First time I watched Star Wars I had the luck it was on a dome screen and remind feeling crushed in my seat when I was “overflown” by the Imperial cruiser. That made me a fan of this movie well before Han made its appearance
Read Joseph Campbell, he outlines what all these movies are; Myths about the face of a Hero. This may be a bad version, but it is still the stereotypical Hero figure.
My son and I have watched the animated series and enjoyed it greatly. I would reccomend watching at least the first series or two before seeing the movie.I am expecting to be dissapointed with the movie, but we will see. . . . .kinda like the Lord of the Rings trilogy was swill when compared to the actual books.
The cartoon series was smart and well-done, appealing to both kids and adults, as many of the reviews at Amazon bear out. It’s really a shame today’s politics must turn every word and event into some kind of commentary. I’d like to see less of these blow-hards who obviously have an axe to grind (not just at this site, either)to just ignore these films rather than bother trying to explain something they don’t understand. I for one am looking forward to the film and will not be searching for every possible shred of modern political meaning in it. Can’t you just be a kid for a day and have fun, for crying out loud?
Gosh. I’d love to be a kid and enjoy something. Unfortunately, all the stuff that used to be kid stuff has been hijacked by adults. All the stinking Batman stuff is miles away from “fun,” and into being “hellish.” Robin Hood: glum and pretentious.
I’d like to see some stuff I could take an 8-year-old to. Last things I recall like that were “Rocketeer” and “The Phantom.” “Spider-Man” was good, but the sequels collapsed into pretentiousness.
“I have to wonder if the author knew anything of the source material. I.e. the original show was called Avatar: The Last Airbender, hence the movie by the same name. No need for a change in title. ”
They dropped the word “Avatar” (and the colon). Apparently, there was another movie out with a similar name.
I think Mr Boot should stick to issues he knows and understands. As a movie critic he needs to remember that entertainment is escapism for some of us. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the adventures of Aang and his friends and look forward to watching the movie. And Mr. Boot needs to be relagted to the ‘unmarried marriage advisors’ bench or go back to Obama bashing. Now THAT’S entertainment !
“I think Mr Boot should stick to issues he knows…”
“[I] look forward to watching the movie.”
If you like the original TV series, as my family does, and you want some fun, escapist entertainment, you had better stop “looking forward” to the movie. It is just awful.
Never watched the original cartoon, and have no intention to do so – I stopped watching cartoons when I was a child. However, I do find it interesting that the vast majority of critics seem to believe Mr. Shyamalan, a man who appears to be cursed, is credited with creating the story, which they have dubbed completely cryptic and nonsensical. Nevertheless, the movie received a whopping 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, which, I believe, is the lowest rating I have ever witnessed.
I stopped watching cartoons when I was a child.
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You are missing out on much of the best that life has to offer.
What in the world does ‘airbender’ mean? It has as much intrinsic meaning as ‘play action pass’.
In the context of the series, and presumably the movie, it means someone who is able to shape and control air. There are also waterbenders, earthbenders, and firebenders.
The original “Avatar, the Last Airbender” series is wonderful, and was not created by Shaymalyn, nor was it about Obama. A lot of the shows fans were nervous when we heard that Shaymalyn was going to direct, as he doesn’t seem to have the feel for the sort of story “Last Airbender” is—one that combines humor, adventure, road trip fun with interesting Oriental culture.
Yes, Malvolio, as I understand, there was some trouble with the name, “Avatar”, since Cameron was already using that title for his movie, and there was some legal trouble, before they straightened things out.
Again, the critics at Rotten Tomatoes get a score of 100% wrong on this one; Shaymalan did NOT create “Avatar, the Last Airbender.” It was originally created, years ago, for the Nickelodeon Network, by a man named DiMartino, if I remember correctly. (At any rate, it certainly wasn’t Shaymalan.)
I believe the whole “Chosen One” concept has gone well past it’s sell-by date. Other Nickelodeon cartoon shows are now doing satiric riffs on the concept and I have the sense that the whole indestructible-martial-arts-hero/savior-for-kids thing has peaked. (I certainly hope so. It really needs a breather.) I was in a conversation recently with a couple of friends and the subject of martial-arts movies and cartoons came up. One guy (who has no children) said that they are basically a good thing becasue they encourage kids to take an interest in exercise, personal discipline and other cultures. The other chap (who does have children) rather acidly observed that the only thing the martial arts genre encourages is the purchase of the latest kung-fu video game and hours in the bedroom playing it.
By the way – Which corporate giants have te commercial tie-ins to “Last Airbender” stuff.
I’ve wondering about the whole “chosen one” theme for a while. Why is it so popular? Especially among American readers and TV/movie audiences? It’s fundamentally anti-democratic for one thing. Our heroes tend not to be specially chosen by Destiny. They’re usually regular mortals who rise to the occasion. For another, the only “chosen ones” we’ve seen in the real world lately are people like Jim Jones and David Koresh. Not sure why the idea has any credibility anymore.
The main thing that saves the Avatar TV series is that its “chosen one” is a kid who, despite being “chosen,” is still pretty much a kid. He doesn’t have preternatural wisdom or a band of guardian believers who must ensure he fulfills his Destiny. He just sort of goes around being a kid and trying to figure things out.
I’ve watched a few episodes of the TV series, and as a kid’s show it’s not that bad. The animation is middling anime style. Its fictional world, although decidedly Asian, has a lot of variety and is shown in great detail. The protagonist on the show, Aang, is NOT a pretentious hero-type. He’s a little kid who wakes up one day and knows nothing about the world he’s in and very little about what he’s supposed to do as the “chosen one.” Naive, but with a certain amount of wisdom and a definite moral center. When he’s not dealing with the Fire Nation and other troublesome people and situations, he likes to explore the world and play and have adventures and generally enjoy himself with his friends. And like any little kid, he sometimes makes mistakes and bad judgements and has to learn from them. As usual for a semi-serious kid’s show, Avatar has a lot of themes and messages about growing up, being responsible, doing the right thing, etc.
I’m not a huge fan, but I think it’s a pretty solid piece of children’s entertainment – it’s got good visuals, an interesting fantasy world, action and adventure, it’s not too serious, and it’s just preachy enough to satisfy grownups who worry about that kind of thing.
It’ll be interesting to see if the movie retains ANY of this. From the previews, it looks a lot darker than the series and with more of an emphasis on martial arts.
I’ve watched the series from start to finish and really enjoyed. Honestly I enjoy animated series and movies more than I do real life movies. (Pixar as one example.) Yes the show has a lot of Eastern Culture and religion in it but considering what the creators were going for it should. (Essentially it is an American written Japanese Animation)
I’m not sure if the author of this piece screwed up interpreting the Aang not killing his enemies or Shaymalan screwed it up taking it to the big screen. Aang is not prevented by the spirit world from killing it is his own personal beliefs. Near the end of the series he struggles trying to reconcile his beliefs with that and the need to kill someone.
Last air bender nothin! I’m an air bender too…..esp after a plate of reheated nachost with jalepeno! After that I bend air like crazy and scare the dog
While the Avatar in the original cartoon series is a “chosen hero”, that’s balanced by the fact that he’s a reluctant here and all of the children make mistakes because they act like children. Unlike so many other shows, the original cartoon series actually depicts children as needing wisdom and guidance from adults. In fact, throughout, the heroes make all sorts of mistakes and argue with each other. Several of the evil people depicted in the show are genuinely evil and are not redeemed and the Asian religious aspects are true to the source material in that they depict many spirits as indifferent to humans if not outright malicious, much like those in Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.
Further, there are several places where the show makes nods towards political correctness but then turns it’s back on leftist dogma. An episode that deals with some girl warriors who put the boy hero Sokka in his place because they are better trained eventually has him besting the girl leader while sparring and, when he apoligizes for treating her like a girl instead of a warrior, she kisses him and tells him that she’s a warrior but a girl, too. Later on, the show introduces a girl who is a blind but powerful Earthbender who can compensate for much of her blindness by feeling motion through the ground around her, but she remains handicapped when standing on sand or metal or while flying and the characters make quite a few blind joke along the way.
My biggest fear was M. Night Shyamalan taking about 20 hrs of Book 1 and condensing it to a feature film time frame. I was really hoping that in some way this would be possible without losing the jist of the story line. My fear was well justified. The movie is constantly abrupted by either a caption at the bottom of the screen every five minutes to explain where the scene is taking place or an actor narrating what is going on. One of the key features that made the cartoon so likeable was Aangs playfulness and almost inability to take his mission serious. This is completely lost in the movie. Aang comes out of the ice sad/pissed and is the same way throughout the entire movie. And the name changes? WTH? Everyone should go and see this movie. I wouldnt tell a soul not to. The production crew has to make some money to pay these poor kids they cast in the roles. Goodness knows they may never work again. I really doubt that the other two films will ever go into production.
I have not seen the movie yet as it won’t be released until tomorrow. However I have seen the complete animated series by nickelodeon. Obviously this reviewer has never seen the animated series or does not comprehend it if he has. The movie may be trash, I don’t know, but the concept and story work great. I realize PJmedia is a political site but comparing airbender to Barry doesn’t hold water, bender or not.
It is interesting that some of the readers of PJM object to the whole chosen one aspect of Avatar. But when the Book of Eli was released, a movie about a chosen one who is tasked with preserving the last Bible on earth, it was hailed as a cinematic master piece by several PMJ readers. The idea of a chosen one coming to help people overcome evil is a archetype that is ingrained in the human psyche. Hercules, Theseus, Superman, Conan, Aang, and dare I say Jesus …. People, this is nothing new. I wonder if the same objections to this chosen one would be lessened if the message were more similar to the message in The Book of Eli.
Eli, for me, this is the sort of thing that makes me wonder just how necessary a lot of entertainment criticism really is. Some people really enjoy tales about “chosen ones”—which, as you point out, are pretty ingrained in us; look at the success of the “Harry Potter” franchise! Some of us enjoy fantasy, whether it’s in an Oriental or Occidental setting, and some of us actually enjoy martial arts/heroic adventures.
If others don’t like this sort of thing, that’s okay, but just saying “Well, this sort of story is just plain stupid!” isn’t really helpful as criticism. There’s lots of stupidity in Hollywood! Coarse, unfunny “comedies”, vampire teens in luv, Sex in the City, i.e., bimbos in ugly outfits (except when they dare criticize Islam, at which point the whole franchise is deemed BAD—people, SITC was bad all along! In #2, it just pushed a message you objected to!)
“for me, this is the sort of thing that makes me wonder just how necessary a lot of entertainment criticism really is.”
Well BettyBlue, one thing it is good for, if the critics hate it, I go see it to find out what the hub bub is all about. In my college years, “The Last Temptation of Christ” came out and I have to say I really had no desire to see it until some folks made a big deal of it and I just had to see for myself what was so objectionable about it. In the end, the critics create a buzz and the buzz can lead people to see movies they might not otherwise go see.
I agree with you, I value true “criticism.” I also value informed criticism. I saw the movie and it was okay as fantasy, martial arts pictures go. Mostly, I enjoyed it for the same reason I enjoyed the Harry Potter movies. I looked for the changes Shalaman made and discussed with my kids whether they like it, why those changes were made, and what could have been done differently.
Sometimes, when I get home from work, I watch the cartoon to see what some little kids are being given.
What I see is another New Age wet dream. The eastern religion of reincarnation, interacting with Spirits, being at one with the earth mother, and when needed to be possessed by a false god within.
This is what children are learning. Now, it will be placed on the big screen, and the New Agers will wet themselves hoping/praying on full moons for the Avatar to come back to earth.
See Lucis Trust.
My 15 year old son saw it last night. He hated it.
I’m a 15 year old Avatar The Last Airbender Fanatic. I hated the movie so much, I wanted to kill something after I watched it. My whole family loves the series. They hated it too.
And it’s not true that he’s not the same one that vanished a hundred years ago (as stated in the article above). He is.
Why? Why? M. Knight Shyamalan of all directors, of all people?