Movie Review: The Last Airbender
By Michael Vass | July 13, 2010
Converting anime television shows to movies is a trend that generally is only equalled by the trend of converting video games to movies. Generally the majority of them suck. The Last Airbender is not much different than the trend.
Before I go further I will mention that I am not a fan of the anime The Last Airbender is based on. In fact I have never seen a single episode. So while I have been told by fans of the anime that the movie is a revisioning of the series, my opinion of the quality of the movie is based in it’s own merits.
I will also leave the fact that the movie is a whitewash of the anime out of the review. Suffice to say that if you find it odd that the leads are so White in areas of population that are so not White, you are obviously not a movie studio executive.
But what can be said about the film?
Well it is slow paced. Ploddingly slow. The intent was obviously to immerse the viewer into the world of the ‘benders’ and provide a reason why you should care about them. The reality is that the viewer is so immersed as to be drowning well into the film.
It’s so bad that where there is supposed to be humor, you might smirk. Where there is supposed to be anguish you might be bored. Where there is supposed to be action and intensity, you are waiting for more. The movie just never delivers the emotions, or visuals that it’s touted to have.
There are multiple characters in the movie that could be discussed, but it doesn’t matter. All of the secondary characters are minor, and uneventful. None are more than superficially developed with acting to match the depth of the character. Of the primary characters, the people we are supposed to care about, only the firebender Prince is remotely interesting. The next most curious character to watch would be the uncle of the Prince with the Airbender in 3rd place. Everyone else just fills space.
Of course most people go to see a movie to be entertained. A sci-fi/fantasy film is supposed to wow the eyes, and you can turn off your brain. So Last Airbender should have lots of wow and eyecandy. Except it really doesn’t.
After the initial scenes of water and air bending in action you keep waiting to see more. To see some intricate display of magical control over the elements or dazzling interaction. What we get instead are several scenes of exactly the same moves done over and over again. Moves that look silly even in context of the world the film exists in. So silly in fact that occasionally the actors must have thought so as it comes across in the acting and movements.
Bending in effect comes down to being able to throw balls of fire/water/air/ or rocks, or making a wall of whatever element. The stronger you are the bigger the ball/wall, with the little avatar being able to make the biggest of them all. Next.
Really it’s a shame that the film is not more engaging. You want to feel more interested in the film. You want to make yourself care that the potential girlfriend of the boy that follows the avatar dies. Want to but you don’t. You want to care that the avatar is the last of his people, but you don’t. You want to feel the power that the fire benders weild over the rest of the nations, but it never happens.
One of the most interesting things in the whole film is the dragon, that we almost never see. Good guy or bad? Never sure yet. Then again the CGI character has all of 2 minutes in the film (combining all the times he is seen) and appears to be the only spirit character in the Airbender universe.
The problems with the film go on and on. Poor writing (which is embarrassing as the anime has a huge following), bad acting, so-so effects.
Plus there is the joy of knowing that there will be another 4 movies to come (if this somehow makes enough money based on the original anime’s popularity and not word of mouth). Harry Potter this isn’t.
If you want to see The Last Airbender, get the anime collection on DVD and see that. This film you can wait for on cable.
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Pretty good film. Watched it for the first time today with my wife. She loved it way more than I did.
Pretty good film. viewed it again yesterday along with a friend. She loved the movie alot more than I did.