The Last Airbender Movie

[Lady Savage]

I torrented it and watched it last night. I didn't have any expectations for the film adaptation of an awesome TV series to be nearly as good as the series or even to have any similarities to the series at all.  However, The Last Airbender managed to fail my expectations for it as a movie. The pacing was all over the place because they attempted to summarize all of Book One in one movie. So much happened in such a short amount of time that we didn't have time to care about any of the characters. Or maybe that's just because the acting and the script were horrendous. I love Dev Patel (Zuko) and the entire movie I was waiting for him to stumble into a train station and start dancing and singing "Jai Ho" with Katara, but alas, comparing this movie to Slumdog at all . He worked pretty well with the crappy script that was handed to him, which made Zuko look like a really whiny emo kid. In the series, Zuko is mostly an angry jerk in Book One (which is why he's awesome) and has a few really important moments of softness that make sense at the time. In the movie, he whines a lot and has a LOT more hormone-induced mood swings.

A lot of my complaints here have to do with the fact that they condensed so much plot into one movie, but at the core of it all I'm disappointed that they couldn't capture an ounce of the "spirit" of ATLA. Aang, Katara and Sokka are wooden and lifeless compared to their lovable counterparts on the show. One of the things I love about the show is that it accomplishes a lot of very graceful worldbuilding, but all of the exposition in the movie felt clunky and out of place, and wasn't nearly as compelling as the stuff in the show.

Anyway, what are your thoughts? Is there anyone who actually liked it? Maybe I'm just more biased than I think.

[Dukat]

I wasted my money to see it.

[Armgnawer]

It was very ho hum.  I'll be amazed if it rates a continuation into Book 2.

[midori.means.green]

It's funny. No one in my family will take me to see it. My dad does NOT like cartoons and anime (nor does he really approve of my geekiness) and my mom and stepdad are quite busy.

Anyway, Avatar was my favorite show in the world. i would love to see the movie, but I wouldn't want it to leave a bad taste in my mouth. The series ended quite well, and I'd rather not taint my memories with a so-so movie.

But I'll probably see it anyway, because I want to see what changes they made.

[Dukat]

NO! If you like the series avoid the movie at all costs! I ended up coming straight home and marathoning the series on DVD.

[Bridges]

It was painful to watch from the get go. Id have walked out if not for the fact I was someones ride. Nothin about the movie was right, there has to be atleast 10 key charactors that where left out........even if you take a step back and look at it as just a movie it still fails

So I now HATE M. Night Shymalan. I hope ravenous flesh-eating ants find their way into his rectum and eat their way threw his body

[Archimer]

Patel was the best part of the movie, I think. I haven't yet seen Slumdog Millionare, so I didn't have anything to really compare to there. I think he was probably the best actor in the entire film. The character he was given to act, however, wasn't Zuko.

Still, Zuko and Iroh were great characters... if you let yourself forget who they were supposed to be. Aang was... depressed, and Katara and Sokka were a lot like a couple of mannequins in a mall boutique window.

Despite all of its shortcomings and the fact that the movie is nothing like the show, wouldn't say that this movie was a waste of money. Hot Tub Time Machine was a waste of money. The Last Airbender, at least, had a handful of beautiful visual passages and a few tiny saving graces in between the blasphemy.

[Dukat]

Arch, if you're talking about the bending sequences, try again. They looked good...when something finally happened. It took forever for a simple bending attack to be pulled off. For it to take like 5 minutes for Aang to use his airblade like attack, just isn't right.

Oh and 3 years until the comet returns? What the heck? A big part of the plot is that it's a race for Aang to learn as much as he can in under a year.

[AGiganticPanda]

Oh and 3 years until the comet returns? What the heck? A big part of the plot is that it's a race for Aang to learn as much as he can in under a year.

True, but if they were going to do sequels, they would need to deal with the aging of the characters. Now you're just being picky.

[SoraKitty]

Midori, I concur with Dukat. If you loved the tv show, don't bother seeing the movie.

Anyways, I personally went in feeling neutral, I didn't really have any expectations, but after watching the the special on nickelodeon, I had more of an understanding for what might disappoint me in the movie. I got out and saw it kinda recently, and I left the theater with neutral. Of course there where things I liked, and other things I didn't care for. But when I left, I made myself kind of a promise. I told myself I wouldn't stop someone from seeing the movie, unless they where in love with the tv series.

I know I'm not the only one who had neutral feelings about the movie, just about all my friends did. But I personally think that, for a M. Night Shyamalan movie. It wasn't to bad (not using as a comparison to the tv series). I liked the costumes, I enjoyed how the kung fu was thrown into the bending, as well as a few other things. But there was things I didn't like about the movie. I'm not gonna go into to much detail. But those where my own personally feelings on the movie.

[Bridges]

I just figured it out....M. Night Shyma-deuchbag was tryin to make a Twilight movie out of Avatar

[Archimer]

Arch, if you're talking about the bending sequences, try again.

Pssht, not talking about the bending, though ten guys doing a full workout in order to move a single pebble was kind of fabulous. I'm talking about things like Appa swimming through the water, using his tail to move along under the cover of night. </poem> I thought that was a very nice moment. There are a couple of others if you look for them.

SoraKitty, I think we're kind of in the same boat. My friends aren't all neutral about it, though-- They're almost violent in their hatred for the film. It's been my experience that people get kind of hostile when they found out that you saw some little element in the movie that you could enjoy, if only a little bit.

[Lissa]

I don't plan on giving a single penny to that movie or it's brain-dead creator. I MIGHT watch it if it comes on TV or something, but I don't know. I feel like my life is probably better without it.

And to defend those who are angry about the movie, it's because it COULD have been amazing. And Shyamalan killed it. It could have been the next LOTR or Narnia. But now it'll never be anything, all thanks to him. People may try to blame the studio or whatever, but it was Shyamalan who decided to toss out all the humor. It was Shyamalan who chose the mostly mediocre actors and then failed to direct them. He's the one who wrote the script. He's the one who's so full of himself that he can't can't even comprehend the possibility that he can make a mistake. Just try reading some of the interviews he's done about the movie. He honestly believes that the movie is a critical failure just because it has his name on it. He thinks people hate the movie because they hate him personally. Its ridiculous!

Anyway... I guess there's no real point in making a big deal of it, since it won't change anything. Guess we all just have to move on and try to forget it ever happened.

[NEEEEEEEEER]

I agree with everything you guys are saying.....all though I shockingly found the movie entertaining. baha no but really I am a huge dedicated fan of the show and I enjoyed it. I had no expectations going into the movie so I think that might be why I wasn't disappointed. I mean if you think about it he fit a full 25 ep's in an hour and 45 minutes. So for the amount of time it was okay.
But it came off kind of corny and looked kind of cheap. I mean they could have done better. I forget who said this above, but it got sucky ratings so I highly doubt there will be a book two. Aha which is funny seeing all the commercials saying its the must see movie of the summer.
So sorry i dont share the same deep hate for the movie like alot of you do...but i understand.

[Archimer]

... Aha which is funny seeing all the commercials saying its the must see movie of the summer. ...

Not too surprising. My Bloody Valentine 3D was an alleged 'must-see' film, as well.

There's no need to defend the folks who are angry about the movie. Just as long as they're not at my house with torches in hand because I thought Appa was kind of pretty (though spoiled by the TERRIFYING rendition of Momo), I can deal! The fence on which I'm sitting is the divide between 'bad' and 'omg satan himself must have crafted this thing.'

On the bright side, the creators of the Avatar series have tossed a saving throw, of sorts:
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/07/21/legend-of-korra-the-creators-of-avatar-the-last-airbender-on-the-new-spinoff/

I'm excited. And I think that we can all have faith that this venture won't be screwed up!