I approached The Last Airbender with good will and low expectations. I’d seen and loved the three-season animated series, and I’d heard that the film was terrible. Nevertheless, I wanted to give it a shot.
It was fine.
The film errs in trying retell the entire first season of the animated series in an hour and a half, leaving us with a movie that feels more like a highlight reel than a self-contained narrative. It also takes itself ever so seriously, eschewing comic relief or any sense of joy in favor of portentiousness. Further, it tries so hard to make us believe in the tormented nature of its villain that the guy comes off as not particularly villainous at all – that’s no fun!
And yet, hey, I like these characters. I enjoyed seeing their world presented in live action. I’d have stuck around for the two sequels, had this film made enough money to justify them. We don’t get enough kid-friendly action movies in the marketplace, and I was willing to enjoy The Last Airbender for trying to fill that niche.
Yes, it didn’t entirely succeed, but I still found it a pleasant way to spend an hour and a half. Really, you could do worse.
3 comments:
What were your thoughts on the "whitewashing" of the movie? I haven't seen it yet, but have a lot of friends who have. They generally agree with your assessment, but dislike the trend. This is especially true given the Akira live action debacle that is currently going on.
Frankly, I haven't given the issue much thought. What's your position?
I honestly came to the same conclusion. I loved the kids show, but, you know, it's a 26 episode season broken down into an hour and a half. I wasn't really expecting it to catch the full charm. Especially with M. directing.
That being said, I'd love to see some sequels because earth and fire nation action could really be awesome even if the movie sucks.
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