The Last Airbender

2 stars

Live action interpretation of popular cartoon doesn’t live up to high expectations.

Rating: PG
Stars: Noah Ringer, Dev Patel, Nicola Peltz and Jackson Rathbone

What’s the story?
In a world where the four elements of fire, water, earth and air, can be manipulated by a select few “benders,” a 100-year-long war has devastated the land and people. The fire nation has already wiped out the air nomads and is aiming towards world conquest when the nation’s progress is hindered by the return of Aang (Ringer), the Avatar. As the only person able to bend all four elements and enter the spirit world, it is Aang’s destiny to restore balance to the war-ravaged world.

Why see it?
From the opening sequence to the final scene, The Last Airbender is a feat of stunning special effects. Stemming from a cartoon where flight and environment manipulation are commonplace, the special effects team faced lots of challenges, but they rose to the occasion and their work is a spectacular example of what digital editing can do.

Who should skip it? Problems?
It’s hard to tell if it was bad acting or stiff dialogue that made every scene almost painful to watch. Very few of the actors managed to capture the essence of their characters, often lacking consistency in their reactions or emotions. Positioning also seemed contrived, with scenes where bad placement of actors and odd camera angles made conversations awkward and forced. The script itself certainly did not help to make scenes less awkward. Apart from the choppy sentences throughout the entire movie, the unnatural statements and rigid wordings reached a point where characters started explaining fight scenes or describing chunks of the plot.

All in All:
A very disappointing film by director M. Night Shyamalan that fell short in most areas.