The film drops you in the middle of a war among the Four Nations – Air, Water, Earth, and Fire – that has been raging for over 100 years. Within each Nation, there are Benders – those with the ability to manipulate their Nation’s element – but there is only one Avatar (a Bender that can manipulate all four elements and the keeper of peace). The Avatar disappeared before the war but has been hunted everyday since then by the Fire Nation. However, it is two Water Nation youths, Katara and her brother Sokka, who stumble upon the Avatar incased in a sphere of ice while on a hunting expedition.
Aang, the titular Airbender, is completely unaware of the war. To the 12 year-old (?) Aang, it has only been a day or so since he learned he was the Avatar and ran away from home before accidently trapping himself in ice during a storm. The banished Prince of the Fire Nation, Prince Zuko, soon learns of the Avatar’s existence and stops at nothing to capture Aang in order to reclaim his place as the heir to his father’s throne. Aang, Katara, and Sokka (along with Aang’s flying bison Appa) journey north towards one of the last thriving Water Tribes so that Aang can master waterbending (Aang was frozen before he could master the other elements, something he must do if he intends on ending the war. The film is subtitled Book One: Water, which implies there will be at least two more films – if the box office numbers allow there to be, that is). Along the way, Aang and his friends spark rebellions in small villages weakening the Fire Nation’s stronghold.
I had high hopes for The Last Airbender. I haven’t followed the TV series fanatically, but the few episodes I have seen really showed me the potential well of material Shyamalan had to work with. Unfortunately, the hit-and-miss director missed on just about every front with this film. Noah Ringer plays Aang, and while he’s a talented martial artist for his age, his acting chops just aren’t strong enough yet to convey the emotional arcs of a pre-teen who finds out he’s the last of his kind and the savior of humanity.
This alone wouldn’t have been a problem if stronger actors supported Ringer, but Nicola Peltz and Jackson Rathbone (Katara and Sokka) weren’t those actors. I dare say it wasn’t anything they did or didn’t do, as almost every performance fell flat and rang untrue. Even Dev Patel as Prince Zuko and veteran actor Cliff Curtis as Fire Lord Ozai felt watered down somehow. The one standout may have been Shaun Toub as Zuko’s uncle Iroh (who looks as powerful as Samson thanks to some great make-up and costuming – I didn’t even recognize him).
Performances aside, I think the real trouble began at the script stage. The story feels rushed, plain and simple. With a running time of 103 minutes, Shyamalan tries to compact a story originally told over a whole season on the TV series. There isn’t enough time given to develop the characters or their relationships and therefore the audience just doesn’t care that much when anything good or bad happens. There is literally a line of dialog given in voice over telling you how two characters have just fallen in love… Why not just take an extra scene or two and show that happening? It definitely would have made one of the intended poignant scenes later on feel, well, poignant. I think kids and teens, the obvious target audience, have proven they have the attention spans for good material (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc.), so don’t hold back. That being said, the structure of the script wasn’t its only flaw. The dialogue just wasn’t there. It’s like the words thought too much of themselves. So, a longer version of this particular script probably wouldn’t have helped much. Ultimately, Shyamalan should have handed the screenplay over to someone else.
Those being my two biggest problems with the film, I thought the action sequences and CG effects were both 50/50 – some good, some not so good. The costumes and make-up were good though. The characters looked fantastic for the most part, but there just wasn’t much to back that up. The film looked overly dark most of the time, even the sunny snow scenes seemed drab. I’ve read other reviews saying the same about the 3-D version, which can be a side effect of the 3-D process (The Last Airbender wasn’t shot in 3-D, but processed after-the-fact), but the 2-D looks like it’s just as dreary.
If The Last Airbender fails to connect with audiences, as I fear it will, it will have been a wasted opportunity to add another great fantasy series to the stellar films of the past. Maybe if there’s enough demand for Book Two: Earth there will be an opportunity for redemption.
For now, I have to say Skip It.
