The Last Airbender ((2010))

In a world ravaged by the Fire nation's aggression toward the peaceful Air, Water and Earth nations, reluctant youth Aang (Noah Ringer) learns that he's an Avatar -- a rare being who can manipulate all four elements and restore peace to the planet. Now Aang must join with his pal Katara (Nicola Peltz) and other allies to fulfill his destiny. M. Night Shyamalan directs this live-action adaptation of the animated series "Avatar: The Last Airbender."

I watched the animated version before I watched this version and this version just doesn't do justice to the animated version at all. The story line was just too choppy and there was no character buildup so it was hard to empathize or follow the characters at all. The action was simply there because of the story. The special effects was something else though and it was spectacular. But save yourself and watch the animated series instead. The movie could have been better if was longer or split into two movies instead. Compare this to Lord of the Rings and this movie comes up really short. It could have been another Lord of the Rings epic trilogy had there been better dialog and action.

Has M. Night Shyamalan done it again? No, no he hasn't. Or actually if I look at it from a different point of view, maybe I can say that he has done it again. Based off of his last few movies, which were huge disappointments, The Last Airbender certainly followed suit. With a spectacular trailer and a well-written cartoon series to back it up, it was sad to see that the great storyteller, Shyamalan, did a horrible job at telling the story of The Last Airbender.


**/*****

2/5 Stars