I have defended M. Night Shyamalan in the past. The filmmaker put himself on the map with the slightly overrated The Sixth Sense, a supernatural thriller known more for its twist ending. Shyamalan followed that up with the underrated Unbreakable, an excellent take on the superhero in a real world setting. I liked Signs well enough, despite its silly contrivances. Then, along comes the pedantic The Village, the masturbatory ego trip Lady in the Water, and the downright idiotic The Happening. Though his writing left much to be desired, Shyamalan’s direction was more than competent in terms of composing dynamic shots and sequences. After watching The Last Airbender, I officially take back every nice thing I’ve ever said. Shyamalan is a hack.
The Last Airbender is based on the hit Nickelodeon animated series which ran for three seasons. Created by Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the cartoon was heavily influenced by martial arts films and anime. Shyamalan decided on directing a live-action version because his kids were huge fans. Daddy owes them an apology.
The Last Airbender is set in a fantasy world where mankind is divided by elemental tribes. They are the Air Nomads, the Water Tribes, the Fire Nation, and the Earth Kingdom. In each tribe, there are individuals who have the abilities to control their native elements. In every generation, there is an Avatar, a powerful individual who is able to control all four elements. The latest Avatar is Aang (Noah Ringer), a young boy who runs away from his temple after learning of the heavy burden he must carry. He and his flying buffalo, Appa, are caught in a storm and frozen in ice for a hundred years. Aang is eventually found by Katara (Nicola Peltz) and her brother Sokka (Jackson Rathbone), members of a Water Tribe.
In the years since his disappearance, the Fire Nation has declared war on the other tribes and wiped out all the Air Nomads save for Aang. Our heroes must travel north where Aang can study under the tutelage of powerful waterbenders. Many in the Fire Nation wish to capture him. One is Prince Zuko (Dev Patel), the exiled son of the Fire Lord Ozai (Cliff Curtis) who must capture the Avatar to return home. If this point isn’t clear, Zuko makes sure to repeat it in every single one of his scenes. Nipping at Zuko’s heels is Commander Zhao, played by former Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi who must be the least intimidating villain in a long while.
The main problem behind this adaptation is that it is based on the entire first season of the animated series, meaning they’ve crammed 20 episodes into an hour and forty three minute movie. There is just far too much going on. The film is reminiscent of the worst aspects of The Phantom Menace. Scenes occur in the most random manner without adherence to any sort of logical story progression. Character development is tossed to the wayside. The dialogue is delivered in the most wooden manner ever. Not that it matters, the majority of it is simply exposition. There is endless exposition as characters explain everything to each other and the audience. It is a neverending abyss in which there is no escape.
Shyamalan is clearly in over his head directing a big-budget blockbuster. If he ever knew how anything about mise-en-scène, he’s forgotten. He must have attended the George Lucas School of Directing. Shyamalan seems completely incapable of staging even the most rudimentary action sequence. The animated series featured a light tone with plenty of humor and a rich world inspired by the creations of Hayao Miyazaki. Think Princess Mononoke. The world of the Shyamalan’s movie has almost none of the humor or the vividness of the show. He’s created a drab and dark world. He can’t seem to coax any sort of decent performance from his actors. As the lead, Noah Ringer may be able to pull off the martial arts maneuvers, but he can’t convey any sort of emotion. He’s like a deer in the headlights with his bugged out eyes.
I’m not even going to mention the controversial whitewashing of the main characters for which the film has earned the derisive nickname, The Last Racebender. A lot of Asian actors are probably sighing in relief at not being cast in this abomination. Rumor has it Paramount has sunk nearly $300 million into the picture (including marketing), but Shyamalan’s turgid and unimaginative work assures this will truly be the last airbender.
Rating: DUD
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