The Last Airbender

The Last Airbender - Dir. M. Night Shyamalan (2010)


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

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire - Dir. Danny Boyle (2008)


Here’s a million dollar question for you, would you watch a movie about someone competing on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? It doesn’t sound like a very compelling film. I don’t know if I’d buy a ticket. I’m not even that interested in watching the actual Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Although, I have to say that Meredith Viera is quite fetching. Yet, Slumdog Millionaire is so much more than just the story of a man going on a game show. It’s a film with a little bit of everything; love and heartbreak, triumph and tragedy, and all points in between.

Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) comes from a humble background. He grew up in the slums of Mumbai and works as a tea bringer for telemarketers at a call center ("Would you like to hear about our friends & family plan?"). Now, he has captured the imagination of an entire country as he stands one question away from winning twenty million rupees on the Hindi version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? How did he do it? Did he cheat? Was he lucky? Or was it simply destiny?

For the show’s host, Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor), the answer is A. Jamal is arrested after the first show and brutally interrogated by a police inspector (Irfan Khan). What could a lowly slumdog possibly know? Jamal responds quite simply, "The answers." Through a series of flashbacks, we see important moments in Jamal’s life which shed light on where his answers came from.

Jamal and his older brother, Salim (Madhur Mittal), became orphans early in their hard knock life when their mother was killed in a violent uprising against Muslims. Out of so much death, comes one bright spot when Jamal meets another orphan named Latika (played as an adult by Freida Pinto). For Salim, she is an unwanted tagalong, but to Jamal she is the love of his life.

The children are rescued from sleeping in garbage dumps by Maman who turns out to be less like Mother Theresa and more like Fagin from Oliver Twist. Maman collects orphans and sends them out into the city to beg for him. He even goes so far as to blind one boy knowing he will earn more. When Salim learns Jamal is next, the brothers hop a train out of town, leaving Latika behind. The pair makes their way to the Taj Mahal where they build themselves a life as con artists scamming gullible tourists. But, there is still a hole in Jamal´s heart and he convinces Salim to return to Mumbai in search of Latika. Their tearful reunion is cut short when Salim is consumed by greed and falls in with a local crime boss. Years pass and they drift apart. Jamal becomes a contestant on the quiz show solely because he knows she will be watching. It isn’t about winning the money, but about winning her heart.

Director Danny Boyle weaves a modern day fairy tale in Slumdog Millionaire with a little assist from Indian co-director Loveleen Tandan. This is a visually arresting film with plenty for your eyes to gobble up. Boyle drops us right into Jamal’s impoverished world. The shooting of the shanty town slums is something like a cross between MTV and National Geographic. Boyle is one of those rare filmmakers who keep his filmography an eclectic mix. From the grungy heroin dens of Trainspotting to the zombie plagued streets of London in 28 Days Later," and Millions which comes closest thematically to Slumdog. Boyle’s work is worth commending especially in comparison to someone like fellow Brit, Guy Ritchie, who seems to be content on making the same film over and over again.

The script was adapted from Vikas Swarup’s novel, Q and A, by Simon Beaufoy who wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay for The Fully Monty, which Boyle lists as one of his favorite films. Beaufoy takes time-honored traditions in a captivating and refreshing manner. The flashback structure keeps us on our toes without bogging down the ongoing narrative. Obviously, we know love will conquer all. They will all live happily ever after and give us a big Bollywood dance number to boot. However, the real joy in Slumdog is following Jamal along on his adventure. It’s hard not to root for him after watching a young Jamal dive into a pit of feces and sewage just to get an autograph from his all-time favorite actor. It’s hard not to be in his corner when he’s mentally and verbally dueling with the game show host who condescendingly refers to Jamal as "chai wallah.” Oh, and what cold-hearted human being doesn’t hope to see these star-crossed lovers get together before the credits roll?

If I believed in film critic hyperbole, I’d be shouting easily quotable lines like ”Slumdog Millionaire is the feel-good movie of the year.” But, it actually is a feel-good movie and a clear cut crowd pleasure with a love triumphs all, happily ever after ending. Sometimes there's nothing wrong with that.

Rating: *** ½