While “The Last Airbender,” written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, isn’t good, it’s not all bad either. There are a few things that I liked. I heard about the criticisms lodged at Shyamalan for using white actors in roles where he should have used Asians or Native Americans. Nonetheless, Noah Ringer, the newcomer who plays Aang, the last Airbender, is effective, quite believable in his portrayal of a boy who has a conflict with his destiny. It’s Shyamalan’s script that doesn’t give us time to get to know him and care about him. That we do is a credit to his acting. And Dev Patel playing Prince Zuko, the exiled son of the villainous Fire Lord, is another standout. It’s clear that his character is struggling to do what his father wants versus what he knows is right. Too bad the rest of the cast, who either perform as if they’re part of a high school play or over act, aren’t as effective. Visually, the biggest problem with “The Last Airbender” is the post-production conversion to 3D. The entire film is murky and slightly out of focus. Even the snow scenes that should have been bright and crystal clear are washed out.
Shyamalan hasn’t been able to duplicate the success of The Sixth Sense (1999), a movie with an intelligent script, well-developed characters and an unexpected twist although he’s tried. The Happening, Lady in the Water, The Village, Signs, Unbreakable — we keep waiting for another movie with that Shyamalan magic. With “The Last Airbender,” we’re going to have to wait some more. 7/3/10.
1 comment:
M. Night Shyamalan has almost run out his string of bad movies and I am not sure we will be seeing him again soon. So far, "The Sixth Sense" is the only quality film he has made and I'm not sure that the studios will risk $100- 200 miilion on him again. "The Last Airbender" is awful and I would not recommend it to anyone. SKIP IT!!
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