AlexCraig
Jul 24, 2010, 05:02 PM
Most people these days, I'm sure, have seen at least 1 episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's a very popular show, not just with kids, but with every age group. There's just something about it that makes it awesome.
So it comes as no surprise that crap-tons of people would get hyped up upon hearing about M. Night Shamalamadingdong's movie, The Last Airbender. I was one of them. Here is my view of the movie. If you intend to see the movie, stop reading here. If you are an Avatar: The Last Airbender fan, please read this review ONLY if you have seen the entire series or don't mind points being spoiled to you.
Hint: We were the ONLY ones in the theater. An omen.
[spoiler-box]
The Nations:
If you have seen Avatar, then you know it was set in a primarily Chinese world. Their cities, their temples, their people, their names all Chinese. That being said... when the hell did the fire nation become fucking Angkor Wot? All the fire nation and part of the air nomad population was indian. Ozai, Zhao, Zuko, Iroh; these are not names from India. Furthermore, Iroh is the ONLY one in the fire nation who isn't indian, but he isn't chinese either. He's a middle-aged white guy! I know that directors like to add their own touches to things, but this was kinda something that was set in stone.
The cast:
Kitara: Emotional, but strong-willed.
Sokka: "The meat and sarcasm guy" -Sokka.
Aang: Excitable and fun-loving.
Iroh: Tea enthusiast.
Zuko: Angry, but honorable.
Fire Lord Ozai: Unseen, but omnipotent.
Avatar had things pretty much down when it came to their cast. They made it so that even the bad guys were likable and made us question of some of them were bad at all. M. Night Shpoople... ehhh....
Kitara: Overemotional, always looked like she was on the virge of crying. Didn't look a thing like her either.
Sokka: Or Soaka... There was no sarcasm coming from him, and he wasn't dying of hunger.
Aang: Took all the fun from him and made him strictly "I am the Avatar, I am serious."
Iroh: Apart from the fact he was NOTHING like Iroh in appearance or attitude, he only made ONE, count em, ONE tea reference!
Zuko: Wasn't half his face supposed to be burned and his hair pulled into a long ponytail? And there was nothing too honorable about him, aside from him always complaining about his want for his honor.
Fire Lord Ozai: HE WAS NEVER SHOWN UNTIL BOOK 3!!! He looks like a modern day dictator, rather than a feudal emperor!
Apart from the lead cast, they also neglected to include key characters! King Boomie never appeared. The Kiyoshi warriors never appeared, which is bullshit since Sokka falls in love with Suki! Kiyoshi's statue only appeared for like 2 frames and that was it. Momo was more of a cameo than an actual character, as was Appa.
Plot:
While I understand that it would be impossible for them to make all of Book 1 into the movie, it does not excuse them from neglecting key points in the story. As mentioned above, Boomie and Omashu never appeared, neither did the isle of Kiyoshi and their warriors! There was no Agni Kai between Zuko and Zhao. And the rest of it all looked rushed and anxious to move on. Also, if they didn't skip a scene, they often placed the wrong character in there. Kitara, not Aang, was supposed to rile up the earth nation benders. Aang was supposed to kill Zhao, not 4 random water benders. And while I didn't mind it as much, Aang was supposed to find the dead monk in his home, not on a battlefield.
Bending:
The bending in Avatar was fluid and instantaneous. They were based off of martial arts moves. If an earth bender stamped his foot, a rock would instantly pop up for him. In Last Airbender... it seemed like it was all delayed. They would swing their arms and 5 seconds later, the element would hit the target. The moves to get the bending to work was kinda rediculous, too. It looked more like crappy dancing than combat moves. And this is a big one: fire benders can't create their own fire. in Avatar, they could fucking breathe fire! In this, only Iroh could make his own fire. I literally facepalmed when I heard a fire bender shout "He can create his own fire!?" I was appalled by the bending.
Good points:
The fire navy ships looked cool... and... umm... I like how Aang's tattoo looked. But that's about it.
Buy/Rent/Skip?:
I say skip it. If you loved Avatar, you'll dispise Last Airbender.
[/spoiler-box]
So it comes as no surprise that crap-tons of people would get hyped up upon hearing about M. Night Shamalamadingdong's movie, The Last Airbender. I was one of them. Here is my view of the movie. If you intend to see the movie, stop reading here. If you are an Avatar: The Last Airbender fan, please read this review ONLY if you have seen the entire series or don't mind points being spoiled to you.
Hint: We were the ONLY ones in the theater. An omen.
[spoiler-box]
The Nations:
If you have seen Avatar, then you know it was set in a primarily Chinese world. Their cities, their temples, their people, their names all Chinese. That being said... when the hell did the fire nation become fucking Angkor Wot? All the fire nation and part of the air nomad population was indian. Ozai, Zhao, Zuko, Iroh; these are not names from India. Furthermore, Iroh is the ONLY one in the fire nation who isn't indian, but he isn't chinese either. He's a middle-aged white guy! I know that directors like to add their own touches to things, but this was kinda something that was set in stone.
The cast:
Kitara: Emotional, but strong-willed.
Sokka: "The meat and sarcasm guy" -Sokka.
Aang: Excitable and fun-loving.
Iroh: Tea enthusiast.
Zuko: Angry, but honorable.
Fire Lord Ozai: Unseen, but omnipotent.
Avatar had things pretty much down when it came to their cast. They made it so that even the bad guys were likable and made us question of some of them were bad at all. M. Night Shpoople... ehhh....
Kitara: Overemotional, always looked like she was on the virge of crying. Didn't look a thing like her either.
Sokka: Or Soaka... There was no sarcasm coming from him, and he wasn't dying of hunger.
Aang: Took all the fun from him and made him strictly "I am the Avatar, I am serious."
Iroh: Apart from the fact he was NOTHING like Iroh in appearance or attitude, he only made ONE, count em, ONE tea reference!
Zuko: Wasn't half his face supposed to be burned and his hair pulled into a long ponytail? And there was nothing too honorable about him, aside from him always complaining about his want for his honor.
Fire Lord Ozai: HE WAS NEVER SHOWN UNTIL BOOK 3!!! He looks like a modern day dictator, rather than a feudal emperor!
Apart from the lead cast, they also neglected to include key characters! King Boomie never appeared. The Kiyoshi warriors never appeared, which is bullshit since Sokka falls in love with Suki! Kiyoshi's statue only appeared for like 2 frames and that was it. Momo was more of a cameo than an actual character, as was Appa.
Plot:
While I understand that it would be impossible for them to make all of Book 1 into the movie, it does not excuse them from neglecting key points in the story. As mentioned above, Boomie and Omashu never appeared, neither did the isle of Kiyoshi and their warriors! There was no Agni Kai between Zuko and Zhao. And the rest of it all looked rushed and anxious to move on. Also, if they didn't skip a scene, they often placed the wrong character in there. Kitara, not Aang, was supposed to rile up the earth nation benders. Aang was supposed to kill Zhao, not 4 random water benders. And while I didn't mind it as much, Aang was supposed to find the dead monk in his home, not on a battlefield.
Bending:
The bending in Avatar was fluid and instantaneous. They were based off of martial arts moves. If an earth bender stamped his foot, a rock would instantly pop up for him. In Last Airbender... it seemed like it was all delayed. They would swing their arms and 5 seconds later, the element would hit the target. The moves to get the bending to work was kinda rediculous, too. It looked more like crappy dancing than combat moves. And this is a big one: fire benders can't create their own fire. in Avatar, they could fucking breathe fire! In this, only Iroh could make his own fire. I literally facepalmed when I heard a fire bender shout "He can create his own fire!?" I was appalled by the bending.
Good points:
The fire navy ships looked cool... and... umm... I like how Aang's tattoo looked. But that's about it.
Buy/Rent/Skip?:
I say skip it. If you loved Avatar, you'll dispise Last Airbender.
[/spoiler-box]