The Last Airbender

This past weekend director, writer, and producer M. Night Shyamalan (who's name we wish we could pronounce) takes the cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender to the big screen with his latest epic. Or is it more of an epic failure? Hype for the film was immensely great, as the kids and teenagers who adored the show waited eagerly for the opportunity to experience the imaginary world, characters, and story they love in live-action form. The film was confused with Avatar before they both came out, so word about this film got more attention than it might normally have. Still, as the critics whipped out their influential pens, almost all of them wrote of inept filmmaking in every category. Even though Jacob was a huge fan of the Avatar series, he was almost dissuaded from seeing the movie by what he heard. However after watching it, he came to the conclusion that the experience must be similar to that of girls watching the Twilight movies. Sure, the filmmaking is in no way great, but if you can see past that, you are still able to "re-experience"--as he calls it--everything you loved about the book, or in this case, TV show. But why is M. Night making a live-action version of Avatar? Your guess is as good as mine, but I suspect he probably just liked the show. Comparing the movie to the TV show isn’t fair, but the TV show was brilliant as cartoons go and the movie was average as movies go.

Jacob: As I already recalled much of the story before entering the theater, I was not at all bothered by the complex plot or bizarre sequence of events. Even though I was very unhappy with some of the acting, especially with Katara, who played way to great of a part to be unrealistic, the acting in the cartoon was not much better. Furthermore, some of the changes that many of the fans are currently unhappy about, like the changing in name pronunciations or minor character changes were necessary for the success of the film. The new names are more accurate, which is something the Hollywood system would require. Also, Iroh's character, which is the most changed from the original story remained the most realistic and deep character, as he portrayed wisdom and a struggle between his own beliefs and the "Fire Nation's". Also, before I come to my conclusion, I must touch upon the movies best aspects. Andrew Lesnie, the Oscar-winning director of photography for films such as The Lord of the Rings, and Babe created truly fantastic visuals. The great aesthetic quality of the film surprisingly added immensely to the action scenes, which was where the film actually did soar.

To see or not to see:
So, If you were a fan, I can recommend this movie as an enjoyable experience, but nothing more. If you, like most people, never watched the series, than there is little chance you will find anything in the movie for you besides a collection of good slow-mo action. It is just too complicated and poorly put together to work without a strong background knowledge of the plot, characters, and world the story takes place in. Overall, I must give this movie a 2/5.

Sebastian: My first feeling by the end of the movie was that it felt rushed. That’s to be expected when it tries to cover an entire season of TV in a single movie, but it was only an hour and forty three minutes long which is short compared to other movies currently in theaters. The problem with it being so rushed is that the characters aren’t developed very thoroughly. Mixed acting didn’t help give the characters any more depth. But let’s push that aside with something that seems to be stealing the limelight of most movies now a day, visual effects. Stunning landscapes were only topped by the amazing computer graphics which also make for decent action sequences. The 3D was fairly disappointing. I’m sure it was better than 2D, but fairly mundane compared to the 3D I’ve seen in other movies. It failed to really add a worthy dimension to this very 2 dimensional movie.

To See Or Not To See: It’s worth the money, but don’t get too excited. It doesn’t live up to the cartoon. Overall, I must give this movie a 3/5.

Post Picture Final Consensus: 2.5/5

Welcome! Allow Us to Introduce Ourselves

Hi, I'm Jacob and I will be conducting these reviews with my partner Sebastian. I think in this case it would be best to introduce myself from a cinematic standpoint. Therefore, I shall share with you some of my views on film.

My favorite movie would have to be Lawrence of Arabia. What I love about this movie is partially the story, but more importantly the style. When I think about Lawrence of Arabia, I think of limitless horizons, sweeping sand dunes, and characters with an intelligible wit. David Lean was obsessed with the purity of the desert and marvelously managed to capture it on film with the help of his talented cinematographer. Maurice Jarre’s score also adds to the vast imagery portrayed. There is one scene in which Lawrence and his guide are at well drinking water. As they look into the distance, they notice a shape slowly coming into focus through the haze of the heat waves. It is this long, epic tension that best exemplifies the style of this film. I believe that movies are much more effective when they immerse you, creating the illusion that you are there.

The following is my current list of favorite films:

Lawrence of Arabia, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Truman Show, E.T., Slumdog Millionaire, The Shining, Psycho, Jaws, Vertigo, Raiders of the Lost Ark, North by Northwest, Forrest Gump, Close Encounters of the third Kind, Rear Window, Into the Wild, Spirited Away, The Godfather, The China Syndrome, Taxi Driver, The Searchers, Superbad, Tootsie, Back to the Future, The Shawshank Redemption, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Young Frankenstein, The Goonies, Unforgiven, Babe, The Sound of Music, Pan's Labyrinth, Bridge on the River Kwai, Bourne, Pirates of the Carribean: The Course of the Black Pearl, The Matrix, War of the Worlds, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Cast Away, Shrek, Meet the Parents, and District 9.



And I’m Sebastian. I’ll be writing and reviewing alongside Jacob.

Picking a single favorite movie would be impossible. There are simply brilliant movies like The Ghost Writer which amaze you with their genius and keep you thinking, and then there are just plain entertaining masterpieces like The Lord of the Rings trilogy. What I look for most in a movie is originality as well as how downright entertaining it is. The writing is the basis of a movie and therefore the most important part, but brilliant writing without great directing and acting leaves a movie empty and lifeless. Nowadays film making is rapidly changing great films are hard to come by. I’m always on the lookout for a movie that is beautifully made and if I find one you’ll be the first to know.