M. Night Shyamalan, who was this movie for? The Last Airbender review

primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' BoopinDetroit, MI Icrontian
edited February 2011 in Lifestyle
M. Night Shyamalan, who was this movie for? The Last Airbender review
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Comments

  • NLichtmanNLichtman Spring Valley, CA
    edited July 2010
    I was very much looking forward to this movie in the beginning, and then I saw the cast. I was frustrated at their choices for both Zuko and Iroh. I saw the trailer and thought aloud, "This could be pretty good", but there are later elements of the storyline that are portrayed here, so how long is the movie going to be?

    There was a guy on YouTube last week who had never seen the series and gave it a good review, but I trust Brian's judgment over his any day. More likely that I should because like Brian, I am frustrated by many things that directors do for adaptations of characters and story lines.

    In conclusion, I should say that I will most likely not see this movie until I can watch it on the interwebs. Thanks, Brian.
  • timuchantimuchan Fishers, IN Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    Sadness, I loved the series too and was hoping for the best.

    Thanks for the review Brian!
  • Denisa
    edited July 2010
    This utterly sucks. I, like you found myself obsessed over the animated series. After wondering why on earth there was a cartoon on Nickelodeon with a bald-headed kid who has a tattoo on his forehead, I too sat down and started watching (started at season2) and with in a few episodes, I had logged on to Netflix and rented the entire series. Its depressing how they could take something so good and make it into something so mediocre. I blame Shamalama-ding dong for screwing it up for all of us. Ugh!
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    I really hope Hollywood would stop fucking up well established franchises. Movies that are based on TV shows, Books, games, or comic books had better be fans of the franchise and swear an oath to uphold the fundamentals of that franchise. I'm tired of being overjoyed that a favorite franchise is coming to the big screen only to be wholly disappointed, not by interpretations but by the fundamentals being screwed.

    Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies... I may not agree with a few of the changes (adding a love interest for Aragorn, or the lead up to Helm's Deep) but Hobitton was frickin spot on. The orcs and the characters were well represented.
  • GnomeQueenGnomeQueen The Lulz Queen Mountain Dew Mouth Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    All of the stuff for Arwen is actually in the books (except for her riding out to pick up Frodo after he got stabbed by the Nazgul), it's simply in the footnotes.

    I avoided seeing the film last night partially because from the other reviews I thought this might be the outcome. Stupid M Night Shamalayacraponyourawesomeshown
  • WinfreyWinfrey waddafuh Missouri Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    *winfrey erases this off his "movies to see" list.

    What a shame. A well done movie adaptation would have been welcomed. Did Perry and Kyle go see it with you? What did they think?
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    They hated it.
  • jj Sterling Heights, MI Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    sooo your saying you didn't like it?
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    And for the other 88% of the world who didn't watch the shows first? What will they think?
  • Miranda
    edited July 2010
    WELL SAID. I find this review to be very helpful. Instead of having to repeat it all to my friends I just shared it on facebook and they can all read for themselves how much it sucked.
  • KoreishKoreish I'm a penguin, deal with it. KCMO Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    How could they leave out Ba Sing Se? That was such a vital point in the first season not to mention the entire point of the second. Jet and Suki play pretty important roles later too.

    Seems like all my fears have come true about this movie.
  • ChoochChooch K-Pop authority™, Pho King Madison Heights, MI Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    thanks for saving me the money to go see this abortion....
  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    If you haven't seen the series, put the money towards renting season 1 on Netflix instead. Thank me later.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    Snarkasm wrote:
    And for the other 88% of the world who didn't watch the shows first? What will they think?

    It does not stand up on its own at all. I tried imagining what those 88% of those people will think: thus, the title of my review. Who is this movie for?

    Those who have no familiarity with the mythos or the show will find themselves scratching their heads and saying "What is going on". The story has been dumbed down so much that it comes off as something written for the mentality of 5-7 year olds. BAD GUYS ARE BAD. GOOD GUYS, BE TOUGH, DON'T CRY. AVATAR WILL SAVE US.

    If you've never seen the show, you will look at this movie as a children's movie—and a bad one at that.

    Horrible acting, ridiculously juvenile plot, muted and dark colors and special effects, and a completely limp conclusion that is nothing more than a "to be continued..." mean that anyone who is not familiar with the show will have wasted their money seeing this. Read the reviews. This pile of crap is getting universally horrid reviews.
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited July 2010
    Can anyone honestly be surprised by this. Shyamalan should never have been put upon to do this movie. He's had 1 possibly stretching it to 2 good ideas for a movie and the rest of his craptacular films have spun off those successes. He's just horrible at making movies and telling a story and he's so utterly caught up in his big twists that they have become predictable and often movie ruining.

    His name on a project is the kiss of death. He's the Uwe Boll of Hollywood.
  • Starman
    edited July 2010
    This review reminded me to go watch the series. I've been meaning to for years, but never got around to it. I think it's about time to go buy the DVDs.
  • CantiCanti =/= smalltime http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9K18CGEeiI&feature=related Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    This is why I don't mind if the live action Neon Genesis Evangelion never gets made. It's simply impossible translate a full series into a 90-120 minute film and do it right. It would take something on the scale of The Lord of the Rings which is likely too costly for a less well known story.
  • GnomeQueenGnomeQueen The Lulz Queen Mountain Dew Mouth Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    Wow, it has a 7% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I've never seen one so low!
  • ColgereColgere Cincinnati, OH Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    Gnome Queen wrote:
    Wow, it has a 7% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I've never seen one so low!
    I'm surprised it's that high.
  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    Prime, I have not seen the film yet, but I am 100% with you on the show, its an amazing work of art that transends its medium.

    To make the discussion a little more broad, there is somehow this trend in Hollywood, that Darker = better in fantasy. Yeah, that works fantastic for Batman, because Batman without the darkness is a pretty flat and meaningless character. He needed a re imagineing and it took a lousy character and made something better, but Spider Man, Super Man (which everyone hated because it was not dark enough, WFF?), and even Lord of the Rings, as brilliant as it was, just got so dark in some sections that I thought some of the beauty of the world and the point was lost in all the perill. Yes, and last but not least, Star Wars Episode III, which I still love, but at some point I want to see someone, anyone freaking smile, just once, for a few seconds....

    M Night Shyamalan is a one trick Pony (surprise endings) that made two amazing films, one okay movie and a bunch of turds since. The guy has been on the decline for years, and whatever made anyone think that he was the right talent to take this brilliant source material and run with it is beyond me. I so wanted to be wrong, but somehow, I knew it was going to end up a dud.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    I'm seeing it tonight (the madre still wants to) so we'll see what comes out of that. At least I have low expectations to surpass now... :)
  • HankLau
    edited July 2010
    [hand meet forehead]

    Like everyone else who saw the show, my anticipation turned to sadness in the 5 seconds at the endo of the first trailer to Shyamalan's directorial credit. And then more trailers, and more hopeful anticipation ensued. Given his record, I'd rather not endorse his career any further if he's going to ruin things like Avatar. A marathon of the tv show is more in order. Thanks for the review Prime.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    HankLau wrote:
    [hand meet forehead]

    Like everyone else who saw the show, my anticipation turned to sadness in the 5 seconds at the endo of the first trailer to Shyamalan's directorial credit. And then more trailers, and more hopeful anticipation ensued. Given his record, I'd rather not endorse his career any further if he's going to ruin things like Avatar. A marathon of the tv show is more in order. Thanks for the review Prime.

    Thanks for stopping by, Hank :)
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    I dunno. I didn't hate it after all. It jumped and was a little fractured, but it wasn't the worst movie of the decade, coming from someone who knows nothing of the series.

    I think I will be watching them in the future, though.
  • ShortyShorty Manchester, UK Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    Winfrey wrote:
    *winfrey erases this off his "movies to see" list.

    +1.

    I was teetering on the edge a little about watching this. I am like snark, nor familiar with the source material. The trailer made the movie looked interesting but i was also highly dubious as the director hasn't done a decent movie except his debut (sixth sense).

    Il skip it and put it down as another ruined adaption.
  • CBCB Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Der Millionendorf- Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    I was going to catch it in the theater, as my wife and I both loved the series, but now, perhaps, we'll wait for the Netflix release.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    Two days later, I'm STILL raging about this movie. I was just thinking about yet another ridiculous point: In the beginning we see Kitara "doing poorly" with water bending, and then all of the sudden, she's a master. She never trains, she never struggles, she doesn't apprentice with Master Pakku, she just... suddenly can freeze people and whip them with water.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    Er, she trains with the avatar. I thought that was pretty well demonstrated when they're both doing the exercises together.

    To me, the ridiculous point is that the fire nation can do anything at all when all three other forces extinguish fire easily. Got a fire? Throw earth on it. Got a fire? Blow it out. Got a fire? Douse it with water. Yet they're somehow dominating anything.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    I'll grant you your condescending "er," cause you're you... :p

    The waterbending scroll that Momo found was apparently enough to go from noob to master all by themselves—yet another absolutely flimsy plot device designed to compensate for not following the plot of the show at all. In the real story, Kitara learns a bit from the scroll (which was stolen by pirates and recovered after a wild adventure). When Kitara reaches the Northern Water Tribe, she asks to train with Master Pakku; who refuses to train her because she's a girl. Eventually she proves her worth and becomes his student along with Aang.
  • QuadyTheTurnipQuadyTheTurnip Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    DAMN YOU M NIGHT SHAMWOW
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