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The Last Airbender
The Last Airbender: Katie's Critique
I went to the midnight showing with my sister. Was entertained, but only mildly impressed. Effects were good, but the script was a bit repetitive and rushed, as was the plot up until the part with the Blue Spirit. Acting was acceptional, considering the script. The actor playing Zuko did not do the character justice, no not at all.
Little things that bugged me: the fact that they pronounced the names differently than they did in the TV series, the fact that the EARTHbenders were trapped in a prison made of EARTH, and the fact that Zuko's scar was barely visisble, and bluntly, the cheesiness of the spirit world.
Thought that the people playing Uey and Azula were very fitting, though Azula had only two scenes, one of which was one of Zuko's flashbacks.
All in all, I enjoyed it, but maybe I am defending it solely because I love the show so much. I don't know.
I'll post my review of Eclipse later.
submitted by Katie, age 12, outside looking
(July 1, 2010 - 4:59 pm)
(July 1, 2010 - 4:59 pm)
I'm probably going to see it on Saturday. I'm mildly excited, mostly for the special effects as I'm unfamiliar with M. Night Shyamalan and less than excited about the cast choices (especially Zuko, because while I loved Dev Patel in Slumdog Millionaire, he doesn't fit the part at all).
...Why was Azula in TLA outside of flashback scenes? Unless I'm misremembering she was only in flashbacks until season 2. ...Though, having just now looked up the actor on imdb, she seems like the best casting choice, look-wise at least. Can she act?
(July 1, 2010 - 9:51 pm)
...Top?
I get to see it today.
I take comfort from the fact that if it's bad, I'll be with Alison and Billy and we can mock to our heart's content.
(July 3, 2010 - 11:49 am)
An hour and a half?! An hour and a half?!
Seriously?!
That's it?
...
Words can not express my disgust.
Also, "ong" "eeroh" and "soaka"?
And no Suki or the Kyoshi Warriors? No Avatar Roku? No Haru?
And what's this about Avatars not having families? Zuko is descended from Roku, isn't he? (and apparently Fire Nations have a matriarchal naming system, huh, just noticed that). That was a major plot point in season 3, they can't just leave it out...
Nobody could act except Jackson Rathbone, Dev Patel, and Shaun Toub and possibly Summer Bishil, though it was hard to tell with her, given that she only had two brief scenes. JR was much better than I thought he would be, given the only thing I'd seen him in previously was the Twilight movies where all he does is look pained and unintelligent. Sadly, Dev Patel wasn't nearly as sympathetic and awesome an Anti Hero as Zuko was in the show, and what was up with Shaun Toub's dreadlocks?
There is no way Ozai and Iroh are related. Ozai was Indian, Iroh was Persian.
Earthbenders in a concentration camp surrounded by rocky cliffs on three sides? Yeah, I'm not buying it. The reason they were hopeless and apathetic in the show was because they had no hope. There was zero chance of escape until they got their hands on that coal. Otherwise their guards would have been in deep trouble.
Why did the Blue Spirit have hair?
Aang doesn't gain control of the Avatar State until meeting the Guru in season 2. He should have swamped the Fire Nation Fleet.
What, no pirates?
Katara had a fail!actress. She and Aang had no chemistry whatsoever.
The special effects? Amazing. The fight scenes? Other than the inefficient waving everyone was doing, cool. ((Seriously, what was up with that? Waving your arms in complex patterns and jumping around while not doing any damage to your enemy, all to bring about a less-than-impressive blast of whatever your element is, is an extremely stupid and inefficient way to fight. If a second movie does get made, Ty Lee's going to end up absurdly overpowered compared to everyone else because she won't have to bother with such nonsense.))Noah Ringer's first degree black belt in taekwando was about the only thing good about his performance.
In summary: to steal Alison's phrase, it was The Ember Island Players without the funny.
(July 4, 2010 - 1:18 am)
Yeah, Azula appears at the very end when the Firelord gives her orders to capture the avatar after Zukpo fails.
(July 4, 2010 - 10:56 am)
The previews looked alright to me. I've seen maybe 3 episodes so I don't really know much. An hour and a half? Thats just not right!!!!!!!!!!!!
(July 6, 2010 - 12:09 pm)
They only do the first book. But really. They pronounce the names like they didn't even SEE any episodes at all, which they must not have because any fool watching the title sequence could have heard "But I believe AANG (not Ong) can save the world". Zuko doesn't look like he has a scar, Ozai doesn't even have long hair, and Iroh just looks plain weird. They even cut out the pirates and Jet. Or maybe he was in the Earth book... But anyway, back to the subject. Ko (the creepy face-stealing monster) has mysteriously turned into a nice dragon spirit, Monk Gyatso has lost his mustache, and Aang doesn't turn into the ocean spirit. He makes a giant wave while in the Avatar State. We don't even hear the word mentioned in the movie. And Zuko doesn't get Aang farther than a Water Tribe building before he is attacked by Katara.
All in all: Great movie- if you haven't watched the cartoon at all.
(July 7, 2010 - 3:03 pm)
And you know Haru? Who gets arrested for Earthbending? He turns into a 5-year-old.
(July 9, 2010 - 5:43 pm)
An ugly five year old. /discrimination based on appearances, but in this case I think it's kinda valid because Haru was pretty. So pretty, in fact, that ATLA: the abridged series spent like an entire episode obsessing over it. And then made a commercial about Haru's beauty products.
Also, the 3d was distinctly meh. Obviously tacked on as an afterthought.
Personally, I liked Zuko's scar except for the fact that he still had both eyebrows. I mean, it cut into the hairline and was more visible in the movie than in the trailers, but it still wasn't nearly as epic as it was in the show.
Oh, yeah, and Aang's intricate tattoos were dumb. I liked the solid blue.
(July 9, 2010 - 11:19 pm)
I watched 'The Last Airbender' and I LOVED IT.
Katie, the movie u went to sounds MESSED UP. It's stupid that earthbenders would be trapped in earth, as they could get out. DUH!
(September 9, 2011 - 1:59 pm)