The Last Airbender

Critic's Rating: 3.0
Cast: Noah Ringer, Dev Patel, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone
Direction: M Night Shyamalan
Genre: Action
Duration: 1 hour 43 minutes


Movie Review: First things first. If you're on the lookout for something as dramatically, philosophically or strategically driven as Shyamalan's The Village, Signs or Unbreakable, The Last Airbender is not the one for you. Not to say there's nothing in there for you. Martial arts, to the bending of the elements, costume design to the sets, the actual filming locations, this movie is a visual treat, served in 3D style.

But, it's mostly meant for tweens, based as it is on a popular Nickleodeon show which Shyamalan used to regularly watch with his seven-year-old son. The heroes are believable... out there to do things achievable... as they confront villains easy-to-handle. All this and more, with a storyline not quite complicated.

It's been a century, Fire Lord Ozai (Cliff Curtiz) continues to imprison anyone born with the power to bend elements of nature, when siblings Katara (Nicola Peltz) and Sokka (Jackson Rathbone) from the Water Nation find a mysterious boy trapped beneath the ice. Is that the Avatar? Yes, though this Avatar a.k.a Aang (Noah Ringer) is yet to master all elements of nature. Why? Because he ran away during his `enlightenment days' when he was told an `Avatar could have no family; an Avatar needs to make sacrifices to rise up the ladder'. But hey, no worry, for Katara and Sokka help him master the `emotional art' of water bending. And that's where we get our visual tamasha from. Don't miss out the water-benders do kata on boats surrounded by glaciers, the blending of the martial arts, the bending of all other elements. But as they inch nearer to their goal, the group must evade Prince Zuko (Dev Patel) too, the banished son of Lord Ozai who is `too soft and not fit to wear the Fire military uniform'. Does our `soft warrior' eventually turn into a hard, Avatar-trapper? Or does the movie leave scope for a possible sequel to follow soon? Find out.

So, where exactly does the bending go wrong? First, we really needed to see Aang develop significantly on his journey to become the Avatar. Except for the climactic scene at the water-bender city, the bending seems too unconvincing despite its 3D transformation. Second, in terms of the special effects, we wish we had more of those element-bending techniques working for real. Imagine one getting wet each time a globe of water splashed on them. Imagine one getting burnt each time a ball of fire blasted around them. Ah, for all those delicious tweeny fantasies!

Of course, to make up for that, Shyamalan gives us enough benders for the mind. Analyse this: There are reasons we are all born; we need to find them. There are certain things the human kind should not tamper with -- Nature and its spirit is one of them... The Fire Nation is misusing knowledge to create something that'll turn the moon red... In our hearts, all nations (here Air, Water, Earth, Fire) are one... Lesson-lender, anyone?

Airbender may not be vintage Shyamalan, but it sure is fun viewing for young adult fiction buffs.