The Last Airbender
Nickelodeon’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is an anime series that I’ve intended to watch for some time. But before I do, will M. Night Shyamalan’s adaptation of “Book 1: Water” of the series make me want to see it for a better version, or get me excited to get into it more?
An even bigger question than whether this film stays true to its’ source, however, is whether Shyamalan is still capable of making a great film. He hasn’t held my attention completely since 2002’s “Signs.” Yes, I thought “The Happening” was a step forward, and “The Village” was great until that ending, but “Lady in the Water?” Let’s not go there. Can he get that “Sixth Sense” and “Unbreakable” mojo back?
It helps that he is working with someone else’s material (created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko). That means no twist endings. No methodical (almost languid) pacings. And a sense of something greater behind it all that’s more compelling than any film he’s done since “Unbreakable.”
Having his regular collaborator James Newton Howard helps. Though his work isn’t as original as “Unbreakable,” “Signs,” and “The Sixth Sense,” he still composes a rousing adventure score that hits every emotional note effortlessly. Combined with Andrew Lesnie’s rich cinematography, we get a visual and musical epic that engages the senses as well as the mind…
…which is where we get to the story. A brother and sister- whose mother has died and whose father is fighting in the war engulfing the world- in the Water Nation are going about their day when an iceberg comes up on them. But this isn’t an ordinary iceberg- there’s a boy in it. They take him back to their camp, only to find out he is the Avatar, the one who can manipulate all four elements (Air, Water, Fire, Earth) and bring peace to the nations. But when the disgraced son of the Lord of the Fire Nation (“Slumdog Millionaire’s” Dev Patel) comes after him, in hopes of getting back in his father’s good graces, Katara (Nicola Peltz), Sokka (Jackson Rathbone), and Airbender Aang (Noah Ringer) set out on a journey that’ll help Aang- who’s been gone for 100 years- focus his powers…and maybe bring peace back to the land.
Ok, before fans of the series jump down my throat because of my simplified explanation of the story, look at it this way- Shyamalan’s doing the same thing. And hey, when you’re condensing 20 episodes into a 100 minute movie, a lot of stuff is gonna get lost. But Shyamalan keeps the film moving at a brisk and exciting pace, and so long as you don’t get confused (yes, a lot of detail gets lost in the translation), I think newcomers will enjoy it (fans of the series are another matter). I know I did, and hoped to see Shyamalan make the trilogy this is clearly intended to be (each film based on another season of the show).
On the surface, one wonders what drew Shyamalan to the project- a fantasy/adventure film is unlike anything he’s done before. But beneath the breathtaking visuals and wondrous effects, in the end, the story centers on people (both good and bad) who believe ultimately in something bigger than themselves, and will do what they can to actualize that sense of destiny in their lives. It’s an idea he examined in “The Sixth Sense,” “Signs,” and especially “Unbreakable,” which had this film’s sense of good vs. evil at its’ core. That all of the main players are basically children makes the stakes all the higher. Now, to catch up with the series to see what I missed in the film…
**Post-publish reflections: After giving the film some thought, and having now seen a couple of episodes of the show, I decided to downgrade the film to a B. The performances are not up to 3-star quality, and the film is missing some of the humor I’ve seen in the show. That said, I do still like the story it told, and the visuals on the whole. That part is still accurate. -Brian Skutle**
