The Revenge of the 31 Days of Cheese - Day 21 - The Last Airbender

Just in case you thought all lousy movies were made in the 50’s – today’s slice of cheese is from 2010 – based on a long running and well loved animated series this live action film is heavy dull and just sits on your head like a heavy bag full of sand.

The story concerns a world where folks can “bend” control the elements of earth air fire and water – and the world is divided into kingdoms of air, fire et, al – keeping the forces in balance is the Avatar who can control all four elements and when he dies (doesn’t seem to be a she ever but let that go) he is reincarnated Dali Lama style. Anyway the movie starts where two young folks from The southern water kingdom (the name doesn’t really sing as poetry does it) find this fellow Aang frozen in a block of ice al la Captain American (I can’t believe I just made that reference) along with his flying bison (roll with it) when they thaw him out they find he is the new Avatar and later they find out he is the last air bender as the fire kingdom killed the rest. The problem now is that he’s 12 years old and well he only knows how to bend air, he needs to learn the other skills while staying out of the hands of the fire kingdom. Who are evil and want to kill him or do bad things to him and rule the world.

I had only caught bits and pieces of the animated series as it went on – but the one thing that struck me was the sheer energy of the show – energy which was missing in every shot of this film.

Granted the problem you have is that what looks good in animation (or comic books) can when done in a live action setting looks absurd if not silly. Which it does here –also this was a film converted to 3d at the last minute which I’m told is why everything is so bloody dark and muddied. The effects are so obviously CGI that you just shrug your shoulders – the wonder just isn’t here.

And it isn’t helped that none of the younger folks can act a lick – and you don’t really get to know who these folks are anyway as we lurch to the next cgi scene or to some leaden explosion. I didn’t really have trouble following the plot as wondering just why should I – the film doesn’t seem to care about it much.

Another flaw of this film is that it’s only part one of what was I guess intended to a three film series – the TV show had three seasons so that explains it – which alas meant that nothing and I mean nothing is resolved – and heck the characters don’t even change that much – at least in the Fellowship of the Ring Tolkien realized he needed the reader to want to keep going so in a shocking twist (later reversed because well he wanted to) he offs Gandalf and then breaks up the fellowship with the death of another character – no such major twist happens at the end of the film here – which doesn’t so much end as stop. Needless to say considering how poorly this film did at the box office we’re not seeing a sequel like ever.

And there are all sorts of quibbling details that came to mind – all the bending guys - earth air fire water all sort of moved the same in a vaguely tai chi way – which visually made no sense you bloody have to have differences but not here – also in the last climactic battle the water kingdom solders look so much like the fire nation soldiers you have no bloody idea who is fighting who.

A lot of these problems can be laid right at the doorstep of the director M. Night Shyamalan – who also wrote the screen play - but to be fair his directing style really is all wrong for a big film like this – so whoever decided he was the guy has a bit to answer for as well.

All in all a very very depressing movie experience indeed.

Enjoy with water crackers.