‘The Last Airbender’ Some things are just fine the way they are

But why is everyone so disappointed? Why has the existence of this film, beyond its cinematic mediocrity, turned out to be such a fiasco? One must take a look at all the expectations. I would go so far as to argue that “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is the most brilliant animation series to come out of America in the last 10 years. Its target audience might be kids, but over the years its main fan base has come to include many adults who have come to love the story’s universe and characters. The show’s creators, Brian Konietzko and Michael DiMartino, say that stylistically they have been inspired by Japanese animation master Miyazaki, and story-wise by the legend of Gilgamesh.

It is not only because of these two main influences that this show is in itself a piece of art, but also because of its inspiring content. It does not dictate, but explores a wonderful story, simultaneously whimsical, fantastic and dark, that nudges the audience into finding within themselves intelligent compassion, tolerance, open-mindedness, wisdom, courage, friendship, discipline, and yes, unconditional love.

I might sound like I am exaggerating, but ask any Airbender fan and they will give you the same response. I have found myself many a time on the brink of tears while watching an episode; though it takes place in a fantastic realm, the young characters are as real as they can get and face genuine conflicts, both internal and external.

The controversy around the movie adaptation started during the casting of the film. The original show only features East Asian characters, and when fans found out that Shyamalan selected a number of Caucasian actors for most of the leads, including Aang the Avatar, and British-Indian Dev Patel as conflicted Prince Zuko, they were mortified. They were right; the series’ characters are one of the main ingredients of the story’s believability in respect to its utilization of several forms of martial arts.

So let’s get to the story. The world is divided into four nations: air, water, earth and fire. In this universe, some people, in light of their nation, can manipulate their element, and this is called bending (the bending moves have been inspired by tai-chi and martial arts). Only the Avatar can manipulate all of the four elements because he is reincarnated every lifetime into a different nation and his function is to maintain balance and peace in the world. However, the latest Avatar has gone missing for 100 years. During this time the Nazi-like industrial Fire Nation has wreaked havoc on the world in the name of conquest. Siblings Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water tribe discover a 12-year-old boy called Aang (Noah Ringer) who has been trapped in an iceberg for almost 100 years. You guessed it, this boy is the Avatar, and he is also the last surviving Airbender as the Fire Nation has wiped out the entire population of Airbenders in search of Aang. And so the story begins as Aang must master bending the remaining elements and save the world from the evil Fire Lord with the help of Katara and Sokka.

Despite my occasional weak spots, I must admit that Shyamalan’s script is insipid, heartless and weak; it fails to reflect the gumption that made the show so good. The narrative which once made sense is now hideous and juvenile. The dialogue is flabbergasting. There are no real characters, but cardboard cut-outs (it’s so amazing to think that animation can more accurately reflect emotion than a live action film). The child actors have not been directed, but steered like cattle; the only promising actor here is Patel as the son of the evil fire lord. The sets are hideous; the action sequences are badly choreographed. A world which is supposed to look beautiful and magical is now dark and sinister with its creepy cinematography. The editing is reckless. One wonders how Shyamalan could have sunk to such a cinematic low. This is the man who brought to us the brilliant “Sixth Sense” and “Unbreakable.”

Furthermore, it is even more preposterous that a film shot in 2D should later be converted into 3D just for revenue’s sake. The 3D format is so contextually useless and tiring to the eyes that after a while I had to take off the glasses so as not to become blind and further frustrated.

“The Last Airbender,” despite all its efforts in trying to become a decent if not good film, is not perhaps an abomination, but an indisputable failure of production values and storytelling. If you were a fan of the show, you know that you will see it, for no one can repress their curiosity. But if you have never watched the animation, do not dare waste your money. Some things are just fine the way they are, they don’t need to be tampered with. This movie needs to be “bended” off into the archives.