The movie The Last Airbender based on Avatar: The Last Airbender, an excellent TV series that has lots of fans, myself included. When I saw the first trailers for The Last Airbender movie, I was overjoyed. I squeed.
And here's why:
The actual series uses influences from many different cultures to create an original world. The story itself is skillfully crafted so that the characters develop and grow in a manner that is easy for the audience to relate and is extremely enjoyable by a wide range of ages.
It covers quite a few topics too, from friendship, to people's differences, to dealing with extreme hardships like the death of loved ones, being responsible, and doing what is right, no matter the costs.
Avatar covers these topics without losing its delightful charm and humour, and I greatly recommend it to a wide range of audiences, including families and the young-at-heart.
The Last Airbender movie, however, doesn't quite live up to the standards of the series. There are many many issues that I have with it, but I shall be brief. Basically, M. Night Shyamalan takes most of what makes Avatar great, and tosses it aside, relies on his own egotistical self-justification to not consult the original creators of the series, and takes apart the show and pieces it back together half-haphazardly to create a monstrosity that severely disappoints every loyal fan of the series.
Seriously. The script is awkward and stiff, the actors occasionally do a good job, and the only consistently good thing about the movie is the special effects. The rest of it doesn't live up to the hype.
So in my opinion, save yourself the agony, and watch the original series.
and oh yeah, I actually made it through it this time without going off on a rambling rant. woot!
