Rock, paper, scissors...meet the big screen. Big screen meet the first story that M. Night Shyamalan hasn't botched since Unbreakable. Then again, this wasn't really his story. With action sequences choreographed to rival Swan Lake, The Last Airbender actually, and surprisingly, scores high with me. Quite frankly, I didn't expect it to--actually, I had sworn not to see this when I saw Shyamalan's name on it during last year's trailer sneak peaks. Can you blame me? He hasn't exactly been on a hot streak lately. Yeah, Wide Awake (1998) was okay. Sixth Sense (1999) was his all-time grand slam and Unbreakable (2000) and Signs (2002) were pretty good. But...and here's a whopping load of butt...he's struck out CRAZY in the last six years with The Lady in the Water, The Village and don't get me started on The Happening. This, however (The Last Airbender) is not his story to screw up; and, it's a pretty good story.
Yes, the acting is, well...lame at times. Okay, awful, at times. However, the story makes up for it. The world is divided. Each nation represents one of the four elements: air, water, earth and fire. Within each nation are a few gifted individuals called benders, who can manipulate their element. The Fire Nation, who seeks to control all nations, will have none of that. Actually, they've worked to put a stop to any of those element manipulators. However, there is one fly in the Pepto Bismal. That fly is the looming presence of the Avatar, a person connected to the spirit world beyond who has the ability to manipulate all four elements.
The Avatar, Aang, has been missing for more than a century. He decided to run away from his responsibility of serving as the Avatar. Much can happen in a hundred years. Aang's absence contributed to the Fire Nation's rise and the destruction of many, including his own people. His return brings hope, but he has yet to master three of the four elements...yadayadayada...Aang begins his quest to learn those elements yet mastered, while trying to stop the Fire Nation's desire for world dominance.
I give it 4.0 stars. The story moves along quickly and I was actually disappointed to see it end. As mentioned previously, the acting comes up short at times. Maybe it's the script trying to talk down to an audience of mainly kids. Ultimately, that shortcoming didn't damage my experience. It's the story and it's various aspects that made a lasting impression on me. Despite the natural prominence of the story, there's a strong human element as well. The story speaks to self-acceptance in the wake of poor decisions gone by. It encourages us to embrace those mistakes and simply dust ourselves off to do what needs to be done in the moment. Good message for all.
It's worth a trip to the movies and, at the very least, certainly worth a rental when it hits Blockbuster in December.
Enjoy your week...
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