The Last Airbender (movie)
Well, fuck. I finally got around to seeing The Last Airbender movie. It sucks.
They honestly expect us to pay to watch this thing? It is, without doubt, the worst conversion to live-action I have ever seen! I am left wondering if any of those who worked on this have actually seen the animated version! Ok, so the SFX were great. But SFX aren't everything there is to a good movie.
First off, their characterization was awful. Zuko? Had better self-control. He was raised as a noble, and he's firebender, therefore, due to training from a young age, had better posture and manners than was displayed the movie. And he was somehow more ... flexible in how he gets things done. IE, He ran a BLOCKADE!! Not something I can see the character his actor portrayed doing. His actor so DID NOT DO HIM JUSTICE!!! Not to mention I would not have let that guy have the part in the first place. I would have given the part to Luke Bilyk, who at least looks the part. And don't even get me going on Iroh. Can't anyone say his name right? it's pronounced Ai - rou, not Air - oh. Aang? Again with the improper pronunciation. it's A-ng, as in hang without the h. Aang was a lot more playful and head-in-the-clouds than that. He's supposed to be upbeat and optimistic.
Ozai? He was sooo much more ... distant than was portrayed. He's a master manipulator, even more than his daughter. His attitude was so much more ... smug and condescending. And he had LONG HAIR!!! So did Zhao. And where was the spooky throne room where Ozai hands out all his orders? The girl picked for Azula? Brrr. Ugh. That will not turn out right.
The only two who came near to playing their parts correctly was Yue and Sokka.
All in all, this is not a movie I would recommend to anyone, whether they've seen the animated version or not. Nowhere even near a tenth of the whole story was told ( I would have enjoyed seeing Aang's encounter with the Face-Stealer and the hurricane that almost wreaked Zuko's ship. And that whole scene in the Air Temple where they find the statues of past Avatars. And possessed-Aang. That was NOT how the battle at the North Water Tribe was supposed to go.) I only hope they do a much better job on book 2.
I can say only this: I will NOT be seeing Book 2.