M. Night Shyamalan goes moonlighting in action/comic-strip territory, and comes off the worse for it...

[Spoilers for The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable]

When going to watch The Last Airbender, there was one major thought going through my mind: will this turn out to be another Dragonball: Evolution? Unfortunately it pretty much turned out that way. Even headed by the great M. Night Shyamalan, the film just can't shake away from being essentially an abridged version of the first series of the Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon.

The film follows the events of the first series, or Book, of Avatar, called water, which details the discovery of the last Airbender by two members of the Southern Water Tribe Katara (Nicola Peltz) and her brother Sokka (Jackson Rathbone). The Airbender, Aang (Noah Ringer), reveals himself to be the Avatar, the reincarnation of the great spiritual leader who once kept the world in balance. However, he disappeared 100 years ago, and his disappearance heralded the rise of the Fire Nation and they led a war against the three other nations, Water, Earth and the Air Nomads, in a quest for world supremacy. It is up to Aang as the Avatar to travel across the world and free the world from the tyrannical grip of the Fire Nation, led by Fire Lord Ozai (Cliff Curtis), as well as learning how to bend all the four elements and become the true spiritual guide to his people.

"Shyamalan professes to a love of martial arts and Kung-Fu films, but there is little evidence to suggest it"

Like many people over the age of 12, I haven't really watched the original series upon which this film is based. I have seen the odd episode here and there, but haven't followed it religiously like many fans of the series have. As such I went to see this film with an open mind, hoping that Shyamalan could make more than just a big budget 3D version of the existing product. However, with all the control he had, there just weren't any big ideas to help captivate the audience. Shyamalan professes to a love of martial arts and Kung-Fu films, but there is little evidence to suggest it. Fights last no longer than a couple of minutes each, with most of the attention being focused on the CGI element bending rather than the slick movements and combat of the characters.

The story is rather slapdash, dashing around at an extreme pace, so that you have no time to empathise with the characters, and many questions are left unanswered. This may be purposeful, and make us want to see the next inevitable film to find the truth, but often questions are asked, and then completely forgotten about, like Katara’s mother, who is mentioned twice, but never spoken of again. Many characters, which I'm sure play quite major parts in the cartoon, appear and disappear just as quickly.

"The actors seemed to be just stickers placed upon a backdrop, and really stuck out from their green-screen surroundings"

The biggest disappointment though? The lack of a twist. To my knowledge there hasn't been a single film that Shyamalan has made that hasn't had a plot twist. Sixth Sense had Bruce Willis finding out he was dead, Unbreakable had the feeble Man of Glass, played by Samuel L Jackson, turning out to be the villain. What has The Last Airbender to offer? Nothing at all. Unless you count the 'revelation' that the mighty Moon Spirit is really a fish, that is. Equally as disappointing was the 3D. With those glasses on, it made the film seem extremely unrealistic. The actors seemed to be just stickers placed upon a backdrop, and really stuck out from their green-screen surroundings. Aang and co even look place when in real world locations. The elemental bending techniques don't even seem to jump off the screen like they should. Plus if I ever see a slow-mo action sequence ever again that blatantly rips off 300, I’m going to tear my hair out, and end up looking as bald as Aang.

Stylistically the film is a treat. The backdrops are breath-taking scenes of ancient Asia, with temples and mystical areas abundant throughout the film’s world. Every location looks like it could belong to the real world, and the only thing that sets us apart from it is that celluloid screen. From the snowy peaks of the Northern Water tribe city to the gritty Earth Nation and its green pastures, it’s a living, breathing world. The costume design is exquisite; showing the strong characteristics of each faction, and again giving the film the eastern flair it so wants.

The Last Airbender is just another product of the recent rise of cartoons being made into big budget live action movies, including Transformers and the previously mentioned Dragonball: Evolution. They are all style and no substance. Last Airbender just tries to fit too much in a short space of time. Instead of trying to focus on one conflict, Aang is dragged in every direction possible. Not only do we have the constant threat of the fire nation, but then there are Aang’s feelings for his lost tribe members, plus the responsibility that Katara has for becoming a water bender and discovering the location of her mother. Throw in a bit of last minute romance with a princess and an angst-ridden prince who is trying to reclaim his honour and you're left with so much to take in, that all you can do is just sit there and laugh whenever a character shouts out “He's a bender!” (Believe me, that was the best part of the film, and it gets me laughing every time just thinking about it).

"Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen have fared slightly better because Michael Bay deviated from the original storyline, and tried to create something fresh. The Last Airbender could have done with this kind of revamp"

What this film could have done with was focusing on one point in the story, or even better, becoming something completely different. Although not technically the greatest films of recent years, Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen have fared slightly better because Michael Bay deviated from the original storyline, and tried to create something fresh. The Last Airbender could have done with this kind of revamp, and created a better story that didn't rely on the constraints of the original storyline. If they had made this into a true Kung-Fu film with a splice of super powers, it may have been even cheesier, but a hell of a lot more enjoyable to watch.

So what's the final verdict, I hear you ask? Well if you really are desperate to discover the adventures of The Last Airbender, then go watch the original Nickelodeon cartoon. Things are evenly paced, explained and a lot less convoluted than this train wreck of a film. This film will only appeal to those kids that have the t-shirt and all the DVDs. If you are looking for some kind of action fix this summer, go see The Expendables, or Predators. Shyamalan, you should be ashamed of yourself for putting your name above the title.

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