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Okay. Heeere we go. The Last Airbender. I’ve never seen an episode of Avatar so this is all I know.
It’s weird Shyamalan made it because you'd think a no-name director would, but basically everything that’s bad about it is easily attributable to DIRECTION. https://twitter.com/filmobjective/status/1329248057452621824
Okay. Heeere we go. The Last Airbender. I’ve never seen an episode of Avatar so this is all I know.
It’s weird Shyamalan made it because you'd think a no-name director would, but basically everything that’s bad about it is easily attributable to DIRECTION. https://twitter.com/filmobjective/status/1329248057452621824
Not a single scene in this film pulls off a dramatic moment successfully when it comes to dialogue or acting. It’s mind-alteringly incompetent.
But I do want to say first that not having seen the show, this is not the worst film I’ve ever seen, so the whole 0% thing I don't get.
But I do want to say first that not having seen the show, this is not the worst film I’ve ever seen, so the whole 0% thing I don't get.
As an impartial observer, Howard’s score is good, Buff’s editing is alright, and Lesnie shoots the film quite well (he shot the Lord of the Rings movies btw).
As a big fantasy world to be explored, they pull off the creation of that world from an aesthetic perspective.
As a big fantasy world to be explored, they pull off the creation of that world from an aesthetic perspective.
The problem is the film is OBSESSED w/ plot. Shyamalan crams in nothing but literal story beats and shaves off all the downtime, character development, relationships, humor, EMOTION (or so I assume!). He wrote everyone like robots programming a plot.
BEEP BOOP BEEP BEEP BOOP:
BEEP BOOP BEEP BEEP BOOP:
His script is INFANTILE. Everything everyone says is exposition. And these little actors are so numbingly, teeth-pullingly bad. Their direction is bad and THEY are bad. On an astonishing level. This is like taking a Star Wars prequel and making every single character Anakin.
There’s a part where someone says, “We’ll find you teachers, teachers to teach you bending” and I haven’t heard delivery on a repetition like that since Attack of the Clones (“I wish I could just WISH away my feelings”). Really takes me back, though they make Anakin look good!
The film also does a bad job explaining what people CAN do and what’s impressive about doing it well. As someone who doesn’t know what bending is, I was receptive to explanation. For instance, multiple times people in the film say that you can’t create elements from nothing ...
But then the fire prince randomly uses fire underwater at one point? Little moments like that alienated me because I was sitting there trying to UNDERSTAND what bending is but multiple times, there seemed to be conflict between 2 things M. Night could NOT balance:
1. Stuff I assume he's changing from the show and 2. Moments literally in the show that he copied.
He never takes time to make the world feel living. As a martial arts film, there’s no exploration, comradery, or wonderment. It’s all completely flat outside of the aesthetics.
He never takes time to make the world feel living. As a martial arts film, there’s no exploration, comradery, or wonderment. It’s all completely flat outside of the aesthetics.
It's just: a hero who can do anything goes to get the thing, to get another thing, meet a person, get a thing, revelation, another thing, big drama, sacrifice, THINGS. I know they're both martial arts-inspired, but Rise of Skywalker has very similar exposition-obsession.
So this script used to be considered on the lowest level, but now would be acceptable if wrapped in the right franchise package. This is comparable to other modern blockbusters I’ve seen. But this doesn't make the acting less awful or a better interpretation of its material.
