[Trailer] Last Airbender: what's the appeal?

[Mark]

Cool. Thanks for the suggestions. I'll give it another go from where I left off and if it becomes too much I'll revert to the suggested list. I do also agree that Potter almost made me cringe early on (just the movies, I never read the books) but I managed to get over that so maybe I can do the same with this series, since it is so highly recommended. I'd like to get through this before going to the movie so that I can keep up with the discussions among the bigger fans and experts here.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I don't care for anime, but I'm watching the animated show on Netflix Instand streaming and I just love it. It's surprisingly funny and touching. Add in untraditional heroes (inuit culture) and good action, and I'm sold.

The movie? I dunno. Casting all white folks irks me a little, and I see no sign of the humor. i'll wait and check reviews.

That sums up my perceptions as well.

 

[Darth Shoju]

For those concerned about the lack of humour, this [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxKIu_AdLCY"]trailer[/ame] seems to offer some hope.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Not to pick nits, but I'd say we all get a pretty good look at Aang in scary avatar mode first in The Siege of the North.

Yeah, but I meant scary angry Aang. The rage caused by pain.

 

[Pbartender]

I'm really worried he sucked out all the fun and turned Aang into some brooding, morose, reluctant hero/child-savior who sulks and angrily rants about his unwanted destiny, made Katara into a snotty, exasperated bitch, and Sokka into a solemn, humorless warrior.

No kidding... If I remember right, none of that is really suppose to happen until the third season.

 

[Azgulor]

As far as I can tell by the recent ads, this is an action movie featuring a child in the main role, with no memorable villain or world, and no love interest. In addition, it seems to be a Mary Sue Chosen One narrative. <snip>
Fans of Airbender: is this a good work advertised badly, or is this Howard the Duck?

After The Happening, I have no idea if the live-action movie will suck. Sadly, smart money is probably safer on betting that it will - but that's b/c of M. Night, not because of the source material.

A 30-second preview spot can't convey the setting or story in a truly meaningful way. That's why previews generally give a bare bones summation or highlight a few elements.

First and foremost, Avatar: The Last Airbender is a kid's show. Kid's see a kid hero, "good" and "evil" and can pretty quickly determine if they want to see it.

As for the assessment you gleaned --- you're so far off base you're on another planet. While it's a kid's show, it had characters that grew and changed over the course of the series, a fully-realized fantasy world, and multi-dimensional characters: including the villains as well as numerous strong female roles on the hero & villain side.

Avatar: The Last Airbender may not be for everyone (the anime style turned me off initially) but if you can't find anything worthwhile in the series, I'd have to seriously question your RPG gamer cred. If you want fantasy that's simultaneously familiar yet different, the world of Avatar makes the short list of "settings done right". (IMO of course.)

 

[Herschel]

It probably doesn't matter if it actually is any good, it's going to get buried at the box office. Absolutely destroyed. That may be too bad but those dashnab sparkly vampires, Woody, Buzz and the inexplicable draw of Adam Sandler likely mean it does nothing worth mentioning to studio exec types.

It will have to make its hay on video, which isn't a great sign if they invested in 3D for theater.

 

[CrimsonReaver]

First and foremost, Avatar: The Last Airbender is a kid's show.

Which is precisely why the approach they've taken in the trailers is so perplexing. Nearly every trailer/preview/TV spot I've seen appears to be promoting it like an adult (or, at best, a young adult) feature, with the focus on the fighting, the FX, and the darker elements of the story. You'd think they'd want to cash in on the Harry Potter craze by marketing it in a similar fashion - the earlier Potter films, anyway - and that'd be totally appropriate, because it is (the source material, anyway) a kids' show that's also found a pretty solid adult audience too. But if I had kids, based on the trailers, I wouldn't take them to see the movie because it looks to have lost a lot of the "fun" that would have excited them and kept them engaged.

Brings to mind that RedLetterMedia review of The Phantom Menace where the kids are sitting in front of the television watching one of the boring political BS scenes and, even though they're fixated on the screen, you know they're thinking 'WTF?' Okay, it probably won't be that bad, but still...


I think the saddest part is, according to CHUD.com, the estimated expensive of the movie is around $280 million. So, even if the movie is as brilliant and fun and awesome as it deserves to be, it'll likely have to make at least $330 million in the theaters for Paramount to front a similar bankroll for the next two movies. And going up against a monster like Twilight...it doesn't look good. They might have done better to wait until November or December.

 

[Mark]

Nearly every trailer/preview/TV spot I've seen appears to be promoting it like an adult (or, at best, a young adult) feature, with the focus on the fighting, the FX, and the darker elements of the story.

That's why I'm seeing it, and probably rethinking about holding off on the 3D, in that I might just spring for the 3D (IMAX if available) right off rather than test it with a regular screen matinee.

 

[frankthedm]

Casting all white folks irks me a little

I'm skipping my planned comment and just going to post the director's response...


M Night Shyamalan in his own words on The Last Airbender race controversy

indiemoviesonline.com/news/m-night-shyamalan-in-his-own-words-on-the-last-airbender-race-controversy-250610