[6.25/10] The Last Airbender [3D] (2010)

The Last Airbender [3D] (2010)

The fascinating previews and trailers for "The Last Airbender" built up an unbounded amount of anticipation in me. So yesterday I finally had the chance to see it. In 3D. For better or worse. Based on the first of three seasons of the American cartoon, "Avatar: The Last Airbender", it tells the story of four nations - Air, Water, Earth, Fire, tied by destiny, when the Fire Nation launches a brutal war against the others. A century has passed with no hope in sight to change the path of this destruction. Caught between combat and courage, Aang discovers he is the lone Avatar with the power to manipulate all four elements. Aang teams with Katara, a Waterbender, and her brother, Sokka , to restore balance to their war-torn world. Since I'm not a Shyamalan hater, nor a fan of the "Avatar" series, I'm judging the movie for what it was. Although it didn't meet my high expectations, I thought "The Last Airbender" was a visually striking, yet joyless fantasy flick, that offered stunning special effects and jaw-dropping visuals, but rather shallow story. Shayamalan certainly possesses some talent, so his direction didn't bother me. I thought it was decent, even creative at times. The multi-ethnic cast was interesting, but of the actors were totally miscast, the dialog was far too juvenile, the pace felt rushed, as we skipped from point to point, and almost all the characters were completely one-dimensional. The bending sequences were amazing though, and the the martial arts employed to control the four elements was rather impressive. The 3D was tremendously well-done, compared to other poor post-3D effects. "Clash of the Titans" anyone? Aside from the wooden acting and the nearly emotionless plot, "The Last Airbender" is a visually-marvellous and mildly entertaining fantasy flick, that isn't nearly as bad as some other people, mainly critics, claim it is.

• My Rating: 6.25/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 06% (2.8/10)
• IMDb: 4.4/10