The Last Airbender

Released July 1, 2010
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Noah Ringer, Dev Patel, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, Shaun Toub, Aasif Mandvi

First viewing July 2, 2010
Jolly: 3.5/5 stars

Well, the twist in this Shyamalan film is that it is unlike any other Shyamalan film. The Last Airbender is the first chapter of a promising movie trilogy that has action, spirit, and mesmerizing special effects. The story, based on the TV show “Avatar: The Last Airbender”, is about four nations: Air, Water, Earth and Fire. Within each nation there are people that can bend their element. An Avatar is someone who is born of the Air Nation and can bend all four elements.

After the last known Avatar disappeared, the Fire Nation started a war which resulted in the annihilation of the Air Nation, and suppressing benders of water and earth. One hundred years later, waterbender Katara (Peltz) and her brother Sokka (Rathbone) discover the Avatar, named Aang (Ringer). The castaway Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation (Patel) soon discovers the existence of the Avatar and plans to capture him to regain favour with his father.

In this first chapter, Water, we learn that although Aang has the ability to bend all elements, he ran away from home before learning water, earth and fire bending. So Aang along with Katara and Sokka travel to the Northern Water Tribe so that he can learn water bending. The race begins between Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation to capture the Avatar. The next two chapters will show Aang learning earth and fire bending to prepare for the final epic battle against the Fire Nation.

I think The Last Airbender is a refreshing change for M. Night Shyamalan. This is the first adaptation he has done, and I think it showcases his directing ability and gives him more credibility as a film maker. The use of special effects, especially when viewed in 3D, raises the bar of modern movie making. If this first chapter is any indication of what’s to come in the trilogy, I can’t wait.