I was at a midnight screening last night. My overall assessment was that it was certainly not the crap-fest Shyamalan is capable of making, but it wasn't the epic masterpiece it could and should have been based on the source material.
I should also predicate this review on a brief assessment of how I think other people in the theater reacted. When the credits rolled up, a lot of people applauded, but a lot of people booed. I saw it with a group of five (myself included); me being the only real fan of the show in that group. Most of them liked it, except one who hated it.
Now, on to the review. Warning: there be spoilers:
The Bad
Truncated storyline: Obviously, they needed to cut things out. But they should have made a two and a half hour movie. Many important plot details are left in or worked in clumsily (in the final scene, Ozai states several plot points that should have been revealed earlier), and they don't spend long enough in any location to develop much of anything. Some things that are put in from the series are not worked in well, either (the "we could be friends" line does NOT come after the Blue Spirit segment (which ultimately makes that sequence seem pointless) and is presented as a throwaway line that doesn't have nearly the impact it should have). And despite the promotional images and clips, Suki and the Kyoshi warriors are NOT in this movie.
Lack of character development: Only Zuko is truly realized from his TV series counterpart. Aang is reasonably developed but is conceived as pretty deadly serious, robbing him of much of the complexity he displayed in the series. Katara, Sokka, and especially Iroh are woefully underdeveloped.
Action sequences: One character throws something at another, and then just stands there waiting for them to block it and return fire. The action goes MUCH to slowly. The already revealed clip of Aang taking out several soldiers in a row with water and ice bending is probably the best action sequences, which is probably why that's the one they revealed.
Dialogue: While not consistently terrible, there are some moments that fall flat (most egregious is an over the top "Yes!" from Commander Zhao; whole theater laughed at that one. Expect that to become a meme), and Katara's narration often serves simply as a way to truncate the storyline even further. The dialogue is usually just as competent as it needs to be; nothing particularly stirring and not as quotable as the series.
The Good
Look of the film: They were definitely loyal to the series in terms of the look: if you take many individual frames of the movie, it really looks like it came right out of the series. It's beautiful to look at, though there are only a handful of sequences where the 3D adds anything.
Musical score: The music has been out for a while and most have already heard it, but it really is beautiful to listen to and helps make some sequences at least somewhat interesting that otherwise might not have been.
Acting: I still say racebenders can suck it. While the actors aren't given the time they deserved to develop their characters and won't win Oscars for their work, they nevertheless do a fine job with what they have, Patel and Ringer in particular. The one exception is Mandvi, who just isn't able to be as menacing as Zhao should be.
Basic story: The basic storyline of the original series remains intact despite the truncating, and it remains an interesting story. If you're not familiar with the series, you can still enjoy the world the movie creates and the journey that the characters take.
Bending effects: While the action sequences as a whole are often somewhat dull, the effects of the bending really do look good and stay faithful to the series.
Well, those are my thoughts in a nutshell. Enjoy!
And see the movie and make up your own minds.
I should also predicate this review on a brief assessment of how I think other people in the theater reacted. When the credits rolled up, a lot of people applauded, but a lot of people booed. I saw it with a group of five (myself included); me being the only real fan of the show in that group. Most of them liked it, except one who hated it.
Now, on to the review. Warning: there be spoilers:
The Bad
Truncated storyline: Obviously, they needed to cut things out. But they should have made a two and a half hour movie. Many important plot details are left in or worked in clumsily (in the final scene, Ozai states several plot points that should have been revealed earlier), and they don't spend long enough in any location to develop much of anything. Some things that are put in from the series are not worked in well, either (the "we could be friends" line does NOT come after the Blue Spirit segment (which ultimately makes that sequence seem pointless) and is presented as a throwaway line that doesn't have nearly the impact it should have). And despite the promotional images and clips, Suki and the Kyoshi warriors are NOT in this movie.
Lack of character development: Only Zuko is truly realized from his TV series counterpart. Aang is reasonably developed but is conceived as pretty deadly serious, robbing him of much of the complexity he displayed in the series. Katara, Sokka, and especially Iroh are woefully underdeveloped.
Action sequences: One character throws something at another, and then just stands there waiting for them to block it and return fire. The action goes MUCH to slowly. The already revealed clip of Aang taking out several soldiers in a row with water and ice bending is probably the best action sequences, which is probably why that's the one they revealed.
Dialogue: While not consistently terrible, there are some moments that fall flat (most egregious is an over the top "Yes!" from Commander Zhao; whole theater laughed at that one. Expect that to become a meme), and Katara's narration often serves simply as a way to truncate the storyline even further. The dialogue is usually just as competent as it needs to be; nothing particularly stirring and not as quotable as the series.
The Good
Look of the film: They were definitely loyal to the series in terms of the look: if you take many individual frames of the movie, it really looks like it came right out of the series. It's beautiful to look at, though there are only a handful of sequences where the 3D adds anything.
Musical score: The music has been out for a while and most have already heard it, but it really is beautiful to listen to and helps make some sequences at least somewhat interesting that otherwise might not have been.
Acting: I still say racebenders can suck it. While the actors aren't given the time they deserved to develop their characters and won't win Oscars for their work, they nevertheless do a fine job with what they have, Patel and Ringer in particular. The one exception is Mandvi, who just isn't able to be as menacing as Zhao should be.
Basic story: The basic storyline of the original series remains intact despite the truncating, and it remains an interesting story. If you're not familiar with the series, you can still enjoy the world the movie creates and the journey that the characters take.
Bending effects: While the action sequences as a whole are often somewhat dull, the effects of the bending really do look good and stay faithful to the series.
Well, those are my thoughts in a nutshell. Enjoy!
And see the movie and make up your own minds.
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