Plain and simple, this filth has the lowest rating I've ever given anything. In expressing my dismay, I hope to warn others (fans and non-fans alike) about how M. Night, in my opinion, has ravished what is possibly one of the most well-loved and enchanting pieces of animated art ever to be produced.
Unlike most Avatar fans, I came into the movie without ever watching a single episode. My older brother has tried convincing me for years to give the animated series some attention (we are both adults, and in my humble opinion, I think we have at least decent, if not sensible, taste). Although I greatly respect his opinion, I was reluctant to oblige, never getting past the child/tween-oriented marketing and Nickelodeon stamp over the material.
I watched the movie thinking it would be a convenient first foray into the world of Avatar – only to be severely appalled by the product. It bore no iota of grace, and as its own vehicle, it just looked and felt like a complete disaster. The pace oscillated between "too dull to make me care" and "too quick to comprehend," the cinematography felt all over the place in more than just a few scenes, the characters felt lifeless, even the martial arts looked cheap and silly (the Karate Kid, surprisingly, had far better choreography even without the fancy elemental effects). I'm pretty capable of suspending my disbelief and when I have to, I can keep an open mind to children's flicks, but I don't think this movie failed me because I wasn't the target demographic. I think it failed because it flat-out did – on all counts of what makes good cinema.
Confused, I decided to watch the series in order to delve into what my brother found appealing. I was immediately so gripped with the show that I finished all three seasons within a week. It was a magical experience that appealed to my more mature sensibilities while still allowing me a glimpse of the innocence, imagination, and idealism that I've missed since childhood. I can unequivocally say that it's one of the best works of art, in whatever canvas, that I've ever had the pleasure of viewing. I've fallen in love with the characters, the breathtaking backdrops, the precise animation, the heartfelt score, the cultural depictions, the growth and the journey – the entire world of Avatar, really. It's not easy for any medium to touch me on both the intellectual and visceral depth that Avatar has.
I recently read an M. Night Shyamalan interview where he went into a tirade about his unshakable "integrity" and how he approached this project with such a mindset. For example, he talked at length about altering the way Firebenders controlled their element, even though members of his own effects staff were protective of the source material. He was adamant about not allowing them to produce their own fire, seeing the original creators as illogical in this regard. In the series, it is clearly explained that fire is produced via "chi," and is henceforth a physical manifestation and extension of a Firebender's life energy. Being heavily immersed in Asian culture, I made sense of it and thought it was a beautiful translation of Chinese beliefs.
This might be the minutest of details, perhaps even just a pet peeve on my part, but I believe it offers us a glimpse of how M. Night incontrovertibly lacked the requisite appreciation, reverence, or even just comprehension of the source material – even when members of his own production crew were calling him out on it. This disaster of an adaptation would have been totally preventable if he was just willing to listen, which makes the whole travesty even more of a shame.
But what can you expect from a man who frequently makes movie titles an afterthought to his own name? (It again peeves me that he styled this as "M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender" when he does not even deserve the slightest credit for any modicum of grace still associated with the material – though I guess it at least helps us distinguish this as "his own version" and dismiss it as simply that). This is the same egomaniac who cast himself as a messiah in "The Lady in the Water," the same narcissist who insists on having creative control (writing, directing, producing) over everything he touches, thus sealing himself in his own self-important world. Unfortunately for him, when you occupy all these spots yourself, then who is left to blame for such a shoddy product?
I agree that directors have to carry their own visions when creating adaptations, but they should also retain a balance of fidelity to what has made their source materials so endearing (or even just fundamentally coherent) to begin with. A slight amount of respect for the original's success would've gone a long way in imbibing this movie with its own success.
The truly amazing adaptations are made by true fans, ala Peter Jackson with "The Lord of the Rings," who not only understand but also revere their source material – hence they are wise about what they choose to alter. Peter Jackson could erase minor characters, add and skip entire chapters for better storytelling effect, but imagine him making the Ring not function similarly, or turn Aragorn into a wimp, or the Hobbits humorless? This is exactly how M. Night has hijacked this universe and its characters.
I'm beginning to think that for M. Night, "integrity" is just another synonym for "narcissism," and as an unfortunate effect, nowhere else have I seen such an extreme disparity in both class and quality between two versions of the same material.
Unlike most Avatar fans, I came into the movie without ever watching a single episode. My older brother has tried convincing me for years to give the animated series some attention (we are both adults, and in my humble opinion, I think we have at least decent, if not sensible, taste). Although I greatly respect his opinion, I was reluctant to oblige, never getting past the child/tween-oriented marketing and Nickelodeon stamp over the material.
I watched the movie thinking it would be a convenient first foray into the world of Avatar – only to be severely appalled by the product. It bore no iota of grace, and as its own vehicle, it just looked and felt like a complete disaster. The pace oscillated between "too dull to make me care" and "too quick to comprehend," the cinematography felt all over the place in more than just a few scenes, the characters felt lifeless, even the martial arts looked cheap and silly (the Karate Kid, surprisingly, had far better choreography even without the fancy elemental effects). I'm pretty capable of suspending my disbelief and when I have to, I can keep an open mind to children's flicks, but I don't think this movie failed me because I wasn't the target demographic. I think it failed because it flat-out did – on all counts of what makes good cinema.
Confused, I decided to watch the series in order to delve into what my brother found appealing. I was immediately so gripped with the show that I finished all three seasons within a week. It was a magical experience that appealed to my more mature sensibilities while still allowing me a glimpse of the innocence, imagination, and idealism that I've missed since childhood. I can unequivocally say that it's one of the best works of art, in whatever canvas, that I've ever had the pleasure of viewing. I've fallen in love with the characters, the breathtaking backdrops, the precise animation, the heartfelt score, the cultural depictions, the growth and the journey – the entire world of Avatar, really. It's not easy for any medium to touch me on both the intellectual and visceral depth that Avatar has.
I recently read an M. Night Shyamalan interview where he went into a tirade about his unshakable "integrity" and how he approached this project with such a mindset. For example, he talked at length about altering the way Firebenders controlled their element, even though members of his own effects staff were protective of the source material. He was adamant about not allowing them to produce their own fire, seeing the original creators as illogical in this regard. In the series, it is clearly explained that fire is produced via "chi," and is henceforth a physical manifestation and extension of a Firebender's life energy. Being heavily immersed in Asian culture, I made sense of it and thought it was a beautiful translation of Chinese beliefs.
This might be the minutest of details, perhaps even just a pet peeve on my part, but I believe it offers us a glimpse of how M. Night incontrovertibly lacked the requisite appreciation, reverence, or even just comprehension of the source material – even when members of his own production crew were calling him out on it. This disaster of an adaptation would have been totally preventable if he was just willing to listen, which makes the whole travesty even more of a shame.
But what can you expect from a man who frequently makes movie titles an afterthought to his own name? (It again peeves me that he styled this as "M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender" when he does not even deserve the slightest credit for any modicum of grace still associated with the material – though I guess it at least helps us distinguish this as "his own version" and dismiss it as simply that). This is the same egomaniac who cast himself as a messiah in "The Lady in the Water," the same narcissist who insists on having creative control (writing, directing, producing) over everything he touches, thus sealing himself in his own self-important world. Unfortunately for him, when you occupy all these spots yourself, then who is left to blame for such a shoddy product?
I agree that directors have to carry their own visions when creating adaptations, but they should also retain a balance of fidelity to what has made their source materials so endearing (or even just fundamentally coherent) to begin with. A slight amount of respect for the original's success would've gone a long way in imbibing this movie with its own success.
The truly amazing adaptations are made by true fans, ala Peter Jackson with "The Lord of the Rings," who not only understand but also revere their source material – hence they are wise about what they choose to alter. Peter Jackson could erase minor characters, add and skip entire chapters for better storytelling effect, but imagine him making the Ring not function similarly, or turn Aragorn into a wimp, or the Hobbits humorless? This is exactly how M. Night has hijacked this universe and its characters.
I'm beginning to think that for M. Night, "integrity" is just another synonym for "narcissism," and as an unfortunate effect, nowhere else have I seen such an extreme disparity in both class and quality between two versions of the same material.
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