M. Night Shyamalan was out of his genre on this one and I'm afraid it showed. I was expecting The Last Airbender to rival Avatar since the Shamalyan/Cammeron feud over the use of the word "Avatar" started in the courts before either movie was released.
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| For more pictures and info: http://www.thelastairbendermovie.com/ |
Unfortunately TLA fell far short of what it could have been. It is my opinion that Shyamalan muted the intensity of the film since it is basically a children's story borrowed from Nickelodeon. Night is capable of making this much more intense by unleashing the creative juices that fueled The Sixth Sense and The Village; however that might have caused the Nick at Night crowd a few restless nights.
The fact that the movie was not filmed in 3D and added as a post-production gimmick because "everyone else was doing it" just didn't work for me. The indoor scenes were dark enough and the silly 3D sunglasses made it worse. Once again, we don't know all that transpires behind corporate studio doors and my hunch is that the suits did a little arm twisting to the ratty-jeans-wearing producer/director.
The young stars did a commendable job and to those who poo-pooed their performance I say "get a life"! We, today's movie-going audience, are more sophisticated and tech-savvy than ever before. We pay attention to camera movements and lens choices, not to mention what's CGI and what's real. I wonder how Shirley Temple would be reviewed if she stepped out of a time machine and auditioned for a 21st century flick. I wonder if she'd even get a call-back?
The kids did great! Dev Patel, being more experienced and not really a kid, was a step better than the others, but I enjoyed all of them. That is thanks in part to all the AD's, AP's, and assistant-anything-elses that worked with them. Yes, the leads had their own trailers and tutors, but the other young actors went to school in a one-room school tent and would be gently ushered on set when they were needed. They did a commendable job. All were well behaved except one. There was this one eight year old with a too-long, shaggy, blonde Prince Valiant haircut that was a bit of a terror and his au pare had trouble controlling him. Had he been mine . . . let’s just say he would not have been such a terror, and he would have had a better haircut!
Overall, the movie was entertaining but not an award winner. If you are like me and take most movies for what they are and sit back and enjoy a video story, this movie is fine. The simple story line is good versus evil and being good isn't easy, it takes perseverance and sometime pain. Story lines don't have to be complicated. After all, look at Avatar isn’t it just the story of Pocahontas (at least the Disney version)?
Working on this movie with my bud Night, was an incredible education. Being one of a hundred nameless background actors is humbling. When they would cast scenes we would line up like kids on the playground waiting to chosen for a pick-up baseball game. But, unfortunately, art imitates life. It was rare that I was chosen for any smaller “intimate” scenes. I got in the large crowd scenes. You can look and look but I doubt you will find my bearded face anywhere. In one scene I was only two people away from the boom-mounted camera as it bisected the throng. I thought, this has to be in the movie! I envisioned my serious-looking actor’s expression to be eight feet high on the IMAX for the entire world to see. In the final cut, the scene starts from a point just after the camera passed my head. Oh well, I’ll just have to wait for my shot at universal fame.
I bought the DVD from Amazon – it was already on sale for $16.95. Imagine how cheap it will be by summer. I suppose I’ll find it in the dump-bin at the grocery store on sale for $5.99 by then. I guess it was unrealistic to think my movie would be the next Gone with the Wind, or, The Wizard of Oz. Heck, I’d settle for 30,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Thanks for reading me,
Don
PS: Even though I'm not likely to be seen in the movie, part of my home town is in it. The pagoda shown in the above illustration is the pagoda on Mt. Penn.
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