An 'Airbender' Blunder? M. Night Thrashed by Critics

By John Mitchell Posted Jul 2nd 2010 02:30PM

Is 'The Last Airbender,' director M. Night Shyamalan's live-action version of the Nickelodeon cartoon 'Avatar: The Last Airbender,' the "worst movie epic ever"? Time magazine certainly thinks so and it isn't alone -- the film carries an especially rotten rating on movie review website Rotten Tomatoes, earning a paltry 9 percent fresh rating from the nation's top film critics.

This marks the latest misfire from the once lauded director of hits like 'The Sixth Sense,' 'Signs' and 'Unbreakable.'

Before its release, the film was seen as a comeback vehicle for Shyamalan, who after weak box office performances from his last two movies 'The Happening' and 'Lady in the Water,' which earned 18 and 24 percent ratings from Rotten Tomatoes, respectively, changed up his usual formula. The director is best known for supernatural thrillers set (and filmed) near his home in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

'Airbender,' according to its IMDB synopsis, was very different:

Air, Water, Earth, Fire. Four nations 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 (Noah Ringer) discovers he is the lone Avatar with the power to manipulate all four elements. Aang teams with Katara (Nicola Peltz), a Waterbender, and her brother, Sokka (Jackson Rathbone), to restore balance to their war-torn world.

Despite the film's reliance on images associated with eastern and Buddhist culture, it was principally filmed in eastern Pennsylvania (like all Shyamalan movies), with some filming also done in Greenland and Vietnam. The pic is said to have cost north of $100 million to produce -- with some estimates running as high as $150 million -- and as much as $130 million to market.

For Shyamalan, a writer-director desperate to prove he can do more than PG-13 spook films, the critical trashing must be particularly hard to swallow.

In its review, Time magazine calls the film "surely the worst botch of a fantasy epic" since a 1978 animated version of 'The Lord of the Rings' and says Shyamalan's dialogue "has the stilted sagacity of a fortune-cookie dictum." The mag also responds to the controversy over Indian and Caucasian actors being cast in parts intended for Asian actors, saying, "The actors who didn't get to be in 'The Last Airbender' are like the passengers who arrived too late to catch the final flight of the Hindenburg."

But it's Roger Ebert who perhaps best sums up the reaction to the film. In his review for the Chicago Sun-Time, the beloved film critic says, "'The Last Airbender' is an agonizing experience in every category I can think of and others still waiting to be invented. The laws of chance suggest that something should have gone right. Not here." Ouch.

'Airbender' hit theaters July 1 as counterprogramming to the blockbuster third film in the 'Twilight Saga,' 'Eclipse.' Its studio, Paramount, saw an opportunity to attract young male moviegoers unlikely to be interested in whether Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) picks Edward (Robert Pattinson) or Jacob (Taylor Lautner). Only time will tell if the reviews will hurt the film's box office, but precedent isn't on its side in the competitive summer season: The critically-slammed 'Jonah Hex,' a semi-supernatural western starring Josh Brolin and Megan Fox, earned a similarly weak 12 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and has so far grossed a disastrous $10 million since its June 18 release.

Shyamalan, a two time Oscar nominee for 'The Sixth Sense,' presently has no other films in development as a writer or director. Domestically, his seven films have grossed nearly $900 million, led by 'The Sixth Sense' and 'Signs.' The director became well known for his use of surprise twist endings after 'Sense' and 'The Village,' and has taken small roles in many of his films.

Tags: m. night shyamalan, the last airbender

Comments

(33)

Saturday 03 July

By DaveG

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Never been an M. Night fan. Even the 6th Sense was kind of a joke. I needed only to see an ad and the first 5 minutes of the movie to know that Bruce Willis' character was really dead. The plotline was that transparent. His subsequent works have just spiraled down from there.

Sunday 04 July

By Nico Toscani

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Even if what you say is true (which I HIGHLY doubt), it still doesn't take away from the fact Sixth Sense is a good film. Even on repeated viewing it's still creepy, original and extremely well acted.

Friday 02 July

By jmfabianorpl

WHATTA TWIST!

By Jessica

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Technically the Indian actor in this movie is Asian.

By Linda

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I PERSONALLY DO NOT GO BY WHAT EBERT OR ANYONE SAYS ABOUT A MOVIE. IF I WATCH IT AND LIKE IT OH WELL..SORRY EBERT. I THINK YOU ARE A JERK ANYHOW A LOT OF THE TIMES WITH WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT OTHERS AND WHAT THEY DO IN THEIR MOVIES ETC ETC. WHO MADE YOU JUDGE AND JURY I ASK? WHAT ONE PERSON HATES ANOTHER MIGHT LIKE AND VICE VERSA. SO WHATEVER YOU SAY. WHO THE HECK CARES WHAT YOU THINK?! NOT ME. I SHALL JUDGE THE MOVIE MYSELF THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND I BET EBERT HAS NOT SAT AND WATCHED THE CARTOONS "AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER" IF AT ALL OR VERY MANY TIMES AS I HAVE WITH MY KIDS. SO WHAT IF THE CHARACTERS ARE NOT ALL ASIAN. FOR WHATEVER REASON YOU HAVE TO GET SO PETTY IS BEYOND ME! THERE HAVE BEEN MANY FILMS EBERT HAS LIKED THAT I HAVE HATED. POINT PROVED. YOU ARE NOT A JUDGE AND JURY EBERT SO I SHALL SEE FOR MYSELF JUST HOW GOOD THIS MOVIE MAY BE WITHOUT YOUR NEGATIVIY! THANK GOD I DO NOT LISTEN TO EBERT OR WHAT ANYONE ELSE THINKS ABOUT A MOVIE. WE ALL HAVE OUR OPINIONS AND YOU KNOW THE OLD SAYING...OPINIONS ARE LIKE AS*HO*ES..EVERYONE HAS THEM! RASPBERRIES TO YOU EBERT FOR YOUR BASHING OF A FILM THAT IS NOT EVEN OUT YET. SEEMS TO ME THAT IS UNFAIR EBERT! YOU PROCLAIM TO BE THE KING OF DECIDING WHAT MOVIES ARE GOOD AND BAD AND THAT ME IS FUNNY STUFF. HOW CAN SPEAK FOR EVERYONE ELSE IS BEYOND ME. WHAT IS A LOT OF PEOPLE HAPPEN TO LIKE THE FILM AND YOU JUST ARE ONE IN FEW THAT HATED IT? DAFT WANKER!

By Shell

wow calm down no one is saying they think they are better they are doing a JOB a paper asks them to watch and give an opionion you can choose to read it and say hmm ok interesting and then go see the movie yourself and form your own opinion ,that easy ,I liked watching Siskel and Ebert when I was younger ,I couldn't care less about thier opinion but iy gave me insight into the movie and usually a clip or two to see before I chose to go watch or not..I really really wish they would have stuck to the animation and with the same voice actors though..But hey that is just my opinion...

By Luis Quispehuamn

Well Linda don't be tough on the guy. You said yourself "everyone has their own opinion" and therefore he has the right to express it. He doesn't need a bashing. Go see the film and enjoy put your mind at ease and bring that kid out. you will see that most film are entertaining. that have been blasted. but, always remember that you do not have to disrespect one for having an opinion.

Tuesday 06 July

By Mike

Im the exact same way. I usually disagree with them. That IS what they are though. Critics. I dont think they are supposed to apeak for everyone. A critic is a person supposedly educated and or experienced in a given trade or art that gives their critique. One peice of advice I could give you is to try and find a critic that you have similar taste in movies as and watch for their opinion, otherwise yeah, any friend or stranger or employee at a video store is just as valuable to you as Ebert. Ps. opinions are like A*#holes, everyones got one and alot of them really stink,lol.

By neumann103

I PERSONALLY DO NOT KNOW WHERE THE CAPS LOCK KEY IS.. OR ELSE I WOULD TAKE IT OFF! WHILE USING RANDOM PUNCTUATION?

By DJ

First off, I am not a big M. Night Shyamalan fan! But I really did enjoy this film and I hope he does the other two movies. As for the film critics, their opinion is exactly that, their opinion. Everyone should judge this film for themselves. In order to do that, they need to give the movie a chance. I myself look forward to the continuation of the trilogy.

By Drewboy60

Time magazine is sold out to left so who cares what they say. It's America, and if you want to watch movie, than do it. If not, cool, it's okay too !

By Drew

It's America !!! Watch or don't watch the movie. Time magazine is so bent to the left, i cancelled my subscription 20 years ago.

Wednesday 14 July

By sarah

Critics don't know anything. They don't know how to open their minds. They're so stuck up and only care for those tear-jerker movies that no one really wants to go see. I'm appalled at the reviews Airbender has gotten. Seriously, the first Twilight movie was FAR worse than this film. I loved the Airbender series and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Shyamalan stayed true to the story's original plot. Something you don't see very often.

Need to make a movie called ' Truthbender ' as Obama pumps misnformation and flat out lies daily !!!!

By Wanda

Yeah,like you would know the truth if it walked up and introduced itself! Why can't you idiots post this crap on political discussion boards. This has nothing to do with this movie.

Monday 05 July

By shiloh2000

Idiot. You probably get your news from Fox -- so you're brain is beyond damaged.

By mike

hahaha awesome, Im glad theres still a few people in this country that havent been totally blinded by getting all their knowledge by growing up at MTV UNIVERSITY!

By Sue Mobley

I LIKE IT!!!!..We'er all going....if Ebert "dosen't like it" its worth seeing.

By Crystal

I saw the movie yesterday. It had some really amazing 3d parts, but other than that it was not really that good. Jackson Rathbone was really good in it though.

By caraanise116

Dude, if your in America, then you can choose whether to see the movie or not...

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