sigh.
i really wanted this movie not to suck. i wished and crossed fingers and even did my own version of praying for it not to suck. i could have tolerated for it to suck a little, i mean, it's Shyamalan, there's gonna be some suck in there. as long as it didn't go the way of Daredevil, i would have been happy with that.
well. ok, to it's credit i could see how anyone who had not seen at least one episode of the animated series could have found that movie slightly pleasurable. it's just a good story. but even that doesn't save it from the horrendous acting. i don't care enough to look up the actors' names because i'm angry with them on a fundamental level so just go with me here.
that chick playing Katara wanted to be Michelle Trachtenberg sooo bad. aside from the fact that Michelle can act, she had the look down but the forced intensity and constant crying and general bad delivery of pretty much every line she spoke was a lot to gulp down.
Sokka was not funny at all. what happened there? why change the character's personality? Sokka is the comic relief. how could Shyamalan not know that? i also could not stop calling him Jasper and waiting for him to vamp out on Katara cuz she stank so good.
lil dude playing Aang was all right. he did a good job. i wish he'd kept the happy-go-lucky attitude he started with but i guess since they TOTALLY CHANGED WHY HE WAS IN THE BALL WHAT IS MADE OF AIR-ICE, i guess the forlorn quiet sullenness fit.
Zuko. wtf, man. wtf. the barely-there scar. the fact that he looked like Ralph Macchio pushing 30. the spiky hair. tsk tsk. he was another one with way too much intensity. Zuko was driven, not psychotic.
Iroh. i love that dude playing him, whose name i know from The Kite Runner but totally can't remember right now. he was wrong aesthetically but he had the right vibe. so kudos for that.
Yue is not worth mentioning except for the part when the Fire Nation is burning her city to the ground and she's sitting on her throne effing smirking. yeah. and weirdly she was way hotter with the white hair. where'd that 'stache come from once her stuff went black? ew.
Zhao and Ozai ...just. no. and really, Cliff Curtis is like one of my favorite actors ever but just, i don't know. everything about Ozai is sharp and hot. he's the freaking Firelord and he's a sadistic fuck. Curtis played him like an overbearing father with a greed complex. just not good enough.
there's a scene between Aang, Sokka, and Katara that looks straight out of some kid's youtube video, the acting is that bad.
Aang: here's a seriously plot point stated blatantly because apparently the people watching this film have an IQ of 12!
Sokka: omg let me expand upon your bluntly stated plot point!
Katara: i will concur with Sokka's expansion and add nothing but big eyes and feigned intensity to this conversation!
Aang: more plot points stated in an unrealistic and uncreative way!
Sokka: yes, this is the end of the plot pointing and general sequel foreshadowing, which i will also deliver in an over-exuberant way!
Katara: O_O yes.
all this is done with close ups. jebus crispy.
ok that's just the actors. but there are two gigantic things that really just raised my hackles:
1) WHY DID THEY MISPRONOUNCE EVERYTHING?? i understand that the American voiceovers probably didn't get it all right. but at this point, everyone is used to AAng and SOCKah and EYEroh. that Ung Sohka Earoh shiz is not gonna catch on. i'm surprised they didn't go so far as to say Ape-ah. stop it, Shyamalan. stop that shit right now. *slap*
2) where. the hell. was Koyzilla.
that would have been the saving grace for this crapfest. i just wanted to see some angry ocean spirit ass-kicking. did i get that? no. i got Huge Emo Wave of Emo.and couple honorable mentions; Kyoshi warriors. there were none. lame. Firebenders not being able to create fire. hella lame. Appa being in like .04 scenes. hella mega lame. the loooooooooong drawn out kung fu bending moves. super hella mega lame. (by the time they were done doing all that shiz, they could been hit like 80 times) this movie needs reboot already.
there's more. i just don't have the impetus to complain about it anymore. i almost hated this movie as much as Wolverine Origins. and that's a lot of hate. alllllmost. ultimately, this movie sucked slimy rocks. bad acting, effed up story with crappy pacing and the cool graphics aren't enough to save it. save your money. watch the series on Nickelodeon.
















