movie review: the last airbender

When M. Night Shyamalan first saw Star Wars at the age of seven, he sensed the film would forever revolutionize moviemaking.   Or so he claimed last night, when introducing The Last Airbender, an adaption of a popular anime cartoon, to a theater packed with eager preteens.

The film chronicles a world divided into four different nations: Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. Although once living in harmony, the nations are now battling Fire, who wants to control everything (typical Leos and Scorpios!).  But as the plot ensues, the story gets distracted by overdone 3-D graphics, mediocre writing, and choppy editing.

But last night's audience seemed enthused for reasons having little to do with the Star Wars and it's moviemaking tradition - about half came as fans of the Nickelodeon cartoon, and, according to the squeals, the remainder were there to see Jackson Rathbone (in case you're living under a pop culture rock, he's also in Twilight). 

But the film still boasts a few benefits (aside from escaping the heat in an air-conditioned theater):   

1. The CGI technology makes visually stunning, and somewhat trippy, scenes. Plus, a few Kill Bill action sequences.

2. Dev Patel shows off a much darker, villainous side, than we saw in Slumdog Millionaire... and we think it's pretty awesome.

3. The costumes, made by Harry Potter seamstress Judianna Makovsky, are tailored to perfection and sure to get a nod when Award Season starts up. 

So if you're expecting a scary, twist-at-the-end Sci-Fi thriller like Signs or Unbreakable, that's not happening… but who's to say simple entertainment and thrilling graphics aren't enough?