By Andy McKinney
Gazette/Connection Film Critic
Off and on wunderkind M. Night Shyamalan ("Signs," "The Sixth Sense") wrote and directed this adaptation of an Aneme TV series. As both writer and director, all praise or all blame will go to Mr. Shyamalan.
It remains to be seen how much of a commercial success the film will be. It is a children’s fantasy, rated with the very mild PG, and this only for more or less non stop violence where we never see blood.
Generally, kid’s movies do very well. This one certainly is visually arresting, which focuses the attention of the wee ones, and short enough to release them from their seats before they get too restless. There is not much here for the big people.
The action opens when he is released from some kind of frozen animation. The 12 year old Aang spends the rest of the movie honing his skills and fighting the dreaded Fire People who are intent on world conquest.
Each of the four peoples has a class of people who are adept at manipulating their particular element. Only Aang of the Air People is left, hence the title. As Avatar, he can bend any of the other elements-but he is only 12 and his training is incomplete. And so on. The plot is very busy.
The mostly young cast delivers a mostly wooden recitation of their lines. Noah Ringer, as Aang, is only 12. He is a Taekwondo prodigy and does the martial arts stunts admirably.
Fifteen year old Nicola Peltz plays the 14 year old water bender teen who finds and protects the Avatar. Seychelle Gabriel (19-playing 15 year old Princess Yue). Jackson Rathbone plays the water bender’s 15 year old brother and love interest to Princess Yue.
The kids (only Rathbone is old enough to drink) are attractive. I think the grade school boys will want to be befriended by an “older” girl like Peltz. The girls will want to be rescued by Rathbone. But I think the upper limit on the audience is likely to be middle school.
This is a beautiful film to watch unroll before your eyes. The CD sets are grand and detailed. But there might have been 10 minutes less of kiddy magic kung fu and 10 minutes more of character development. There is a subplot focused on Dev Patel (Slum Dog Millionaire) and another in the budding romance between Princess Yue and the water people warrior but neither are developed enough to satisfy.
This beautiful fantasy, special effects bonanza of a film, runs one hour and 43 minutes. The wee ones should like it a lot and for that reason it receives an average three saw blades.
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