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trixster
loyalfromlondon
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm Posts: 19697 Location: ville-marie
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The Last Airbender
The Last AirbenderQuote: The Last Airbender is an American adventure fantasy film released on July 1, 2010. It is a live-action film adaptation based on the first season of the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The film stars Noah Ringer as Aang, a reluctant hero who prefers adventure over his job as the Avatar. Aang and his friends, Katara and Sokka, journey to the North Pole to find a Waterbending master to teach Aang and Katara the secrets of the craft. At the same time, Fire Lord Ozai, the current Fire Lord of the Fire Nation, is waging a seemingly endless war against the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes, and the already vanquished Air Nomads. The film also stars Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, and Dev Patel.
The first of a planned trilogy, The Last Airbender was produced by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies. Development for a film began in 2007; it was adapted into a film by M. Night Shyamalan, who also directed and produced. Other producers include Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, Sam Mercer and Scott Aversano. The series from which it was adapted was influenced by Asian art, mythology and various martial arts fighting styles and was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.
The Last Airbender was made for $150 million and marketed with a budget of $130 million, making total costs at least $280 million. Other estimates put the cost between $100 million and $110 million, while various news sources reported the whole Last Airbender trilogy would be made for around $250 million. Filming began in mid-March 2009; the movie was released in both traditional two-dimensional projectors, as well as in 3D.
_________________Magic Mike wrote: zwackerm wrote: If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes. Same. Algren wrote: I don't think. I predict.
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Thu Jul 01, 2010 12:06 pm |
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xiayun
Extraordinary
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:41 pm Posts: 25109 Location: San Mateo, CA
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Re: The Last Airbender
Our boss invited the team to see the film together this afternoon, and we weren't sure if it's a reward or punishment. Back to the movie itself, it's not the worst one I've ever seen, but it's certainly not good. Other than some nice visuals and scenery, there isn't much else to recommend. I'm not sure which is worse between the acting and the dialogs, but both areas are simply terrible. They also made it way too serious in tone than needed given the source material, and as a result, it felt boring even for its not-too-long run time. I would rather have Michael Bay direct here to just blow (or bend, I guess) shits up. D
_________________Recent watched movies: American Hustle - B+ Inside Llewyn Davis - B Before Midnight - A 12 Years a Slave - A- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - A- My thoughts on box office
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Thu Jul 01, 2010 7:22 pm |
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Flava'd vs The World
The Kramer
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:36 am Posts: 23695 Location: Classified
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Re: The Last Airbender
Considering how hyped up I was for this, and how much I love the source material, I'd say this was pretty much the worst movie I've ever seen. It fails as an adaptation and an entity trying to stand on it's own. Not one character is interesting, and several important ones are merely scenery (the poorly CGI'd Apa and Momo I could forgive, Sokka and Iroh not so much). Even the action scenes are boring. I was falling asleep during the seige of the north pole... And the 3D certainly did not help at all. I'm so glad I paid an extra five bucks to see a cool opening logo sequence and then not get one other 3D effect the rest of the movie . M. Night Shamalama (he lost the right to have his name spelled correctly) has lost any goodwill he built up with his work from 1999 to 2002. He's a hack and I'll refuse to see anything he touches so long as I have working eyeballs. He joins Akiva Goldsman, Shawn Levy, and Kathryn Heigl at the top of my most hated people in Hollywood list. I could go on forever complaining about this movie, but I'd rather not unleash my inner Avatar fanboy for a movie that I hated. F-
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Fri Jul 02, 2010 8:02 am |
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JURiNG
ef star star kay
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 7:45 pm Posts: 3016 Location: Cairo, Egypt
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Re: The Last Airbender
I call him Shalala-lala
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Fri Jul 02, 2010 10:05 am |
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Chippy
KJ's Leading Pundit
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 4:45 pm Posts: 63026 Location: Tonight... YOU!
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Re: The Last Airbender
I understand wanting good dialog... but it IS based on a cartoon.
_________________trixster wrote: shut the fuck up zwackerm, you're out of your fucking element trixster wrote: chippy is correct
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Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:21 pm |
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Michael A
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 4:48 am Posts: 6245
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Re: The Last Airbender
Chip Munkington wrote: I understand wanting good dialog... but it IS based on a cartoon. Which had terrific dialogue compared to what is included in the movie.
_________________Mr. R wrote: Malcolm wrote: You seem to think threatening violence against people is perfectly okay because you feel offended by their words, so that's kind of telling in itself. Exactly. If they don't know how to behave, and feel OK offending others, they get their ass kicked, so they'll think next time before opening their rotten mouths.
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Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:46 pm |
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Jiffy
Forum General
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 2:27 pm Posts: 6145 Location: New York
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Re: The Last Airbender
Chip Munkington wrote: I understand wanting good dialog... but it IS based on a cartoon. That's such a cop out, though. The cartoon is well-regarded by critics.
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Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:47 pm |
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Chippy
KJ's Leading Pundit
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 4:45 pm Posts: 63026 Location: Tonight... YOU!
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Re: The Last Airbender
It's a CARTOON. I don't give a shit if it had good dialog.
_________________trixster wrote: shut the fuck up zwackerm, you're out of your fucking element trixster wrote: chippy is correct
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Fri Jul 02, 2010 6:49 pm |
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Jiffy
Forum General
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 2:27 pm Posts: 6145 Location: New York
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Re: The Last Airbender
Chip Munkington wrote: It's a CARTOON. I don't give a shit if it had good dialog. And TDK is based on a COMIC BOOK. What's your point, exactly?
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Fri Jul 02, 2010 6:54 pm |
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Chippy
KJ's Leading Pundit
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 4:45 pm Posts: 63026 Location: Tonight... YOU!
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Re: The Last Airbender
Comic books are written FAR more intelligently than a CARTOON.
_________________trixster wrote: shut the fuck up zwackerm, you're out of your fucking element trixster wrote: chippy is correct
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Fri Jul 02, 2010 7:15 pm |
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Argos
Z
Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 2:20 pm Posts: 7952 Location: Wherever he went, including here, it was against his better judgment.
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Re: The Last Airbender
... as an adamant rule.
_________________ "Der Lebenslauf des Menschen besteht darin, dass er, von der Hoffnung genarrt, dem Tod in die Arme tanzt." - Arthur Schopenhauer
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Fri Jul 02, 2010 9:03 pm |
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David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
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Re: The Last Airbender
I s'pose I will mount a minor (very, very minor) defense of this film. Full disclosure: I came to this film as a once dedicated, but now hesitant fan of writer/director M. Night Shyamalan. His films The Sixth Sense, Signs, and The Village are favorites of mine, though I despised The Happening. I am not familiar with Avatar: The Last Airbender, the animated television series upon which this film is based. While this is not a return to form for Shyamalan, it is also not as disastrous as The Happening, nor is it 100 percent deserving of the toxic critical notices it has received. Night remains a master behind the camera. This is a beautiful film. The action sequences are exciting, fluid, and precise. The various landscapes are distinct and vivid. There is no doubt: The Last Airbender is a visual delight. It is sad then Night could not draw stronger performances from the ensemble cast. While Dev Patel and Nicola Peltz are solid in their respective roles, the rest range from bland (12-year-old star Noah Ringer) to heinous (The Daily Show's Aasif Mandvi, whose performance recalls Jeremy Irons' extreme-cheese turn in Dungeons & Dragons). Night's writing is also mediocre. The man who once introduced a phrase ("I see dead people") to the international lexicon here can't muster a single memorable line--just interminable exposition (such-and-such from such-and-such did such-and-such to find such-and-such, which would give such-and-such the power to do such-and-such), with a considerable side of stating the obvious. To be honest, I found this film, for the most part, entertaining. With its fast pace and colorful nature, it was not an unpleasant big screen experience. I just long for the time when Night's writing skills and instinct with actors came close to matching his prodigious talents as a cinematic stylist. At least this is superior to The Happening, though. Perhaps his next film will be better still and a true return to form. Until then. C+
_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
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Fri Jul 02, 2010 9:17 pm |
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Argos
Z
Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 2:20 pm Posts: 7952 Location: Wherever he went, including here, it was against his better judgment.
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Re: The Last Airbender
You were paid to write that, right?
_________________ "Der Lebenslauf des Menschen besteht darin, dass er, von der Hoffnung genarrt, dem Tod in die Arme tanzt." - Arthur Schopenhauer
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Fri Jul 02, 2010 9:28 pm |
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David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
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Re: The Last Airbender
Paramount promised 72 virgins.
_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
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Sat Jul 03, 2010 1:28 am |
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publicenemy#1
Extraordinary
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 12:25 am Posts: 18845 Location: San Diego
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Re: The Last Airbender
Honestly it's not THAT bad, but I guess it's just 'cause I had very, very low expectations. But it's definitely not good either.
The really bad aspect of the movie is the transitions. YIKES, so awful.
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Sat Jul 03, 2010 3:59 am |
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Argos
Z
Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 2:20 pm Posts: 7952 Location: Wherever he went, including here, it was against his better judgment.
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Re: The Last Airbender
Argos wrote: You were paid to write that, right? I take that back. I have just read your 'Eclipse' review.
_________________ "Der Lebenslauf des Menschen besteht darin, dass er, von der Hoffnung genarrt, dem Tod in die Arme tanzt." - Arthur Schopenhauer
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Sat Jul 03, 2010 9:44 am |
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Gopher
You are waiting for a train
Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2009 3:25 pm Posts: 995
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Re: The Last Airbender
Chip Munkington wrote: Comic books are written FAR more intelligently than a CARTOON. I've heard too many awful things about this to even think about touching this movie.
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Sat Jul 03, 2010 3:49 pm |
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zingy
College Boy Z
Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:40 pm Posts: 36662
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Re: The Last Airbender
I've only seen like a few minutes of the show, so I'm not sure wherever they ruined the show or not. So as a non-fan, I'd say it's okkkaayyyy. The special effects are nice, the acting/dialogue are cheesy and bad but not totally unexpected (it is based on a cartoon after all, and from what little I've seen, the show didn't demand Oscar performances in its movie translation), and the story was whatever considering that they jammed a whole season into one film. But it's pretty boring, mostly, and that's kind of a fail for a movie with people who can "bend" fire, water, air and earth.
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Sun Jul 04, 2010 11:33 am |
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Rev
Romosexual!
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 3:06 am Posts: 32083 Location: the last free city
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Re: The Last Airbender
This movie would've been great if it was a silent film.
D-
They ruined everything that made the animated show great. Fuck! They couldn't even get the names right. I hope to god they don't hire back M.Night for the sequel.
_________________ Is it 2024 yet?
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Sun Jul 04, 2010 11:52 am |
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Bradley Witherberry
Extraordinary
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:13 pm Posts: 15197 Location: Planet Xatar
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Re: The Last Airbender
The Last Airbender is a spine-tingling epic - - I loved it.
I was enthralled by the story from beginning till end (I've only seen a half dozen of the cartoon episodes). The fx were effective and didn't dominate the characters and the score was the best I've heard in ages.
This is everything that the botched LOTR film adaptations should have been. I can't wait for the next film in the series!
35 out of 5.
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Sun Jul 04, 2010 1:12 pm |
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Argos
Z
Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 2:20 pm Posts: 7952 Location: Wherever he went, including here, it was against his better judgment.
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Re: The Last Airbender
_________________ "Der Lebenslauf des Menschen besteht darin, dass er, von der Hoffnung genarrt, dem Tod in die Arme tanzt." - Arthur Schopenhauer
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Sun Jul 04, 2010 1:25 pm |
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Groaning
Us v Them
Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2006 3:17 pm Posts: 2759 Location: Austria
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Re: The Last Airbender
Bradley Witherberry wrote: The Last Airbender is a spine-tingling epic - - I loved it.
I was enthralled by the story from beginning till end (I've only seen a half dozen of the cartoon episodes). The fx were effective and didn't dominate the characters and the score was the best I've heard in ages.
This is everything that the botched LOTR film adaptations should have been. I can't wait for the next film in the series!
35 out of 5. What a surprise.
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Sun Jul 04, 2010 2:22 pm |
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Bradley Witherberry
Extraordinary
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:13 pm Posts: 15197 Location: Planet Xatar
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Re: The Last Airbender
Groaning wrote: What a surprise. You didn't like it? You forgot to post your review.
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Sun Jul 04, 2010 2:29 pm |
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Mr. Reynolds
Confessing on a Dance Floor
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 12:46 am Posts: 5565 Location: Celebratin' in Chitown
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Re: The Last Airbender
Great idea with horrible actors and dialogue. Some scenes were great. C
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Sun Jul 04, 2010 2:51 pm |
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thompsoncory
Rachel McAdams Fan
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:13 am Posts: 14544 Location: LA / NYC
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Re: The Last Airbender
This was honestly one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I went into it expecting it to be at least a laugh riot like Shyamalan's last two films, but this was just a whole other level of awful to the point where it almost became excruciating to sit through. The acting is GODAWFUL. Like, the child actor who plays Aang gives one of the worst performances ever - even Dev Patel is bad (although to his credit his over-the-top performance is probably one of the best things about this trainwreck). The dialogue is unbearable, the story incomprehensible and the climax ridiculous. I can't even believe how atrocious this was. D-/F
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Sun Jul 04, 2010 4:20 pm |
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