MOVIE NEWS: The Last Airbender

Editor’s note: we interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for a word from OWL’s assistant editor, Kendra Brown. (Craig will be back next week.) Enjoy!

First things first, OWL readers: Happy Canada Day! Now, on to the movie news!

The Last Airbender opens in theatres today. The movie is based on the first season of the popular Nickelodeon series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and as far as I can tell, it does a good job of staying true to the show’s plot. Here’s the basic premise, just in case you didn’t tune in to the popular cartoon.

The world is divided into four nations — Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. For the last 100 years, the Fire nation has waged war with all, and the only person who can bring peace to the world is a young boy named Aang. Not only is Aang the last airbender — someone who can manipulate the air — but he’s also the avatar, the one person on Earth who has the potential to control all four elements.

The movie follows Aang’s epic journey. Along with the help of Katara, a waterbender, and her brother Sokka, Aang must fight against the evil Fire Lord and his army to end the war.

Here are a few observations about the movie:

1) It’s got a talented lead actor. Fact: Noah Ringer, who stars as Aang, has a black belt in Taekwondo. This is also his first movie. And did I mention he is just 12 years old? My favourite scenes were of him showcasing his martial arts skills. He’s amazing to watch, and I hope that his career takes off after this.

2) It’s a little hard to follow. Too many rushed scenes and confusing conversations between characters made it tough to get what was going on. I guess that’s what happens when you try to pack an entire season of TV into a regular movie!

3) The special effects make the movie. Thank goodness for CGI (computer-generated imagery). All the element-bending that goes on in this movie would not be possible without it. And without those impressive scenes of fire, water, and air being thrown and twisted around, there would not be much left of the movie. And a tip: you don’t need to see it in 3-D. I did, but you won’t miss out by seeing it in 2-D instead. In fact, I recommend you save your cash!

Overall, this was not my favourite movie. It’s the first in a planned trilogy, and let’s just say that I won’t be first in line for the second installment. However, if you’re a fan of the Nickelodeon series, this might just be the film for you. There were two super-fans beside me in the theatre who loved it!

Love it or not, come back and tell us what you think if you go and see this movie!

Kendra, owlblog@owlkids.com