Sokka saves the day

[secondlina]

Oh, yes, it's the time for summer movies again.

This weekend, the dreaded "Last Airbender" movie comes out. The movie is dreaded by many fans for being an silly, over-angst-y , potentially racist re-make of a pretty darn good youth tv series called "Avatar the Last Airbender".

For those of you who don't know, this is basically a movie where 4 nations themed by elements are at war, mainly the nation of "fire" is kicking everyone's collective ass. In every nation, you have "benders", people who can manipulate the elements using martial arts moves. And you have one spirit, always reincarnated, the avatar - the only person that can use all four elements. And his job is to keep things in balance. War is not balance apparently. So basically, this plot mixes adventures, action, martial arts and "magic". The tv series also had a good dose of humor, which I found might be lacking in the movie.

I have been debating whether I wanted to see this movie or not.

On one side, the terrible racist attitude towards the casting, the costumes and the apparent lack of humor make me NOT want to go.

On the other side, the martial arts seem excellent and respected (everyone went to boot camp), I love the idea of an Hindou inspired firenation (Devi version of Azula.... My god. I'm in love), and the special effects look computastic.

So this weekend, will I go see "The Last Airbender?"

Not this weekend. But the next one? Yes.

Why?

I guess you could say my curiosity got the best of me. And I want to see if this movie is truly as awful as the fans make it to be. I can at least agree with everyone that the costume feature horrible mistakes (like being folded the wrong way, indicating that a character is "dead").

The main thing that convinced me to go was this TV spot. Because in this spot you see Sokka being funny, as he should be. Sarcasm and a giant yelling of "WOO-HOO". And i'm thinking, if they kept that instead of turning Sokka in pure angst, I mgiht as well give the movie a chance. Yeah, I have a soft spot for Sokka.

So, fan friends who are less curious then me and stick to your boycotts, i'll be glad to inform you later if this movie is fail or win. Though i'm thinking, it's probably going to be neither. Somewhere smack in the middle. Like so many fantasy movies these days, it's going to be neither good or bad.

Fantasy movies nowadays seem to generalize the "magical country". See Narnia and Tim Burton's Alice. The country doesn't seem to have any specific cultural elements other then "generic fantasic medieval setting à la King Arthur miniseries". And this movie seems to be going the same way (due to several asian elements being "americanized"). Countries on the same WORLD are dramatically different. I don't know why fantasy lands are so darn similar to us. Needs work, people.

- Isa

EDIT : GAAAH The reviews so far are painful.

Comments

[mirai17.livejournal.com]

LOL someone actually used the word "boretastic"? Link please?

Korra's is independent from the movie, so I don't think it will be affected. If anything, I hope that it proves to people that Avatar IS FREAKIN' AWESOME.

Speaking of which, I hope we don't get those ridiculously long hiatuses again. I don't know why, but I feel that the Nick execs didn't give the premium treatment the series deserved and kept shoving it aside in favor of SpongeBob and iCarly. LOL I remember back in '05 when they kept airing Catscratch in the Avatar slot. It's so frustrating when the TV listing says "Avatar: The Last Airbender 7PM" but then the annoying Catscratch theme song came on AAAARGH.

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

It is due to how nick execs treated Avatar in the past that I fear the revival might get killed off if the movie does badly. Think about it, they decide to make a new series just as the movie comes out? Then again, if enough movie is already in, the project will come to fruition. It just worries me.

[mirai17.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, that does worry me. I did hear a theory that the execs gave Bryke the project to keep them quiet about the movie. Pure speculation, of course, but it is odd that a new series is announced around the same time the movie comes out.