“The Last Airbender” Review

"The Last Airbender" -- Image via Wikipedia

“The Last Airbender” opened in theaters in both 2D and 3D on July 1, 2010. The film stars Dev Patel (“Slumdog Millionaire”), Jackson Rathbone (“Twilight”), and Noah Ringer as Aang (aka the last airbender). “The Last Airbender” is based on the anime series that aired in U.S. on Nickelodeon.

I never saw the Nickelodeon series but I knew a little about the story before seeing the film, so I saw the film with no real expectations.  The film was directed by Academy Award nominee M. Night Shyalaman, whom has not really garnered much critical praise since “The Sixth Sense”.

Fans of the animated series may dislike the film, from what I’ve read on Twitter and other film reviews, but it was not that bad of a film.  Of course since I haven’t seen the animated series prior, I had nothing to compare it to so perhaps that was an advantage.  This film sort of reminded of “Dragonball: Evolution” which was also an anime series to film adaptation.  Was “Dragonball: Evolution” a great film?  No, but was it somewhat entertaining?  Yes, I believe so considering the audience they were targeting.

In my opinion, “The Last Airbender” was a little better in entertainment value than “Dragonball: Evolution” but it was far from being a great film.  It just fit the criteria of what a summer movie flick should be.  Fun, entertaining, and considering the rage this year…it was in 3D.

**POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD**

Summer Movie Season: July 2010

Summer is full in swing, so what movies can be expect in the month of July? This July seems to be the month of potential box office hits. M. Night Shyalaman directs “The Last Airbender”, based on the animated series, which kicks off the month and is a potential blockbuster. The 3D animated film “Despicable Me” is sure to draw in big numbers as well.

The team behind Disney’s National Treasure, team up to bring us “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”. The film stars National Treasure’s Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel (“She’s Out of My League”). I think this film will either be a big hit or a big miss.

Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight”) directs “Inception” which seems like the most intriguing film of the month. The film stars Academy Award nominees Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Departed”) and Ellen Page (“Juno”).

Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie (“Girl Interrupted”) returns to action in the action thriller “Salt”. Is Jolie a Russian spy, or is she being set up? Looks like it is a cross between The Bourne Identity and The Fugitive.

My spotlight pick of the month is “Charlie St. Cloud” starring Zac Efron. Looks like it will be a bit of a tear jerker.

Well that’s my July overview, click on the link below to check out the rest of the movies coming out this month and check back next month for more Summer Movie Season previews.