Philly.com is reporting that Katharine Houghton has been cast as Kanna, affectionately known as Gran Gran to her grandchildren Sokka and Katara, in The Last Airbender. Houghton is best known for her role as Joanna “Joey” Drayton in the socially groundbreaking film, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” which dealt with the controversial subject of interracial marriage.

April 5, 2009 by nextairbender

Lost in translation. What better phrase to sum up M. Night Shyamalan’s efforts to bring the beloved Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series to the silver screen? It has been three and a half years since Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies announced the hiring of Oscar nominated director M. Night Shyamalan to produce the live action adaptation, much to the trepidation of Avatar fans worldwide. While Night’s early Hollywood career met with substantial box office success and critical acclaim, his two most recent films (and a third to be released in 2008) were received far less favorably. Many were beginning to justifiably doubt his directing talents, and still more wondered if he had the skills necessary to do justice to the Peabody award winning modern classic. We’ve been following this film since production finally began to ramp up in the fall of 2008; covering every news item, every photo snapped, every interview given, every trailer screened, and we were even lucky enough to have a chance to interview Night himself back in March earlier this year. The cast and crew said the right things, the costumes and sets looked fantastic, the special fx wowed us, and Night had a lot of enthusiasm for the show & seemed to get what made Avatar great. Aside from the much publicized casting issues, things seemed to have been progressing most auspiciously. I was lucky enough to have been invited to the film’s premiere at the Lincoln Center in New York City on June 30th. Having given myself a few days deliberation, I believe I’m ready to submit a critique of the film that will hopefully keep gut-reaction hyperbole to a minimum.

Adaptations are a tricky business. Whether they be book to film, television to film, or theme park ride to film, even the most talented of directors can stumble on that road. It’s far too easy to fall into the trap of slavishly adapting the subject matter word for word, only to find that what works on paper translates into a tedious movie watching experience. However, alter it too much and you risk losing the meaning and essence of the material, not to mention your audience. The Last Airbender is a poor adaptation. Not because of the superficial changes, such as the botched name pronunciations or ‘racebending’ issues, but because much of what makes the source material so adored by fans has been lost. Book One was just as much about the bonding of Aang, Katara, and Sokka during their journey as it was about the Avatar returning, and saving the Northern Water Tribe. It introduced these characters, explored their often complex motivations, and chronicled their personal growth in a very organic fashion, while never forgetting that these characters were children. No matter how dire the situation, no matter how serious the responsibility, these characters always found time to be kids.

Conversely, The Last Airbender’s script seemed to run roughshod over this aspect. The trio in the film were introduced as mature adults straight from the beginning, robbing the film of any childish light hearted moments, and nixing their maturation altogether. Unfortunately, this left the narrative with very little complexity in the plot outside of the major plot points of Book One, which were themselves hastily glossed over to accommodate the sub-two hour running time.

The performances of the principal characters themselves weren’t extraordinary, but neither were they up to snuff with Night’s past child actor standards. Jackson Rathbone (Sokka), Nicola Peltz (Katara), and Dev Patel (Zuko) all turned in sufficient performances. Out of the leads, newcomer Noah Ringer’s performance as the titular last airbender (Aang) was the most convincing. Given the character’s sterilization from the prank playing, animal riding, care free nomad of the cartoon into the depressed would-be messiah of the film, the role did not ask Ringer to display much emotional range. However, the young martial artist brought sufficient gravitas to the role, with just enough fleeting glimpses of the child within sprinkled throughout to satisfy the more forgiving fans. Fans should also be pleased with how closely Aang’s core values in the film resonate with those of his cartoon counterpart, especially in the climactic battle with the Fire Nation’s navy at the Northern Water Tribe.

Sadly, outside of Shaun Toub (Iroh) and Seychelle Gabriel (Princess Yue), the rest of the supporting cast ranged from bad to unintentionally comedic. I can’t help but wonder what kind of audition could have possibly landed Aasif Mandvi the role of Commander Zhao. Far from the calculating malice teetering upon the edge of wreck less insanity, as portrayed by Jason Isaacs in the cartoon, Mandvi’s Zhao is essentially the same performance he gives on a nightly basis on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. I honestly expected him to gleefully utter, “Back to you Jon,” on several occasions.

The visual effects provided by Industrial Light & Magic were a mixed bag as well. For every breathtaking shot like Aang’s immense tidal wave, there’s a wholly unconvincing effect like the prison camp earthbender’s floaty boulder which appeared to be under the control of a handful of synchronized dancers. While not significant screen presences, Appa & Momo consistently looked good throughout the picture, and were probably the closest assets best replicated from the cartoon in both look and behavior.

Being a rather tremendous fan of the Track Team’s musical score for the cartoon, and believing it to be as integral to the spirit of Avatar as John Williams is to Star Wars, I was skeptical of the news that James Newton Howard’s score for the film would be an entirely original composition. This skepticism as it turns out was spot on, as Howard’s score bares very little resemblance to the Track Team’s wonderful work. That is not to say that Howard’s score is poor, because it works very well for the film, and has several very moving & powerful cues throughout. Sadly, it’s just another example of the film’s desire to be just a little too unique for its own good.

The Last Airbender isn’t the worst film I’ve ever seen, and perhaps I enjoyed it more than I otherwise would have for the simple fact that it was Avatar: The Last Airbender in live action. Seeing some of my favorite characters, settings, and scenes in a live action setting has always given me a certain thrill: Michael Keaton donning the cape & cowl in Tim Burton’s Batman, the T-Rex breaking free in Jurassic Park, Christopher Reeve making me believe a man could fly in Superman, Frodo bearing the One Ring across the treacherous lands of Middle Earth in The Lord of the Rings, etc. Viewed objectively it’s not a good film, and sadly does not live up to Night’s best work. The epic fantasy adventure picture may not be the genre best suited for Night’s unique talents, and one can only hope he will return to his more personal stories. I for one would welcome Unbreakable 2 with open arms.

1 1/2 out of 4 PENGUINS!!