The Last Airbender

Well, I finally went to see the Last Airbender yesterday...and it took me a while to figure out how I felt about it. I went in expecting total garbage, which the reviews pointed towards...That wasn't quite what I found. The acting was bad, the camera work was uninspired, the action was dull...but it was a coherent story with some great (albeit wasted) special effects. So it wasn't all that bad. I was literally going between a thumbs up and a thumbs down. But then I realized I was thinking of the film in terms of what wasn't bad, not in terms of what was good. There really was nothing about this film that was really good. Thus I have to give it a thumbs down, for horribly wasted potential. And to top it all off, the ending is a total Eragon, hinting at a sequel that will likely never get made (despite a strong first weekend showing for the film). M. Night Shyamalan is getting the blame for the film's quality, and so he should, not because he isn't talented (Heck, I even liked Lady in the Water) but because he just doesn't seem to care. He clearly picked this film to re-invent himself and pull in strong box office. However, it's clear his heart isn't in it and it just comes across as lazy.
As bad as the acting is, there are a few decent performances (or else they just look that way next to the other horrible actors). Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire turns in a serviceable, but one-note performance. But a total lack of characterization is what kills this movie. Honestly, it is too short, coming in at just over 100 minutes. Consider it was based on the first season of the tv series, which is over 400 minutes. Even so, parts of the film seem like they could have been cut out, and others desperately need expanded. Ultimately, this is a mess. You might have a little fun with it, and it's not "indescribably bad" as one critic stated, but it really is just a movie with great potential, squandered by lazy film-makers. 1.5 stars out of 4.