THE LAST AIRBENDER

CAROLINE: I politely ducked out of screening The Last Airbender with you since it’s really not up my alley. You know I don’t feel the whole family/fantasy/sci-fi genre.

RYAN: True, but darling, this is M. Night Shyamalan, one of the most important directors of our time.

CAROLINE: He has been an influence, perhaps with an emphasis on has been.

RYAN: He dropped the ball with The Happening and Lady in the Water. We pretty much hated those movies. But he was just so brilliant with Signs.

CAROLINE: Hello? The Sixth Sense.

RYAN: He’s a genius and I had really high expectations for this movie even though he’s breaking with his usual suspense genre.

CAROLINE: So how was it?

RYAN: I’m feeling a little middle of the road on this one actually. I liked a lot of things about it but was also kinda bored during it.

CAROLINE: How was the 3D? You thought it might be as good as Avatar?

RYAN: It was cool, somewhere between that of Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.

CAROLINE: And even though it’s a family film, did M. Night figure out a way to put in a twist?

RYAN: There’s a little reveal in there I thought was clever. But I was just glad he broke convention by not sneaking in a cameo; at least none that I noticed.

CAROLINE: That’s a relief. And no one famous is in it right?

RYAN: Actually, the actor who plays Jasper in the Twilight movies is in it. And also Dev Patel, the star of Slumdog Millionaire.

CAROLINE: Oh. That’s some casting. How were they?

RYAN: The whole cast was great except for the little boy who plays the Avatar in the movie. He was pretty stiff.

CAROLINE: Isn’t it based on a Nickelodeon cartoon?

RYAN: Totally. I’ve never seen the cartoon but I might check it out now cause the story’s pretty cool. It’s about the four different elements: air, earth, fire and water at war, and this young character called Avatar is capable of mastering all the elements, which is key to ending the war.

CAROLINE: Gotcha.

RYAN: I don’t normally like to deliver the plot, but it’s interesting if you’re not a fan of the cartoon.

CAROLINE: And in the trailer I could tell it’s a visual movie.

RYAN: It does have a fantastic look and the effects are amazing. And though I liked, not loved it, I was very entertained and I’m praying for a sequel.

CAROLINE: Why?

RYAN: Two words: Summer Bishil.

CAROLINE: That girl from Towelhead?

RYAN: Precisely.

CAROLINE: I’ll take your word for it.

— BOTTOM LINE —

RYAN: Since it’s a bug, splashy, special effect-y summer blockbuster, I’m recommending it. And also for its M. Night Shyamalan-ness. Though he’s not consistent, I still wanna see whatever he does. I was a tad alienated by all of the names and regions that build a Star Wars-esque world which didn’t completely sweep me up into it yet I still left wanting more.

— RATING —