I am the biggest fan of the Avatar series and was looking forward to this greatly. Although it disappointed in some ways, it was still based on such a strong storyline I couldn't not find this entertaining, especially compared to such a duff as Sorceror's Apprentice? Yes, the 3 MCs were truly dreadful, but the Texan kid who played Aang was clearly hired for his fighting skills and he had his moments of emotion, unlike the two I have to assume more experienced Water Tribe kids. Re-cast them and it would've been an entirely different movie. It can't compare to the series, because a film doesn't have the luxury of cliffhangers, but it still contained a hell of a lot of detail from an incredible action packed series. They've captured what had to be shown well and ignored the rest, which is rare from a TV to big screen conversion. I'd even forgotten some parts from the show that were in this movie, like the Blue Spirit an the assassination attempt on Zuko. Yes, the annoying Katara's voice-over was irritating, lacklustre and with more tell than show, and the dialogue was tired, but then there was so much in this film they had to pace it quickly, so I can forgive this. Later, there's so much action going on that you barely notice the bad acting anymore and that's this film's strength. It ends on a high.
The important thing for me was my favourite characters, the Fire Nation guys, were great. I was dreading Zuko and Iroh's casting, as they weren't anything like they're portrayed in the cartoon, but they really worked, and were the best actors/characters in it, making the best of a bad script. They were different, but captured the essence of the characters; Zuko was almost immediately likable as a secondary protagonist and Iroh was even more gentle than his TV counterpart, with the movie not having the luxury to build up their complex characters.
The 3D was a waste of time, as it only highlights the scenery, but that did add to the fantasy. The special effects were inspiring (much better than Sorceror's Apprentice), especially the animals which were unusually flawless (although Appa did have a weird, scary face). The fights scenes were impeccable, with the slow-mo scenes unusually good highlighting every amazing Avatar act.
This film's going to be hated by most because of its major flaws and, although I see what won't be liked, I'm such an Avatar fan I can see this film for its merits. I'm going to see this again and again, and I think it'll get even better. I can't wait for the other 2 films. I just hope they recast and polish up the script a bit to show Avatar to its full potential.
The important thing for me was my favourite characters, the Fire Nation guys, were great. I was dreading Zuko and Iroh's casting, as they weren't anything like they're portrayed in the cartoon, but they really worked, and were the best actors/characters in it, making the best of a bad script. They were different, but captured the essence of the characters; Zuko was almost immediately likable as a secondary protagonist and Iroh was even more gentle than his TV counterpart, with the movie not having the luxury to build up their complex characters.
The 3D was a waste of time, as it only highlights the scenery, but that did add to the fantasy. The special effects were inspiring (much better than Sorceror's Apprentice), especially the animals which were unusually flawless (although Appa did have a weird, scary face). The fights scenes were impeccable, with the slow-mo scenes unusually good highlighting every amazing Avatar act.
This film's going to be hated by most because of its major flaws and, although I see what won't be liked, I'm such an Avatar fan I can see this film for its merits. I'm going to see this again and again, and I think it'll get even better. I can't wait for the other 2 films. I just hope they recast and polish up the script a bit to show Avatar to its full potential.