The Last Airbender

[glockgal]

EVERYTHING'S EXCITING
Google reviews for The Last Airbender as see for yourself.
From my amazing co-activist Mike - The Last Airbender: Pre-ScreeningWhat's left? It feels like Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, and Dev Patel are hanging out in front of the camera, telling you about all the cool stuff they saw while watching the television series.
From my

Comments

[tallycola]

I'm also pretty stoked it's getting bad reviews from critics otherwise ignorant or uncaring about the race issue. My worst fear was that the special effects (or ANYTHING) would be salvageable enough that it would still be a success. This looks like it's being received even worse than The Golden Compass (which I actually sort of liked!)

I keep meaning! To make an actual! Post about this, including a fancast of the Water Tribe kids, and argh I gotta do that today before the film actually comes out. Would a fancast of the Water Tribe kids with all/mostly First Nations actors be useful to the main website - I noticed it had been (legitimately) criticized for not focusing on the Inuit aspect enough?

[glockgal]

I know I watched Golden Compass, but I can't really remember much about it! Some critics mention Narnia as a past failure, though; which imo was script-wise on par with the first HP film. Heh!

the Water Tribe kids with all/mostly First Nations actors be useful to the main website - I noticed it had been (legitimately) criticized for not focusing on the Inuit aspect enough?

THAT WOULD BE AWESOME! Now that you mentioned it to me, I'm gonna shamelessly demand (read: beg) that you do this!! \o/ \o/!

[tallycola]

Hahhaa okay. I am work now but I will try to do it tonight! Simmy was going to help me with graphics but she'll be at work when I get off, erg, I'll do what I can!

[hardcase]

The other day, while on the bus, I was trying to explain to a group of women why "No, they should not pack all the kids to the movie and make a day of it" when one of them made a rude noise and exclaimed that I couldn't say anthing about it being discriminatory or racist as I, myself, was white. 0_o I wasn't aware that this somehow disqualified me from calling Hollywood on its bullshit.

[glockgal]

Oooh, yeah I've heard this many times before - apparently white people are NOT allowed to call other people out on their racist behaviour! And PoC are considered oversensitive for calling other people out on their racist behaviour!

So essentially - no one is ever allowed to call people out on their racist behaviour, unless you're IDK. Superman? Dr Who? Mr Spock? Chewbacca.

[randomneses]

I'm loling at African American village. WTF?

[glockgal]

CAN'T YOU SEE HOW DIVERSE SHYMALAN HAS MADE THIS MOVIE. THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN VILLAGE IN THE A:TLA AIRBENDER WORLD GETS SAVED FROM OPPRESHUN FROM BROWN PEOPLE, BY THE LITTLE WHITE CHRIST-LIKE BOY. THIS IS SUCH AMAZING REPRESENTATION!!!!

[quinconcinnity]

I'm grateful to Mike for his review, I wasn't planning on seeing it at all, but I was a bit disappointed that I would be missing a live-action version of Katara's fight with the water-bending master.
I feel, well, not so much better about it, because, apparently they've turned the heroine into a limp noodle who never gets the upper hand or proves herself at all.
Relieved maybe..still not sure if that's the word. This movie makes me heart-sick

[amanuensis1]

I feel weird--my first reaction to the reviews is, "Hooray, it sucks!" Then my second reaction is, "Wait, now people will just hate it and go refuse to see it because it sucks, not because of the issues raised by the fans." Clearly I cannot be made happy. I suppose that's the lesson, that this thing is too far gone for me to be made happy.

[quinconcinnity]

This. Exactly what's been bugging me..I'm glad it's going to bomb, but I worry Paramount will learn nothing and blame the source material.

[amanuensis1]

I am starting to think that perhaps the reason critics are saying it sucks so hard is that they already have a bit of a negative bias going in: "All right, Shyamalan said he cast the best actors rather than have a race-favored bias. Let's see." And then it's clear that no actor looks good, so, their negativity deepens and it's harder to win them at all. Maybe the voices of outrage did reach them after all?

I feel sorry for Shyamalan, I truly do. I've read what he said about trying to be race-inclusive with the casting and it honestly sounds like he meant well. It's a position in which I can see myself if no one pointed out the problems with that position.

[quinconcinnity]

I've read what he said about trying to be race-inclusive with the casting and it honestly sounds like he meant well.

I don't see any evidence of that at all. All the leads, including Zuko, were originally cast as white kids. He only brought in Dev Patel after the first actor backed out.