I love going into a movie with absolutely NO expectations because either way I’ll be okay. If it’s good, it completely rocks my world, and if it’s bad then I still have a good time. I’m glad I went into The Last Airbender with no expectations and nary a scrap of what the plot contained because the movie is just merely so-so. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it—I had a fairly good time watching the special effects—but when I dive just a little deeper and try to look at the film from a critical eye, it doesn’t measure up. However, I feel like M. Nigh Syamalan’s adaptation is one really good commercial for the Nickelodeon animated series, and THAT I have high expectations for.

Read MORE after the jump!

Right off the bat you are told that The Last Airbender is merely Book One of a larger story. Much like the failed Golden Compass, this film aims to complete its series with another two films. Whether that happens will depend on how much money this one makes. So, know that going into this because you may not receive the satisfying ending you crave. (I personally hate open-ended endings unless I know I’m going to finish the story in another six months or so…)

Quickly we are told the history of this world: apparently once peace and balance ruled among the Fire, Air, Water, and Earth nations because an “avatar,” a master of controlling or “bending” all four elements, kept the balance in check. One hundred years ago, he disappeared and now the Fire nation rules all other nations through violence. One day a young waterbender Katara (Nicola Peltz) and her brother Sokka (Jackson Rathbone of the little ole Twilight franchise) stumble upon a small boy named Aang (Noah Ringer) and his pet floating thing and discover he IS the avatar—or was, before he ran away from home prior to completing his training and became frozen in an air bubble under the sea.

The Fire nation wants to destroy the boy—namely Prince Zuko (Dev Patel), whose father banished him from home until he could find the avatar. The film is basically the race of Katara, Sokka, and Aang to learn the elements before the Fire nation destroys the avatar—and everyone in their path.

The story is a bit muddled—especially for Airbender newbies such as myself. This was the point of the film where I just surrendered myself from all plot devices and enjoyed what I saw. Yes, there is stilted dialogue, sure the clumsy exposition is annoying, and the tacked-on 3D was a waste—although it would have been cool had it actually been a forethought. And a big con of this film is that the child actors are just not THAT good. Aang is kinda obnoxious, and the whole movie revolves around us rooting for him.

Part of the problem with Airbender, too, is that I couldn’t get invested in this world. Maybe Syamalan rested too much on telling and not showing because the whole universe felt a little flat, which is ironic in 3D. I didn’t know the rules or the motives of anything or anyone, and it made it hard to get fully submersed in the Airbender fantasy.

But, as I said before, I did have a fun time during this movie. At one point I just sat back and gave into the spectacle on the screen before me instead of worrying about acting or plot devices. The cool special effects and fun martial arts scenes save Airbender from falling completely on its ass.

Although, I hear the animated series is totally bad-ass.

--Darcie Duttweiler