dev patel Tagged Articles at Cinematical

One of these days, I'll actually get through Book One of Avatar: The Last Airbender, but probably not before M. Night Shyamalan buries me and my Cinematical cohorts under a slew of trailers and photos. But hey, this is the kind of thing that should appeal to the clueless non-fans as well as the Avatar devoted, so perhaps approaching it from the vantage point of a newbie is a good thing.

But whether you're a newbie or a longtime fan, this teaser trailer for Shyamalan's The Last Airbender (now officially dropping the Avatar preface) doesn't reveal a heck of a lot. The staff wielding is pretty kickass, effects are good, the music makes me want a noodle bowl something fierce, and the voiceover makes me feel like a kid listening to Don LaFontaine. The shot at the end of unknown baddies coming to blast our chosen one to bits is pretty awesome, if a bit evovative of Troy. But if I hadn't been told by friends that this is a series worth watching, I would brush the trailer off as a cheesy ripoff of every Asian movie I'd ever seen, and rap its knuckles for its unrepentant quoting of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. You never, ever want to make a "chosen line" quote in your trailer in a post Phantom Menace world.

However, that's my uneducated take. Let's hear yours, Airbender fans. The trailer is below the jump, and the movie hits theaters on July 2, 2010.

My geek cred fails me here as Avatar: The Last Airbender is just one of those things I know very little about. The original series is available on Netflix Instant Watch, but the curse of being on the movie news wire is that time to sit and watch is pretty scarce.

So, I will have to rely on you Airbender fans to give your take on these first photos from USA Today (apparently it's back to using the Avatar moniker despite James Cameron), and eagerly await your take on the controversy is raging around the film. Many fans are offended that M. Night Shyamalan didn't cast Japanese actors. Others feel that's an unneccessary sticking point as the world the characters inhabit is a fantasy one based on Asian culture, so that Shyamalan should be able to cast freely. Dev Patel just sits awkwardly in the middle of the debate -- people are simultaneously annoyed he's not Japanese and suspicious that the one non-white actor is cast in a villainous role.

Blissfully unaware of his unsuitability is newcomer Noah Ringer, who plays Aang. Apparently, he's always gone by the nickname "Avatar" due to his resemblance to the cartoon character (he always sports a shaved head) and his lethal martial arts skills. He won the part after sending a home made DVD of himself ... talk about an easy day for the casting director.

Give your thoughts, Airbender fans. And I promise, I'll start watching the series this weekend ... in the meantime, can you tell me what's up with Aang's hand?