Avatar: The Last Airbender

[The Crazy One]

I have mixed reactions and expectations to this movie. It looked all good in the trailer, but almost a bit naff. I'll go and watch it anyway.

On a side note, it is a rather unfourtunate name. ' Airbender ' *chuckle*. Pardon my humour.

[Emperor Claudius Rome]

So, uh, isn't anyone concerned about the whole race controversy?

Batbrick Away!

As long as the films good, I don't care about Twilight Sokka.

[Clone OPatra]

So, uh, isn't anyone concerned about the whole race controversy?

What race controversy? That it was an anime-style show, but the live action adaption does not feature East Asian actors? How is that a controversy?

It's a fantasy movie, and the movie-makers can choose whoever they please to play the characters. Ok, so the Fire Nation seems to be played by Indian actors, but is that a problem?

I don't see why just because the source material was drawn in an asian style means the actors have to come from the same place as the art style.

[Batbrick]

What race controversy? That it was an anime-style show, but the live action adaption does not feature East Asian actors? How is that a controversy?

Because the characters were clearly in Asian settings and were Asians themselves. Sokka and Katara have darker skin and the entire water tribe is clearly based on eskimo/inuit. The Air Nomads take influence from Tibet. The Fire Nation is heavily based on Imperial Japan, with touches of China and the Agni Kai concept from India (apparently). The Earth Kingdom is a ton of regions but very much calls to China.

So for the casting the three main heroes are caucasian, while the villains are the main asian characters. No unfortunate implications there at all....

It's a fantasy movie, and the movie-makers can choose whoever they please to play the characters. Ok, so the Fire Nation seems to be played by Indian actors, but is that a problem?

I don't see why just because the source material was drawn in an asian style means the actors have to come from the same place as the art style.

Of course the movie-makers can choose whoever they want to play the characters, doesn't make it one iota right. Of course the Fire Nation being played by Indian actors is not a problem (though it loses a lot of the Imperial Japan analogy), the problem is that this is another egregious example of Hollywood whitewashing their films, which I find downright insulting.

And it is not simply "anime styled". The Teen Titans cartoon was simply anime-styled, the world of Avatar takes place in a world heavily inspired by Asian cultures, themes, and mythology. It has anime elements of course, but it takes influence from Chinese art and history, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Yoga. They even had a cultural consultant to review scripts to see if they were faithful. The show used loads of East Asian calligraphy, with another consultant for accuracy. The use of the word "Avatar" comes from the Indian language of Sankrit, its meaning and significance is shown at the top of the show's title card.

For the bending:

# Tai Chi focuses on alignment, body structure, breath, and visualization. This technique is the foundation of "Waterbending" in the series.

# Hung Gar was chosen for its firmly rooted stances and powerful strikes to present the solid nature of earth. This martial art is the basis of "Earthbending" in the series.

# Northern Shaolin Kung Fu uses strong arm and leg movements. This technique is the foundation of "Firebending" in the series.

# Ba Gua uses dynamic circular movements and quick directional changes. This technique uses centripetal force to generate power, and uses nearly constant circular movement to create angles between the combatants. This martial art is the basis of "Airbending" in the series

The only exception to this is Toph, who can be seen practicing a Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis style.

Oh hell just go here: http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Influences_on..._Last_Airbender

My point is this is a clearly Asian world, and an amazing and beautiful one at that. Of course I expect some caucasians would have to be cast, knowing Hollywood, but the whitewashing of the film has just reached ludicrous levels.

[Emperor Claudius Rome]

If TLA does well, could It lead to a new series? I'm trying to stay optimistic about this because I really hope we get one.

Also, when TLA premiers, should I mingle with other hardcore avatar fans if there are any there?

[Batbrick]

If TLA does well, could It lead to a new series? I'm trying to stay optimistic about this because I really hope we get one.

Also, when TLA premiers, should I mingle with other hardcore avatar fans if there are any there?

A new series is already in production, little else is known bar the current title: Avatar: The Legend of Korra. Look it up if you wish, but nothing else is known.

Batbrick Away!

[RileyC]

I would love a new series but I hope they dont try and milk the franchise dry and get as much money out of it as they can. The only real thing I want from the franchise is just to wrap up the end. What does happen to Zuko and his mother? What happens with the gang and who marries who? And what happens if Katara and Aang have children? Would they be airbenders?

[Emperor Claudius Rome]

A new series is already in production, little else is known bar the current title: Avatar: The Legend of Korra. Look it up if you wish, but nothing else is known.

Batbrick Away!

Yes!!! I'm so excited.

Edited June 15, 2010 by Emperor Claudius Rome

[Zarkan]

I haven't watched the series, so I don't know much about it, but I know enough that what the major movie is doing isn't consistent with the animated series. It's basically like making a Spiderman movie where Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, and all the other main characters are black, while the villian is some other race. It just isn't consistent with the original source material, and it severely changes who the characters actually are.

Some people seem to think that race really isn't that big of a deal, and for the most part I'd say they're right. Today's society doesn't (or at least isn't supposed to) prefer people or dis-prefer people for a role soley based on their skin color. Instead, they should chose people based on whether they fit the role or not. In animation for example, white people should be allowed to play black people, and black people should be allowed to play white people, as long as their voices are consistent with who the character is. However, when it comes to making an adaption of something that already has a distinct ethnical tone, changing the race of characters just to appeal to a mainstream crowd smacks of a disrespect for the source material. The fact that it's live action only complicates the matter, as it's much harder to imitate a different nationality in real life than it is in other forms of art.

So basically, I think Batbrick has it right. This is simply a bastardization of the source, end of story.

Edited June 16, 2010 by Grevious

[ILikePi]

A new series? That's great! I've been watching a little bit of the older episodes every day this month on Nicktoons because of my renewed interest.

I don't like the look of the movie, though. IMO, Avatar just doesn't work with real people. The bending looks very cool, though.

Looking forward to hearing more about the new series - maybe it might even come with a revival of LEGO Avatar!

Edited June 16, 2010 by ILikePi

[Emperor Claudius Rome]

I've read a lot of fan theories about ATLK, and they say stuff like "It's not going to be a world wide conflict. But an internal conflict within the Avatar." A little silly don't you think?

[Batbrick]

*snip*

So basically, I think Batbrick has it right. This is simply a bastardization of the source, end of story.

Thanks for this post Grievous, you've pretty much summed up a lot of my thoughts when it comes to the film, in a way I couldn't because I'd be too busy unable to spell correctly through my anger and would have to resort to the usual "Argle BARGLE!"

Additionally of course is the series huge reliance and basis on traditional Asian cultures which factors enormously into the story. The world of Avatar is not just a fantasy world where changing the race of the actors doesn't amtter because "it's still just fantasy", it is so steeped in Asian culture, mythology, practices and language that its only a step away from having "the entire cast of Slumdog Millionare be white" level of ridiculous.

A new series? That's great! I've been watching a little bit of the older episodes every day this month on Nicktoons because of my renewed interest.

I don't like the look of the movie, though. IMO, Avatar just doesn't work with real people. The bending looks very cool, though.

Agreed, I cannot wait for the next series, the original was amazing and I'm so glad I got the box sets for my birthday.

And yeah, it doesn't help the film that the distinct bending techniques have been replaced by "random Hollywood waving hands motion" and that the writing which was in Chinese for the series being replaced by, and I quote, "New made-up symbols".

A Very Angry Batbrick Away!

[user]

And yeah, it doesn't help the film that the distinct bending techniques have been replaced by "random Hollywood waving hands motion" and that the writing which was in Chinese for the series being replaced by, and I quote, "New made-up symbols".

A Very Angry Batbrick Away!

Wow that kinda sucks. I thought it was cool how the TV show was adapted off real fighting techniques and Chinese writing.

[sok117]

Theres been a lot of talk about boycotting the movie because it doesn't stay true to the avatar franchise that we know and love, I think it's really terribble that they are white washing and I can only see Ang as asian, I also really don't like what he's wearing in the movie, It doesn't look anything like him in the show, I'm going to boycott the movie, Not sure exactly what that will do, but I'm doing it.

Heres the leading websire Racebending.com

Edited June 22, 2010 by sok117

[Emperor Claudius Rome]

There is a difference between looking like a character, and acting like a character. I've heard Noah Ringer, the actor playing Aang, is a rather lot like Aang. I've hear the same with Jackson Rathbone. Can you just stop and enjoy the movie.

[Batbrick]

There is a difference between looking like a character, and acting like a character. I've heard Noah Ringer, the actor playing Aang, is a rather lot like Aang. I've hear the same with Jackson Rathbone. Can you just stop and enjoy the movie.

Ah, that makes all the Hollywood whitewashing okay, thanks for explaining that to me. I guess when all my friends of different nationalities complain that the characters that should be portrayed by their nationalities go to the white people on the block, I'll just tell them that it isn't about diversity, its about if they can act well. I'm sure that's exactly how we managed to overcome racial issues in the past, gotcha.

(I actually get what you mean, which is why I dislike the Racebending community a bit because they go out of their way to troll other sites and make parts of the film that aren't racist look as such. And the film will probably be enjoyable. But I won't be seeing it, simply because at the end of the day regardless of intentions the casting and design of the film has been enormously offensive to pretty much everyone, and especially to those whose nationalities and culture missed out on being included in a film that was pretty much based on a show built around them)

[Pigbrick]

But I won't be seeing it, simply because at the end of the day regardless of intentions the casting and design of the film has been enormously offensive to pretty much everyone, and especially to those whose nationalities and culture missed out on being included in a film that was pretty much based on a show built around them)

Well, besides the main cast, it appears that everyone else is diverse... that's in the background... But really, it seems that there are a lot of diverse nationalities in the film even though they aren't among the main cast. Does that make it right? Of course not, but the movie isn't that white wash.

I'm also very excited for the film, which is why I'm trying to defend it a little. I think the costumes and sets are absolutely beautiful. I'm also curious to see how certain things are going to be done. I'm a little afraid too, not confident in that Noah can act and I'm worried on how long this film is going to be but I'm mostly happy with what I'm seeing.

It's just been lately that there has been a lot of negative comments about the film, which you have the right to have, but I just want to remind people that there is another group of us happy to see this (and hopefully enjoy it too ).

[Emperor Claudius Rome]

Ah, that makes all the Hollywood whitewashing okay, thanks for explaining that to me. I guess when all my friends of different nationalities complain that the characters that should be portrayed by their nationalities go to the white people on the block, I'll just tell them that it isn't about diversity, its about if they can act well. I'm sure that's exactly how we managed to overcome racial issues in the past, gotcha.

(I actually get what you mean, which is why I dislike the Racebending community a bit because they go out of their way to troll other sites and make parts of the film that aren't racist look as such. And the film will probably be enjoyable. But I won't be seeing it, simply because at the end of the day regardless of intentions the casting and design of the film has been enormously offensive to pretty much everyone, and especially to those whose nationalities and culture missed out on being included in a film that was pretty much based on a show built around them)

Well, this film is probably more diverse. There are more ethnicies in the film. And besides, ATLA was in a realm of fantasy. And you'd have to be daft to think that Ty Lee isn't white.

[Aanchir]

I'm looking forward to the movie. The controversy surrounding it doesn't really bother me-- as Batbrick said, the Racebending crowd in particular blows things out of proportion by attributing anything regarding race to ulterior Hollywood motives (after all, as with the LEGO-related controversies I've seen, the most apparent possible motive isn't necessarily the right one).

Anyway, Shyamalan's of Indian descent, and he's stated that Prince Zuko's his favorite character. Dev Patel is also of Indian descent. The choice to recast Zuko after the original casting announcement might have had something to do with him identifying with the character. It was doubtfully a decision of "OK, we need some non-whites, so let's cast them all as the evil folks". As I see it, that would be just asking for controversy.

Of course, LEGO doesn't get off scot-free on the race issue themselves, what with their choice to use light flesh for all the Avatar figs including Sokka and Katara. Nougat (flesh) or medium nougat (medium dark flesh ) would have made a lot more sense, and would have looked better to boot. A'course, that was in 2005, and since LEGO didn't seem afraid to use various ethnicities in the Indiana Jones theme, perhaps they'd be wiser today. But now it's too late. =(

Wish LEGO could have picked up licensing on the movie like they did with the TV series (they never gave that theme a fighting chance), but maybe that wasn't viable for some reason or another. I'm curious if people in the Minifig Customization Workshop might cook something up (after all, they've made some very good quality decals for the TV show). Aang's uber-detailed arrows might be a challenge...

Stay flamin', everybody. =P

[Batbrick]

Well, this film is probably more diverse. There are more ethnicies in the film. And besides, ATLA was in a realm of fantasy. And you'd have to be daft to think that Ty Lee isn't white.

Seriously, try and watch some anime, just about any anime. The characters are Japanese for the most part, but you'd swear they were as western as apple pie (don't quote me on that apple pie thing). You know why? Because unlike western animation, they don't immediately look at a character in an anime and identify their nationality by their skin tone. Regardless, while ATLA is NOT an anime, it is heavily inspired by it, so I don't get how you could think Ty Lee - the girl with the Japanese name, who comes from the nation heavily inspired by Meiji Japan, and herself is a member of that nation's upper class - is white.

And having many ethnicities in a film doesn't change the fact that the central characters - the ones who save the day - are whitewashed, it just makes the message even more potentially offensive. And do not bring up the "fantasy" card to justify whitewashing, the argument just collapses.

That said, I agree to an extent with Aanchir and Pigbrick's views, and I am still myself excited for the film even though I refuse to justify it a movie ticket. And I don't think for one second that Shyamalan himself was personally ensuring the racist overtones of the film. With that being said, while I doubt this was all created obviously, the production company has still shown enormous amounts of ignorance, from the offensive casting calls to the specific denials of any relation with them, one year after they were made. The whole debacle is a big product of ignorance. That ignorance continues into the film too, where Katara's outfit has the wrong side over the top, which is going to make some Asian audiences laugh when they see that she's wearing it the way she would traditionally be buried like. As in being dead

Batbrick!

[Aanchir]

Seriously, try and watch some anime, just about any anime. The characters are Japanese for the most part, but you'd swear they were as western as apple pie (don't quote me on that apple pie thing). You know why? Because unlike western animation, they don't immediately look at a character in an anime and identify their nationality by their skin tone. Regardless, while ATLA is NOT an anime, it is heavily inspired by it, so I don't get how you could think Ty Lee - the girl with the Japanese name, who comes from the nation heavily inspired by Meiji Japan, and herself is a member of that nation's upper class - is white.

And having many ethnicities in a film doesn't change the fact that the central characters - the ones who save the day - are whitewashed, it just makes the message even more potentially offensive. And do not bring up the "fantasy" card to justify whitewashing, the argument just collapses.

That said, I agree to an extent with Aanchir and Pigbrick's views, and I am still myself excited for the film even though I refuse to justify it a movie ticket. And I don't think for one second that Shyamalan himself was personally ensuring the racist overtones of the film. With that being said, while I doubt this was all created obviously, the production company has still shown enormous amounts of ignorance, from the offensive casting calls to the specific denials of any relation with them, one year after they were made. The whole debacle is a big product of ignorance. That ignorance continues into the film too, where Katara's outfit has the wrong side over the top, which is going to make some Asian audiences laugh when they see that she's wearing it the way she would traditionally be buried like. As in being dead

Batbrick!

Actually, I think the fantasy card does work to some extent. While it can neither verify nor justify the motivations behind the casting, I still think it's a valid argument against the more story-based arguments against the races of the cast (i.e. "Zuko can't be brown/Aang can't be white/Katara and Sokka can't be white"). Fiction allows these sorts of liberties, even if the casting decisions together have unfortunate implications that should have been anticipated.

Your comment about it not justifying a movie ticket makes me realize something: I got my tickets for free from a local theater, and they're "any show, any time" tickets rather than specifically "The Last Airbender" tickets. So that really won't impact the box office score one bit.

It's a bit of a pity, because I really do want the film to do good in the box office and have sequels. After all, Shyamalan's statements and decisions after-the-fact indicate that he doesn't intend to let this sort of fiasco happen again. After the main cast proved so controversial, there was a clear effort to cast other ethnicities in the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, and the main website was recently updated with production notes that put a heavy emphasis on the various ethnicities in the film. Clearly Shyamalan wants to make amends for this issue, and thus I'm confident that there will be a lot more forethought and supervision of the second film's casting process and attention to cultural details.

I feel this controversy is, as you said, a result of ignorance rather than ulterior motives. Even the Racebending crowd acknowledges that "whitewashing" is a trend, not an exclusive facet of this film, and it takes a lot more than a film based on an multiethnic kids' TV show for Hollywood's casting authorities to break those bad habits.

[Zarkan]

Well, with reviews pouring in, it looks as though the butchering of the characters' races should be the least offensive part of the movie to fans. What they probably be should far more outraged about is that, according to almost everyone, the movie absolutely butchers filmmaking in general, including casting, acting, pacing, storytelling, and coreography.

My predictions? The Last Airbender will likely make Jonah Hex seem like a success in comparison, and will also usher in the end of M. Night Shyamalan's career as a filmmaker.

Edited July 4, 2010 by Grevious

[Emperor Claudius Rome]

I saw it, and honestly, it wasn't bad. It wasn't the greatest film, but it wasn't as bad as all the critics say. I would recommend it.

[Batbrick]

What they probably be should far more outraged about is that, according to almost everyone, the movie absolutely butchers filmmaking in general, including casting, acting, pacing, storytelling, and coreography.

Some reviews are so brutal I found myself laughing so hard it hurt. Quotes like "I believe Shyamalan can ruin the world" maybe overdoing it though.

I saw it, and honestly, it wasn't bad. It wasn't the greatest film, but it wasn't as bad as all the critics say. I would recommend it.

But what other films do you like? We need to be able to trust you're opinion

A shame its apparently so bad though, with the news of Avatar: The Legend of Korra though it doesn't hit the way it would've. I'm just looking forward to what the animation team bring next.

Batbrick Away!

[RileyC]

Hmm... Im really disappointed that it did so poorly. I really had high hopes for this film but I think for the next one they should probably left M. Night go if they can.

I still have high hopes for The legend of Korra and I hope there's more info about it at ComiCon (if that hasnt already been )