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The Last Airbender, a review by Dragonfire

The Last Airbender

I have heard of the carton, but I haven't seen it.  I really have no idea what was changed for the movie - though I'm sure some stuff was..it always is.  I also don't know why the decision was made to make it a live action movie instead of animated like the cartoon.

The story is interesting.  It seems like it will be rather complicated after a few things are set up, but it really isn't.  Too many scenes drag on too long.  That doesn't just happen early in the movie when characters are introduced and the situation is set up.  Some of scenes fairly late in the movie drag too much as well.  Things do pick up every so often, but as soon as the action is done - courtesy of some fights between the various benders - the pace slows back down.  The pacing is very uneven.  I enjoyed the movie overall and didn't get bored, but I do think the pace is a bit too slow overall.  For what happens in this movie, there isn't a need for a slow build up.

The action scenes are done well and it does look cool when the water or fire is being controlled by a bender and used in a fight.  There don't seem to be any lingering effects to the elements though.  Characters hit by the water aren't wet..characters hit by the fire aren't burned or singed.  I have no idea if that is how it worked in the cartoon, but it is a bit odd.  The fighting is done with the different elements, so there really isn't much in the way of violence. 

Character development is lacking for all the characters.  A little more is shared about Aang, but it isn't enough.  Katara is a bit better, but her brother Sokka really suffers, seeming to just be tagging along.  The Fire Lord is just trying to further the Fire Nation's domination.  Prince Zuko has a bit more motivation, but he still comes across as a flat character. 

From what I've read after seeing the movie, it is based on the first season of the animated series.  I've also read that this is supposed to be the first movie in a trilogy..though I've heard that about other movies before and the other movies still haven't been made.  So who knows.  I would see the other movies if they get made because I think the story is interesting even though the pacing is messed up. 



I did get a review posted on Epinions.

The Last Airbender

(From The Last Airbender on July 11th, 2010)

Pulse, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Pulse (1988)
Movie Count: 15
TV Ep Count: 3
Other Count: 0
Time Started: 7:50am
Plot:
In today's world of modern conveniences, everything we rely on is run by electricity. But what happens if the power we take for granted turns against us? Old man Holger (Charles Tyner) knows. He claims electricity is a living presence, whose voice can only be silenced by getting rid of anything that can hear it. Bill Rockland (Cliff De Young), however, refuses to believe him. It must have been an accident when an electric spark ruptured the gas pipe that nearly killed Bill's son (Joey Lawrence). And it's surely a coincidence when Bill's wife (Roxanne Hart) is severely scalded by their electric water heater. But when his own power tools attack him and an electrical fire turns their home into a blazing inferno, Bill realizes Holger may have been right after all, and perhaps the time has come to finally pull the plug.

My Thoughts:
This is another one I never seen before... but it was cheap and sounded interesting so I decided to take a chance on it. Unfortunately this one is not all that impressive. I mean it has it's moments...but they are few and far between. The movie is slow and I just couldn't get myself to care about the characters. Then there is the fact that the acting itself leaves some to be desired at times. The dvd itself is ok at best as well. The audio and video is fine though some grain in the video... as for extras all you get is a selection of trailers. This is not a DVD I see myself watching much... if I decide to watch it again.



(From My Month Long Horror/Halloween Marathon: 2008 on October 4th, 2008)

The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

What's the show about?
The Dollhouse is an institution that provides people. The so-called "actives" have a wiped memory, no clue about their former lives. When sent on an engagement they are imprinted with all the knowledge and skills they need for this. The engagement can be anything from a hot weekend orgy to negotiating a kidnapping. The actives are supposedly volunteers and they will get back their lives after five years of service. FBI agent Ballard is trying to expose this and the Dollhouse has problems of their own: The wipe is not as clean as it should be and one of their actives went rogue.

"Ghost"
After his daughter was kidnapped and he was warned not to involve the police, Mr. Crestejo engages an active. She's imprinted with the knowledge of the best kidnapping negotiators and is also given a background where she was kidnapped herself to become the best person for this situation money can buy. Meanwhile FBI agent Ballard still tries to find this mysterious "Dollhouse" but his superiors doubt it even exists and warn him to not to step on any more toes on this ghost hunt.

My Opinion
Most people (myself included) agree that it started out rather slowly with a engagement of the week pattern but in the second half of the first season it got better when they truly began to explore the Dollhouse itself and its inner workings. The ratings weren't good either and when Fox had to decide whether to kill Dollhouse or Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, the cancelled the latter. I will definitively watch the second season and hope that the ratings go up.

(From The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon on September 11th, 2009)