Mick C. Wrote:I didn't like it either.
The animated series upon which it was based was really good, and my kids and I enjoyed watching it together - well written, character development over the course of the story arcs, really first rate. Check out the DVD sets if you can.
One of the cool things about the series was that it created a pan-Asian world which drew upon Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Tibetan, Filipino, and other cultures, and included a lot of Asian voice talent, like the wonderful Japanese-American actor Mako (who sadly, passed away during the season's original run). For some reason, they cast the movie using a lot of Caucasian actors who looked like they were from Zuma Beach. It left a bad taste in the mouth.
That was one thing that weirded me out about the movie. You have this whole village full of Inuit/Asiatic people and then these two kids looking like refugees from "High School Musical" are there. For no reason. No, "your mother left you in our care before the Fire Nation took her away" or anything. Hell, once they get to the other city, there's white people everywhere. Why not just say they were originally from there? Just stupid stuff like that.
As far as the Sixth Sense went, M. Night lucked out with Haley Joel Osmant because the kid could act. And he was with Bruce Willis most of the time, and Willis can act. These kids couldn't act, especially the one who played the Avatar. Hell, from my perspective, the movie was the story of Lord Zuko and the trials he faced in attempting to reconcile with his father by captured that goofy-looking little bastard with the "I'm With Stupid" arrow on his head. I had a lot of sympathy for Zuko because Dev Patel
can act his way out of a wet paper bag and used that ability to create a compelling and sympathetic character.