The Last Airbender is a 2010 American adventure fantasy movie released on 2 July 2010. It is a live-action movie adaptation based on the first season of the Avatar: The Last Airbender. The movie stars Noah Ringer as Aang, the main hero of the story. Aang and his friends, Katara and Sokka, journey to the North Pole to find a Waterbending master to teach Aang and Katara how control the water. At the same time, Fire Lord Ozai, the current Fire Lord of the Fire Nation, is waging a seemingly endless war against the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes, and the already vanquished Air Nomads. The movie also stars Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, and Dev Patel.

The first of a planned trilogy, The Last Airbender was created by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies. Development for a movie began in 2007; it was adapted into a movie by M. Night Shyamalan, who also directed and produced. Other producers include Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, Sam Mercer and Scott Aversano. The series from which it was adapted (the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender) was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. Filming began in mid-March 2009; the movie was released in both traditional two-dimensional projectors, as well as in 3D (using the RealD 3D format).

The Last Airbender was made for $150 million and marketed with a budget of $130 million, making total costs at least $280 million. Other estimates put the cost between $100 million and $110 million, while various news sources reported the whole Last Airbender trilogy would be made for around $250 million. Premiering in New York City on 30 June, 2010, it opened in the USA the following day, grossing an estimated $16 million. The movie has received extremely negative reviews and is widely considered to be one of the worst movies of all time. It won 5 razzies in 2011, including Worst Picture and Worst Eye-Gouging Mis-Use of 3D.

Story

The movie begins with Katara and Sokka finding an iceberg and freeing Aang, the last airbender, and his flying bison, Appa. This attracts the attention of Zuko. Arriving to the Southern Water Tribe, Zuko demands the elderly under the impression that Avatar is an old person until Aang is found. Aang surrenders himself to Zuko as long as he agrees to leave the village alone. Eventually he manages to maneuver away from the guards before Katara and Sokka arrive on Appa, making their escape. Aang and friends visit the Southern Air Temple where the Avatar learns that he was in the ice for 100 years and the Fire Nation killed all the airbenders. It was there Aang meets up with the only known remaining "flying lemur", naming it "Momo" as it joins Aang's group.

Arriving in a small town of Earth Kingdom that is controlled by the Fire Nation, Aang's group are arrested while helping a boy named Haru. They then incite a revolution with reminding the disgruntled Earthbenders that earth was given to them through the air ducts. After, Katara finds a Waterbending scroll that she and Aang used to teach waterbending. During a side track to the Northern Air Temple on his own, Aang is betrayed by a peasant and captured by a group of Fire Nation Yuu Yan archers, commanded by Zhao. However, a masked marauder, the "Blue Spirit" (Zuko), free Aang. Aware that Zuko is the "Blue Spirit," Zhao arranges the prince's demise. But Zuko survives the attempt on his life and, with Iroh's help, sneaks aboard Zhao's lead ship as his fleet departs for the Northern Water Tribe to execute the plan he and Ozai set up with the scrolls from the Library detailing the spirits there.

Upon arriving, Aang's group is welcomed warmly by the citizens of the Northern Water Tribe. Sokka falls in love with Princess Yue, while Aang and Katara master their waterbending skills under master Pakku. Once the Fire Nation armada arrives, Zhao begins his attack while Zuko infiltrates the tribe on his own, capturing Aang while he entered the spirit world to find the dragon spirit to give him the wisdom to defeat the Fire Nation. Coming to his senses, Aang battles Zuko before Katara freezes him. As the battles escalates, Iroh watches Zhao slay the moon spirit Tui, causing the Waterbenders to lose all of their powers and abilities to Waterbend. However, Yue, who was imbued with some of the energy of the Moon Spirit when she was a newborn, sacrifices her life to revive the Moon Spirit. As Zhao is drowned by Northern Waterbenders after Zuko and Iroh leave him to his fate, Aang uses the ocean to drive the armada back. Aang now fully embraces his destiny as the Avatar and prepares to continue their struggle against Ozai. When news of Zhao's death and Iroh's betrayal reaches him, Ozai appoints his daughter Azula to capture both her uncle and older brother while hindering the Avatar in any way before Sozin's Comet makes its return within three years time.

Actors

 Noah Ringer as Aang, who disappeared 100 years ago.  While chronologically 112 years old, Aang still retains his biological age of 12. He is the latest reincarnation of the Avatar.  Though he is able of bending all four elements, at the beginning of the movie he has only learned to airbend.
 Dev Patel as Prince Zuko, a Fire Nation prince who travels with his uncle Iroh. He must capture the Avatar, to come back home and return the throne.
 Nicola Peltz as Katara, the last waterbender of South Pole. She and Sokka find Aang into an iceberg.
 Jackson Rathbone as Sokka, a warrior from the Southern Water Tribe and Katara's older brother. He cannot bending, but is extremely intelligent.
 Shaun Toub as Iroh, Zuko's uncle and older brother of Ozai. In past, a great general of Fire Nation.
 Aasif Mandvi as Admiral Zhao, a hot-tempered Fire Nation Commander who also want to capture the Avatar. But, in the end of the movie, he died.
 Seychelle Gabriel as Princess Yue, the princess of the Northern Water Tribe.
 Cliff Curtis as Fire Lord Ozai, the leader of the Fire Nation as well as Prince Zuko's father. He is a secondary antagonist of the movie, and the main antagonist of the series.

References

Other websites

 
 
 

2010 movies
2010 3D movies
2010s action movies
2010s adventure movies
2010s fantasy movies
American action movies
American adventure movies
American fantasy movies
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Movies set in Antarctica
English-language movies
Movies composed by James Newton Howard
Movies directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Screenplays by M. Night Shyamalan