A 41 second clip of the The Last Airbender has premiered on Yahoo Movies today. The visage begins as Princess Yue of the Northern Water Tribe is talking to Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe and they realize that it’s not snowing out but instead ash is falling from the sky. “The Fire Nation is here,” Sokka proclaims.
The shot changes to a fleet of battleships approaching the walls of the Northern Water Tribe lined with troops, much like the scene at Helm’s Deep in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Chief Arnook surveys the situation and appears grim as he knows his warriors are no match for the approaching enemy.
Vital Stats
The Last Airbender is a movie based upon Nickelodeon’s animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender that aired in three seasons. The film, due in theaters on July 1st, is the first in the planned trilogy. The clip is somewhere towards the end of the film as the climactic battle ensues between the invading Fire Nation fleet and the Northern Water Tribe stronghold defended by Waterbenders and their secret weapon: The Avatar.
The Avatar is a mythical person who is the only human capable of “bending” or manipulating all four elements in water, earth, fire, and air. He can enter a trance-like state that gives him unbelievable powers which is where you get scenes with huge waves crashing onto the huge battleships that you’ve seen in countless commercials.
Media Blitz
Toys are in stores now (no Katara toys), commercials are all over television including during halftime of the World Cup, and two and a half year wait for fans of the original is over. There will be games, promos, and even candy based upon the movie.
Ever since they announced a movie based upon Avatar: The Last Airbender my wife and I have been waiting with anticipation. While we were initially skeptical of M. Night Shyamalan’s involvement in the movie, the visuals look very, very similar to the original concept by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.
I anticipate that fans will see this movie over and over again bringing many happy returns to the box office and rejuvenate Shyamalan’s career. With no other big-name movies coming out for the holiday weekend, Airbender will surely be number one at the box office and maybe so for the next few weeks afterwards. The Last Airbender is rated PG.
Yahoo Movies, The Last Airbender website, and The Last Airbender Primer were my main sources of information.
