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Post by MetalGearSilux on Feb 8, 2010 1:07:20 GMT -5
So yes... this movie. What are people's thoughts on the film? How about the casting? Did Shamalay picked the right cast? If not, explain. Also, are you planning to see it? Why or why not? Let's have a rational adult talk here. Thus if you state something, back up your claim. Let's get this started.
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ShadownetZero
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Post by ShadownetZero on Feb 8, 2010 1:34:53 GMT -5
I wanna see it simply cause I love(d) Avatar.
Is it gonna be lame? Of course. But doesn't mean I'm not gonna see it. At night. In a disguise. Sitting in the back of the theater.
>___>
Also, I'm not actually gonna vote cause those choices are so lame.....
(fire>water>earth>air)
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Post by ichigofields on Feb 8, 2010 3:12:17 GMT -5
Being a fan of the show, I just wanna see how badly they botched the source material, which I am a huge fan of. If it's anything like the Dragon Ball movie, it's going to get very interesting very fast. And it definitely cannot be as bad as what they did to Eragon...poor, poor Eragon.
It's really kind of a guilty pleasure, like people who hate Twilight going to see it in theaters. They know it's going to royally suck, but they want to go to just watch the movie and laughed at all the ridiculous shit in it. This movie has a slim, SLIM fighting chance to impress and honestly, it's worth it in my mind at least taking a look.
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Lady_Earlgray
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Post by Lady_Earlgray on Feb 8, 2010 7:35:30 GMT -5
Oh I have my cynical doubts that it can flop worse than Eragon, plot wise. But I suppose we all have hope for the special affects at least looking nice?
I knew from the start that a "Avatar the Last Air Bender" movie was going to be... Iffy. When my friend told me about it, and when she said "M. Night" first thought was Aw hell, Aang sees dead people. (Which isn't too far from the truth, haha) So yes, I had a feeling from the start that it was not going to be the epic, LOTR care and honor kind of adaption that I've yet to see any other adaption movies put into their work. (*SIGH* Golden Compass, *SIGH* Eragon *SIGH* ERAGON, also *SIGH* Harry Potter at some moments, too :I )
When the casting issue came up, that actually made me interested in the movie. I knew not to expect much, but when they had Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko possibly casted as four white leads I balked. "Wait what, the Four Nations are supposed to be varied and Asian what the heck is going on?" Yes, guilty pleasure of mine, but one of the reasons why I so clued in with Avatar was because I'd play the "LOL WHERE'D THEY STEAL THAT FROM" game, at least, in terms of Asian culture, and because I'm a geek like that I geeked about it.
So yes, I have a bit of an anti-caster slant because I've been following the work of racebending.com as my source of information (I cannot stand most of the Avatar fan base, and I honestly cannot stand listening to their squeals about this movie without at least someone mentioning that, yes, there was something weird going on there), and I do wish that even though Avatar cannot be changed and is on the course that it is, at least studios like Paramount will notice that yeah, we do see what you did there, and we can complain about it. :I
As for me, I'm upset about what has happened; there are talented Asian actors out there, and I suppose it was just faulty to believe that this movie would be the sort of break that Asians out there would get -- it certainly would've made me cheer to see Perris Aquino as Aang, and he did have a legit audition...
But I suppose I'm not going to dig in my heels about it, as I have never done that about a movie. (IE. Twilight) I have many friends who are Avatar fans, and they range from adamant anti-casters who will stand the picket lines, to people who are aware of what has happened (assumed or otherwise) with the casting but either a.) don't care (Which I think is sad) or b.) do not understand (Which I think is worse).
I'm probably going to be dragged off to see it with my more rational Avatar fan friend, (Or maybe Sara and Nora, although lol where are you guys going to be July?) who the one who got me to watch it again -- and as I recall, I got back into it at the tail-end of the Earth book and so I had to rewatch Water, and then when Fire came out... Really, that was a beautiful thing >A>
Obviously, we're going into that movie knowing it can't top the animated series with its unbiased beauty and plot - but hey, as I've said before:
It's just one giant Ember Island Players routine, and who didn't love the Ember Island Players episode?
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Post by sapphi on Feb 8, 2010 13:18:44 GMT -5
Great post, Angeli. <3
As for me, I am interested in the quality of the acting (will it be good?) and the badass CGI (from trailer) that I have been seeing. Way better than that Zeus movie or whatever it was? Oh lord! <3 It looks like they put a lot of effort into making this thing look badass and dramatic! I personally know that I'm setting myself up for disappointment if I expect it to be close to source material, I only think that's worth it for manga --> anime adaptations and even that is dissapointing sometimes lol. But the trailer impressed me so I think at least the fighting will. I'm looking forward to it.
I will probably be in town this summer: Luis+Sara+me+Angeli+Zack+whoever else for a movie night yes yes?
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Post by shinkiro0 on Feb 8, 2010 19:57:23 GMT -5
I followed this from the moment it hit the rumor mill. First, Jesse McCartney was supposed to be zuko (wow, fail much?). Now Dev Patel=Zuko? ? The was the defining moment for me. This would fail. Just like Dragon Ball. Just like Eragon. Just like other live actions adapted from anime/manga. For the people who say the movie doesn't have to have asians (as in chinese/japanese/korean), look at the anime, and then tell me that. Its asian as hell, from the kung-fu like bending, to the china=earth tibet=air eskimo=water japan=fire thing, for anyone who even remotely has any knowledge of anything from clothing to customs. Yes, I know eskimos aren't asian, but asians bear a much closer resemblance than whites. Now, if the actors beared some striking resemblance in some way, I could let it go (though I am ashamed to admit, Zack Efron does look like kira), but clearly thats not the case. Fail, need I say more? Dragon Ball at least cast Chow, which makes its fail not as bad. I'm not asking for a pure asian cast, thats stupid. I ask for at least one. I got zero. In terms of CGI, seems good, but I doubt it has lots of epic stuff. Had the same feeling with Eragon and Dragon Ball, expecting nothing but at least good CGI. I mean, if they had the sense to cast Chow in Dragon Ball, they could at least do that, right? Nope, they was next to zero fighting, with little CGI (didn't suck, but it wasn't good). I expect nothing out of this movie. This way, at least I won't be disappointed if I'm right. Eragon had Irons, Dragon Ball had Fat. Avatar has no real star carrying it. Once again, need I say more?
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ShadownetZero
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Post by ShadownetZero on Feb 9, 2010 2:09:42 GMT -5
I followed this from the moment it hit the rumor mill. First, Jesse McCartney was supposed to be zuko (wow, fail much?). Now Dev Patel=Zuko? ? The was the defining moment for me. This would fail. Just like Dragon Ball. Just like Eragon. Just like other live actions adapted from anime/manga. For the people who say the movie doesn't have to have asians (as in chinese/japanese/korean), look at the anime, and then tell me that. Its asian as hell, from the kung-fu like bending, to the china=earth tibet=air eskimo=water japan=fire thing, for anyone who even remotely has any knowledge of anything from clothing to customs. Yes, I know eskimos aren't asian, but asians bear a much closer resemblance than whites. Now, if the actors beared some striking resemblance in some way, I could let it go (though I am ashamed to admit, Zack Efron does look like kira), but clearly thats not the case. Fail, need I say more? Dragon Ball at least cast Chow, which makes its fail not as bad. I'm not asking for a pure asian cast, thats stupid. I ask for at least one. I got zero. In terms of CGI, seems good, but I doubt it has lots of epic stuff. Had the same feeling with Eragon and Dragon Ball, expecting nothing but at least good CGI. I mean, if they had the sense to cast Chow in Dragon Ball, they could at least do that, right? Nope, they was next to zero fighting, with little CGI (didn't suck, but it wasn't good). I expect nothing out of this movie. This way, at least I won't be disappointed if I'm right. Eragon had Irons, Dragon Ball had Fat. Avatar has no real star carrying it. Once again, need I say more? Yes, I'll give you that Avatar (I keep feeling like people will think I'm talking about the James Cameron Movie) is drenched in Asian culture, but the main characters themselves DO NOT look that Asian. Aang has the monk think perhaps, But Katara, Zuko, and Soka do not look that Asian. Tell me this; if the movie was actually good ( if people, dont bite my head off) would the casting make you dislike the movie? As a fan of Avatar, I truly hope this movie is superb. However, as a realist, I can only hope to not be disappointed. I'm an almost-fan of Shyamalan, but I feel that if anyone was wrongly picked for a role, it would be him as director/producer. 20% chance I'll like it. 65% chance I'll dislike it. 14% chance I'll hate it. 1% chance I'll love it. On an unrelated note, is there any info on Appa? Giant flying bison FTW!
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Post by motaku96 on Feb 9, 2010 3:04:59 GMT -5
I never watched avatar but I've heard good things about it. And the movie looks pretty cool(at least the trailers anyway). I probably won't watch it though cause I'm being cheap as hell right now. I just spent another $90 pre-ordering another figure.
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Post by empressran on Feb 9, 2010 6:16:05 GMT -5
I want to go see it and then I don't want to.
I love Avatar. My entire family loves Avatar. It's that one show we can all bond over and feel like we all just watched epicness in its best form. Hell, it's one of the few good shows Nick had. So, I want to see a glimpse of what it could look like if it was real and not cartoon. The trailer was pretty cool too. <3 Waterbending
Then...besides the racebending issue (Katara was my main iffy point because it's gonna be weird seeing that chick and I won't get that feeling of OMG KATARA'S REALZ) and well, movies based off books and developed tv shows aren't that great. I'm always dissapointed because I feel like they left the important bits out. Since he's supposedly doing the first season, which is 10 hrs of cartoon action, it's gonna be hard to get in everything into two hrs at most.
Besides, most people I know probably won't go see it because they never really cared for Avatar and....the odds of it being a blockbuster are low.
Gah! I DON'T KNOOOOOOW.
OMG Appa's in it? Maybe? Possibly? He had better...how else they gonna get around?!
I loved the reactions of the main people rather than the actual play... Hey! would there be commentary by the cartoon actors on the movie on cd or something? I would get that.
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Lady_Earlgray
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Post by Lady_Earlgray on Feb 9, 2010 7:25:53 GMT -5
@ Jeff and Empresssan: I believe if you pause the 30-40 second trailer REALLY fast at around 0:09, or during that shot when Aang is watching the Fire Nation kill people then in the FAR left you should be able to see Appa, kind of And... Yes, I'll give you that Avatar (I keep feeling like people will think I'm talking about the James Cameron Movie) is drenched in Asian culture, but the main characters themselves DO NOT look that Asian. Aang has the monk think perhaps, But Katara, Zuko, and Soka do not look that Asian. Tell me this; if the movie was actually good ( if people, dont bite my head off) would the casting make you dislike the movie? As a fan of Avatar, I truly hope this movie is superb. However, as a realist, I can only hope to not be disappointed. I'm an almost-fan of Shyamalan, but I feel that if anyone was wrongly picked for a role, it would be him as director/producer. 20% chance I'll like it. 65% chance I'll dislike it. 14% chance I'll hate it. 1% chance I'll love it. On an unrelated note, is there any info on Appa? Giant flying bison FTW! If you can argue that Avatar characters don't look all that Asian, then how is it that we can suspend our disbelief in thinking that anime characters are Japanese when they have blonde hair, blue eyes, and the boobs to match it up? I find it interesting that it's easy, I guess, when you look at an anime to pretty much accept that everyone is "Japanese" because of the names, or because you're "told" so via the plot. I look at Aang, and I see the influences taken from Tibetan monks; not only does the clothing and practices harken back to this influence, but he's also a strict vegetarian, a peace-maker (Although his character seems to be the typical Son Goku "monkey king" archetype) - is it because he has wide, gray eyes that he doesn't necessarily "look" Asian? I mean, do we look at Suzaku and think "Hey that kid ain't Japanese >8U" even though we're told that he is? Maybe it's a subconscious thing that happens with anime, but when I'm told they're Japanese I'll suspend my disbelief when a green haired girl struts about squealing "Welcome back master~" Perhaps Avatar was not so blunt about it, but then again the signs are obvious: the names - These names are not of the made-up alternate language variety ala Tolkein who was a linguist, these are names that have actual meanings if you look them up -- they didn't pull any "exotic" sounding name out of thin air. And come on, didn't everyone make the "Azula" "Azulong", the blue dragon, connection when she first came up? (DIGIMON, thank you for sharing bits of mythology about the four point animals :'D Azulong, Byaku, Suzaku, and Genbu) calligraphic writing - All those warning posters were marked in Chinese characters, they even hired an expert (As far as I remember) to render all of the writing for them the food - Uncle Iroh's preference for tea, and I know they've been seen eating with chopsticks more than once the clothing - The armor is definitely not of Western origin, the styles used not so that people could bash each other over the head with long swords, but so they can be mobile; and civilian clothing, too, is varied from hanbok to some sort of yutaka mish mosh And even the music - It has that "exotic", "foreign" sound to it which distinguishes Avatar; it's epic music, and it's even more epic because it fits in with what is playing on the screen. I think a few brows would raise if there was all of a sudden some sort of violin score (Ala Riders of Rohan) dubbed over any Agni Kai scene. They're all Asian-influenced and they're all working together, therefore why can't we, who are fed on anime, suspend our disbelief and believe they are Asian? As for me, if the movie was "good" I could appreciate that it was a good movie but I honestly cannot equate it with the show that it came from. They're on different fields, one was catered (relatively) to the minds of two men who really wanted to focus on what they loved, the other seems to be catering to the American demographic who will only respond to white heroes; either that or the whims of their director, and proclaimed fan, are different and of course his adaptation will be different and catered to his specifications. (Hey, at least we didn't get a yaoi fan or a Zutarian directing this, lucky us no?) As a fan of Avatar, I feel like I am entitled to be a little disappointed in the movie's choices (Although like watching a Twilight movie, I'm there for the lulz of it all); I can honestly say I would have been more excited if they had cast even one token Asian lead, but they didn't even want to give us that little mercy. Again, again, it's all up to Paramount, and it's all up to whatever vision M. Night has in its head, but sometimes I do wonder what it would be like if they hadn't made the poor casting choices they had... ... :I Not to mention all the changes to the plot they (apparently) made, but hey, that's another post. And the whole serious-business-serious ... Isn't working for this. To quoth the bros who watched the Super Bowl with me: "LOL WHAT WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE?" "DUNNO MAN LOOKS LIKE SOME KID MOVIE." When we watch it we have to go to the back so we won't be seen with all the kids :<... Also, I saw this, and I don't know about you guys out there, but I cannot suspend my disbelief and think that this is Katara:
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Lady_Earlgray
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Post by Lady_Earlgray on Feb 10, 2010 20:19:56 GMT -5
OAO I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but any thoughts on the full trailer?
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Post by empressran on Feb 10, 2010 23:33:45 GMT -5
I don't know....everytime I watch it...I can't help but compare it to the show. And that's not Katara....I don't see Katara. Or Sokka....and did movie!Zuko have a scar? And why is Aang only serious in the trailer. See, I'm just looking for the elements of the cartoon being shown in the movie. Crap, this always happens with book-movies. I can never just enjoy the movie. T^T The trailer made me more depressed.
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herunumen
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Post by herunumen on Feb 11, 2010 2:41:34 GMT -5
lolololololololololololololol wtf?!?!?!
WOW, just can't stop laughing at Dev Patel as Zuko. Disappointed with casting, among other complaints, but it's a great trailer at least.
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Lady_Earlgray
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Post by Lady_Earlgray on Feb 11, 2010 7:27:34 GMT -5
I hope I'm not the only one who noticed Aang's tattoos now make a Christian cross-like symbol? LOL WOT
The graphics look tight, I can give that the giant ice ball looks real in that sense.... But everything else leaves me more than just disappointed. :<
"You were once part of a powerful nation" <-- Besides the racefail, that line struck me. The Air Nomads were pacifist monks, but I suppose to upkeep with the SRS BSNSS MESSIAH FIGURE that they're painting Aang to be, I guess Air Nomads have been upped the epic scale as some sort of powerful fist-fighting nation of bald people. To me, that was the point of Avatar, it wasn't about going KIYAHHHH *HIT OVA THA HEAD*, it was more of balance, and wanting to keep balance peacefully.
8U But that's not epic enough, is it? asdpoadskopsadadskop
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Post by sapphi on Feb 11, 2010 11:31:47 GMT -5
Your guyses rage amuses me, the last time I had expectations for a show was when the Sci-Fi channel decided to make an adaptation of Earthsea. I was sooo super excited. And then they raped everything from the names of the characters to the characters themselves to the plot which managed to be worse than the book? Seen similar reactions to Harry Potter, Watchmen (I liked ittt), even Little Women what lol
Also I like the srsbizznizz but I've been Kubo'd by trailers many times and it's soooo dissapointing when the trailer is better than the movie itself LOL. But then again it's Nickelodeon doing it and they're random when it comes to movie quality. You never know what you're going to get with them.
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