Reader Comments

from sez....
I'm infuriated with what Shamalyn did to my Avatar. Avatar is my life and he goes and craps on it. I wanted to show my parents how good the show was so we can watch it together and bond. So I was goona take them to the movies and since it was crappy and nothing like the show we can't bond as well. Is this what you like doing because I don't. I even painted blue arrows everywhere on my body. You should've just stuck with the horros instead of cartoons when you haven't even seen and understand all the episodes when I do. I woud've been a better director and showed that Avatar is a great show. You put things in that weren't even part of the show and wondered why can't we put this or that in when you still had time. No one even looks slightly like their characters. You will rue the day you decided to make that movie.(just bad credits)
7/1/2010 8:27:13 PM

Dana from New York, USA sez....
I can't WAIT for "The Last Airbender"! I wish there was more info out on the next movie, because my favorite character, Toph, come into play. I can't wait to see who Shyamalan chooses for her role!
5/21/2010 7:12:36 AM

nuna yabuisness from nune efq\g sez....
did he just say that he is gonna create three movies about the last air bender!!!???? cause if he is than i really want to audition for katara!!! tell us when and where!!! tell us what to ware!! tell us what to do and tell us a whole bunch of other stuff!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!!
5/13/2010 2:11:53 PM

waqas from pakistan sez....
Every single movie in which Nicola Pletz is gonna take part would be awesome, cool,cute,and simply the best. Thats all i guess i think about her
2/24/2010 12:32:58 AM

Ghello from USA sez....
Mayan is hardly an Asian influenced culture so you can drop it from the little list there, Atreyuthe. At least use Mesoamerican or American Indian, which is what it is.
10/12/2009 9:03:37 PM

ayame from philippines sez....
i don't really mind that they chose a non asian kid as aang, i mean, if you stared at aang's picture, he is not brown, nor does he have squinty eyes. it's like he has no race at all. there should be no problem, we should just welcome the film in open arms since we haven't even seen the film itself. COME ON DUDES.
8/19/2009 5:08:30 AM

Michael from Boston sez....
I'm asian. This casting is racist. Asians will never be bankable. Why? Because Hollywood is racist. That's just how it is. And anyone who says there aren't asian actors out there...be sorely mistaken. There are no well known asian actors because they aren't given roles unless of course there's martial arts involved...oh wait there is in this movie isn't there? Haven't seen the movie but anyone who's going to say Noah Ringer somehow beat other little kids during casting without actually being at the casting call...well what do you know about what happened in casting? AND to those saying that airbender has nothing to do with asians...right...because commander ZHAO, princess YUE, avatar ROKU, etc. etc. are not asian...right...
7/16/2009 6:00:13 PM

Hans from Bittersburg sez....
We need an Animated Avatar Movie!!!
7/14/2009 4:56:00 PM

Boycott_Last_Airbender from Internets sez....
Tom, you're being ignorant. Please visit racebending.com and educate yourself.
7/10/2009 10:38:14 PM

Tom from United States( CO,MD,CA sez....
to add on to it. earth nation is reprsenting chinese. fire is japan water inuit and air indian. so does that mean we have to cats like that. cuz those are rare. there is no way in hell you are going to find a cast like that who knows martial arts.cuz most asian americans dont really like acting or doing martial arts. before you say becuz there are white actors that it is racist remember YOU ARE JUST THE ONE BEING RACIST. and i am tired of that reverse racism thing going on in this contry. who cares what pigment you are woopty do we are all human and all seek the same goal
7/10/2009 11:51:58 AM

Tom from United States sez....
With the racism thing. think how many asain actors there are.... now kid actors. it isnt just the "white" man keeping them down it is just that out of 100 casting tapes i bet there was only one asain kid. form the trailer this kids is a prodagy. it isnt about race it is about who wants to be a actor.and if you watch the show some characters are whiter than white people. a white dude could be as tan as sokka if he stood in the sun five minutes. Eastern culture believe in the fact of humanity as a hole not just asian black white and so on. it is the goal of inner peace and enlightenment and like when other cultures are interested in theres. have you ever talked to a buddhist you would know. and there are white buddhists in asia. WHY DO YOU ALL HAVE TO BE RACIST IN SAYING IT SHOULD ONLY BE FOR ASIANS WHEN IT WAS CREATED BY TWO WHITE GUYS. DIVESITY IS WHAT MAKES THE WORLD A GREAT PLACE> and yes im HALF white and HALF korean so ya.
7/10/2009 11:45:48 AM

Jay from United States sez....
@Gwen: I was about to post about Shyamalan's obviously not getting the point behind the brilliance of the characterizations and the amount of research the people who worked on this series put in making everything as authentic as possible. However, you beat me to it. I'll just say one thing. Institutionalized racism has been around for centuries in the United States. One of the biggest reasons this is still a big problem today is because of the media, particularly Hollywood. The Last Airbender could have went against this. Sadly given the general ignorance of the cast and crew (just look up Dee Dee Ricketts comment about how Koreans should wear their kimonos at a casting call for extras) of the diversity of Inuit and Asian cultures and their inability to think white people can't relate to people outside their own race, it only confirms their own ignorance.
7/3/2009 1:02:26 AM

Gwen from Southern Water Tribe sez....
Okay, this isn't even getting into the racefail of the casting. This man clearly has NOT watched the show because he doesn't seem to understand some of its most basic concepts. 1) There aren't fart jokes in Avatar. And do you have any idea how old slapstick is, Shyamalan? 2) "Grounding" Sokka is equivalent to making him Zuko with darker skin and blue eyes. You just cannot do that. The fans will eat you alive. 3) "We don't need to follow the old way of seeing God"? There isn't a central God in Avatar. It's all Eastern mythology which focuses more on spirits than a central religious figure. 4) He was obviously not paying attention to the credits where it says very clearly that Sifu Kisu was the main martial arts consultant. That's called "being accurate", not "ripping off other movies." 5) I think he has confused "balancing the elements within yourself" to mean everyone has to do this. Only the Avatar had to work to find a balance for all four elements because only HE could bend all four of them! 6) Air Nomads are not lazy. They are a very passive people and they don't let troubles weigh them down, but they're certainly not lazy. (Also, saying "I like to do things with the minimal amount of effort" isn't the way to endear yourself to a very large, vocal fanbase, Shyamalan.)
7/2/2009 11:29:22 AM

DK from Reading sez....
@Artoria: This may come as a shock to you but there are actors who look like the characters (brown skin and all) who CAN ACT! And apparently, even if their acting wasn't up to snuff, they can just be sent to acting camp like Ringer! Please actually read racebending.com where they explain why it might (just might) look kinda bad (not to mention weird) if, in an Asian-themed world, the Asians play the background people and they play the villains but they don't play heroes. But I guess that's because, as far as Hollywood is concerned, only whites can be heroes. And Zuko won't be turning good through inner struggle or anything like that, but through the realization that white values are best. Shyamalan (and the producers) have completely distorted the racial politics of the story and therefore destroyed the spirit of the original. And, um, "the snowy north ruled only by Inuits" was written in the show. There weren't any blondes living in either pole: there were no Russians, no Scandinavians, just Inuits. THAT was in the show. And based on the press that's been out so far, Nicola Peltz and Jackson Rathbone seem to know nothing about martial arts so so much for filling your "tough order." I'm also afraid this isn't a mere issue about skin: this is about the decades of discrimination that continue to this day that is associated with that skin. It's very disappointing that this is coming from M. Night; the trailer looks relatively decent and could be a really good movie; shame about the cast.
6/30/2009 12:24:44 AM

DillReview from USA sez....
Kudos to Artoria! However, people can ALWAYS find something to complain about. If you pay no attention to it (the casting issue), you will have a wonderful time when the movie comes out.
6/29/2009 11:35:28 PM

Erikonil from Virginia sez....
@FirePrincess I think you need to open your eyes and see the instatutional problem here where you can just toss aside minorities whenever you want. Sokka and Katara are not white. It was a part of their character seeing as they were always stated to be based on the Inuit. Race is a part of everyone's character and world view and Asian American kids have had to suffer with exclusion from popular culture. Look at any issue of Entertainment Weekly and count how many people of colour are in it. And of those, how many are Asian or Native American. How many new stars have been promoted by studio's who aren't white? Most minority actors do well in indies, but are never considered for major films because...they're not white. It's not because they're bad actors, but it is because they're not white. And I say that as a white person who had to watch my adopted Korean cousin grow up without any role models in popular culture where much of public opinion is shaped and molded for kids. We're fans too. But we're also socially aware of what messages Hollywood puts out. What does it say when the light skinned villains are changed to dark skinned people and the dark skinned heroes are changed to white? Not to mention I would expect that Mako (Uncle Iroh) would be disgusted at this development. He was a tireless advocate for Asian American actors and hated white washing of characters.
6/29/2009 9:36:41 PM

Artoria from Avalon sez....
Are Chinese actors not allowed to do Shakespeare because Shakespeare was English? Hardly. You guys are ruining this amazing movie for yourselves by focusing on appearances. What if all the actors looked exactly like the characters in the series but their acting SUCKED? Then you would really have something to complain about. Aang looked like a white kid. No question. And so what if Jackson Rathbone and Nicola Peltz don't have brown skin! If their acting is amazing and they are true to the story, THAT is what counts! The soul of Avatar is its story! And that story is timeless and can be played be anyone, just like Shakespeare! By the way, Dev Patel is from India! Asian? You betchya! And (spoiler) he's really a vital good guy just buried under years of paternal abuse. And if you haven't looked at a more complete cast list you might not know that a lot of people in the cast are indeed Asian. What's more, Native Americans weren't the only ones to live in the frigid north. What about Scandinavians? Russians? They're white. Is the snowy north ruled only by Inuits? No. You're ruining this great story for yourselves by focusing on skin. I highly doubt M.Night even thought about race that much while casting. For the kind of director he is, he was probably obsessed with finding GOOD actors who had good chemistry together, could tell the story well, AND had some martial arts ability. This is a tough order to follow. Why not wait to judge the movie until AFTER you've seen it? The only people judging by appearances here are those complaining about this petty race issue. Quit ruining the movie!!!
6/29/2009 9:29:49 PM

Jenn from WA sez....
Words cannot do justice to my feelings on this. I am 110% excited for TLAB, and I am thrilled that M.Night is the director. As soon as I heard he was the director for this movie, I thought, "Perfect!" He has the perspective that a good Avatar movie needs. He cares for all elements of this very deep story, and it has MANY elements. It's so multi-faceted. It has something for everyone. Fortunately, M.Night has a darker style that will be great for mature audiences, and Avatar boasts the action that younger audiences always appreciate. Of course, Avatar can stand alone with something for everyone, but M.Night can smooth out the story's cartoon physique for those who could never see the show as more than that. This will be an excellent film in ALL aspects: story, acting, effects, music, settings, action, cinematography...everything. The trailer had me drooling! I want more, and I do NOT want to wait until NEXT July for it!!!
6/29/2009 6:53:51 PM

FirePrincess from WhereEverYouWant sez....
I completely trust MNight! He is AMAZING! Although Katara's Brother is played by Jackson Rothbone, not Nicola Pletz. There's so much hate on these comments... you people need to chill!
6/29/2009 6:08:54 PM

Erikonil from Virginia sez....
No questions about changing all the main heroes to white? Interesting. The crux of the casting controversy is that he took two non white characters and nations and white washed them. I'd love to see his rational for making this blended cartoon cast into a generic white=good brown=bad film.
6/29/2009 4:01:56 PM

AtreyutheSlayer from Elsewhere sez....
I like how M.Night cleverly dodged the casting controversy, the fact that Jesse McCartney was the first pick for Zuko, and the Asian influences (read: its Fantasy Counterpart Cultures are all either Asian/Inuit/Mayan) of the show. Also he insults Sifu Kisu by saying all his moves are "almost copied entirely from martial art movies". And the worst part is that some people have been trying to argue that he choose the "best actors" for the job, when in fact Noah Ringer was chosen for his nonexistent Ba Gua skills. *facepalm*
6/29/2009 2:32:13 PM

Piandao from Firenation sez....
You all have it wrong... It's Water, Earth, Fire, Air.
6/29/2009 1:19:22 PM

Bleh from Somewhere sez....
The four elements aren't Water, Rain, Fire and Air. They're Water, Fire, Air, and EARTH. Also, Katara's brother isn't being played by Nicola Pletz. Its some other dude. I dunno if you know but Nicola is a girl and Katara's brother is a dude.
6/29/2009 12:23:27 PM

DK from Reading sez....
His answer to the casting question did not address the controversy at all. He completely dodged it.
6/29/2009 11:34:58 AM

CJ from Earth Kingdom Ba Sing Se sez....
Yea I noticed that huge error as well, It's almost like they forgot the list of elements and just added Rain.... Fire, EARTH, Water, Air.
6/29/2009 8:01:54 AM

Jenn from Newfoundland sez....
"Fire, Rain, Water, Air"? It's "Fire, Earth, Water, Air"... Rain is not an element.
6/29/2009 7:29:41 AM

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