I have to admit that it was not the first season of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" that really dragged me into the series, since I first caught it on Nickelodeon during season 2. Going back and watching the first season, it does seem a little slower then the rest of the series which is to be expected, since the first season is a journey tale. A journey tale allows the viewer to experience new places, sites, people and cultures along side the main characters. "Avatar Book One" uses this plot device well, going from village to village giving a complete sense of the world. I have always enjoyed maps of fictional places in stories, from "The Lord of the Ring" books to the "Under Sea Over Stone" and "Narnia" series, as a kid I would pour over the maps included in the front and back of books. Luckily enough, each episode of "Avatar" starts with zooming into a map, harking back to my first travels into the fantasy genre.
Even though the setting for "Avatar" is one of high fantasy, the first season hits with humor hard. This could be the creators' roots showing up in this work both Michael Dante DiMartino and Byran Konietzko got their start in T.V. on "Family Guy" "Mission Hill" and "King of the Hill", not so much the kung-fu action. Granted the laughs can be immature at most points, though there are a few quick turns of phases and call back jokes for a little more sophisticated chuckle. I'm not saying animal snot doesn't make me laugh (it does), but it is nice to have another level of comedy mixed in to it.
It's that mix of comedy with action that has me nervous about M. Night Shyamalan's written, produced and directed adaptation "The Last Airbender". Shyamalan has been able to weave his plots in the past to surprise audiences, though I haven't thought of him as working well with comedy or action. I won't be surprised if his rendition focuses heavily on a small group of friends being chased throughout the world by the army of firebenders, instead of a coming to age journey. Playing up tension and suspense which are strong suits for Shyamalan, might not leave much room for humor in a 2hr. movie.
Watching the trailer and seeing this poster, point out M. Night's other calling card: his use of muted colors. Coloration in his past works have been important, the use of red in "The Six Sense" and purple in "Unbreakable". "The Last Airbender" however was a cartoon, a brightly colored spectacle. In the trailer and poster I don't see a vast color palette. Where the visuals missed for me the audio was a direct hit. James Newton Howard the composer from "The Dark Knight" nailed it. Every episode of "Avatar" was filled with eastern sounding drums, driving the action and emotion. I'm excited to find out if James Newton Howard is signed to do the whole trilogy or just came to work the trailer.
Overall I'm excited and no matter how "The Last Airbender" turns out next year, I will always have the DVD sets to watch over and over again.
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