I'm one of the few people on this planet that didn't like The Sixth Sense, so M. Night Shyamalan's plummet into cinematic irrelevance has surprised me less and delighted me more than most (reminder: I am a bastard). When Night was announced as the director of the Avatar cartoon movie -- carefully retitled The Last Airbender so James Cameron wouldn't skullfuck everyone at Nickelodeon -- I assumed airbending fans were in for a mass suicide. Then the trailer came out, and it looked awesome. Like, even to me, who's never seen a second of the Avatar cartoon.
Now the movie posters have come out, and they're equally as awesome and stylish as the trailer. How is this possible? How is Night not fucking this up? Also, isn't that our first decent look at Zuko, and doesn't he look kind of badass? What the hell is happening here? My brain tells me the movie will be a disaster, but my eyes keep telling me something different. It's all very confusing. (Via /Film)
Now the movie posters have come out, and they're equally as awesome and stylish as the trailer. How is this possible? How is Night not fucking this up? Also, isn't that our first decent look at Zuko, and doesn't he look kind of badass? What the hell is happening here? My brain tells me the movie will be a disaster, but my eyes keep telling me something different. It's all very confusing. (Via /Film)
137 comments
Comments
Dan said:
Rob, you should really check out the cartoons. They are some of the best storytelling I've seen for kids in a LONG time.
Izandra replied to Dan:
Agreed. The cartoons are a must watch. Still not sure about the movie though, especially since that whole casting debacle.
TerraForever replied to Izandra:
YES. Avatar the show was all sorts of awesome. It's generally geared for the younger viewers, but there is a LOT for older viewers to enjoy.
The movie, on the other hand, I'm not convinced yet. It looks good sure, but eh...trailers can be deceiving. The Casting has me little miffed, too. Also, as for Zuko - he looks badass because the large scar that's supposed to encompass his left eye and part of his face is like a small bruise...
bort replied to TerraForever:
Let me just pile on and say that Avatar (the REAL non-crappy Avatar!) was a great show.
Anatidaephobia replied to bort:
AMEN!
and i thought that Aang's final battle with the Fire Lord was one of the most epic battle scenes ever.
The first two seasons are kind of immature and awful but the last season just escalated to a new degree of undeniable awesomeness.
MYMA replied to Anatidaephobia:
Yes, I agree completely! I was unsure about this show at first, but once I started watching it I realized how amazing it is. And I think M. Night will do an amazing job, and keep the essence of the show. The whole casting drama is unfortunate, but I think it'll turn out great regardless. I hope the final battle is as great on the silver screen.
Arcane replied to Anatidaephobia:
I disagree partly! The second season was still pretty good. C'mon, Dai Li badasses and Toph learns to bend METAL!
dnwilliams replied to Arcane:
Yeah, Lake Laogai is one of the best eps of the series.
rickicker replied to Izandra:
and it's 'Phoenix King', Anatidaephobia. the fire lord at that time would be zuko's bitch-ass, slap-her-till-she-dies psycho hoar sister azula.
and YES!! YESS!! the final fight is definitely worthy of such an eloquent story-telling. however, it was dulled down with the fact that it was a children's show and therefore FORBIDDEN to show an-on-screen death. which kinda sucks, really.
anybody here who wants to see aang limit breaks ozai, or zuko doing a "Finish Her!!" on that azula slut, gimme an amen!
kurisu7885 replied to rickicker:
To their credit, Ozai having the very power that made him terrifying taken away is pretty fitting.
Sadly, that doesn't say much, seeing as kids shows have absolutely sucked since the end of the 80s/early 90s.
Eno replied to AfterGlow:
I love pretending things that I watched as an impressionable, stupid kid are perfect while everything new sucks!
Not that I'm saying all cartoons from the 80s and early 90s were shit, just that I'd say the ratio of good shows to bad shows is more or less the same. The reason kids TV no longer all seems good to you is because YOU'RE NOT A KID ANYMORE!
dnwilliams replied to AfterGlow:
I kinda sorta had this frame of mind, caught an ep of Avatar an had to completely reassess my position. Avatar is amazingly good.
Tekkamanraiden said:
[quote]James Cameron wouldn't skillfuck everyone at Nickelodeon[/quote]
Not sure what a skillfuck is but it doesn't sound pleasant.
MattK replied to Tekkamanraiden:
It's a D&D term where you tweak a skill of your character to the point of detriments in another skills, and the DM specifically tailors the campaign to take advantage of that detriment, fully negating any point of pimping out the skill you were focused on. Thus, your character is skillfucked.
JimmyBoots said:
I didn't like the sixth sense either.
GUMBERCULES! said:
Rob,
Stop being a dick.
Just kidding. If you did, I'd stop reading.
I'm not a huge Night fan, mainly because he fancied himself the next Alfred Hitchcock when he really wasn't.
However, Unbreakable was a great film. Laugh all you want, but it was the kind of movie that almost made me believe that superheroes could be real. It really made a legitimate case while using all the hooks a comic fan could believe.
Even though some of his movies have flat out sucked (The FUCKING Happening), I'm still interested in his movies, if for nothing else, than to see where his ideas lead him next.
I hope this turns out to be a kids film that doesn't make me want to puke.
Geoff replied to GUMBERCULES!:
No objection to Unbreakable being a very good movie - hell, even the obligatory twist was fun, even if I'd whispered to my then-girlfriend that
[SPOILERS]
"Sam Jackson is Lex Luthor"
[END SPOILERS]
about an hour earlier.
At any rate, anything would be better than that horrible one where it turned out killer trees were behind everything.
The Man With Two Brains replied to Geoff:
Thirded. "Unbreakable" is his ONE good film. "The Sixth Sense" relied only on the twist for quality since there was TOO MUCH foreshadowing for it once you've guessed it.
Kench said:
M. Night isn't a bad director, he's just a bad writer. If you look at all of his movies from the director's side of things, they're really not bad. The visuals are always really impressive. Now, don't get me wrong -- I don't like the majority of them, due to the stupidness of his writing.
That said, him directing The Last Airbender, as long as he doesn't touch the script with his stupid twist-ending hands, should turn out pretty cool.
Mr Wesley replied to Kench:
Seconded for truthiness.
Shyamalan could actually become a very good director, if he gets out of his own head. If he focused more on choosing his next project instead of creating it from scratch, he wouldn't be hamstrung by his dependency on "tweests" (copyright Robot Chicken 2010).
Red-Bird replied to Kench:
Too late..
He DID write the script.
Abraxas said:
Rob, you need to watch it the show, especially the last two seasons of it, then maybe you'll appreciate much of my FFF worth material :P plus it is an awesome show.
MattK said:
They kinda remind me of later Harry Potter teaser posters.
Hyuri said:
As an Asian nerd, I'm boycotting this movie on principles of effed up Hollywood casting.
SafetyDance101 replied to Hyuri:
Solidarity, my friend
*raises fist*
RunnerX13 replied to Hyuri:
Yeah, I was a little put off by the mixed of all the ethnic groups, since they're all such an important part of the show. How did they not cast a Japanese guy as Zuko? But I'll reserve judgment until I see more.
im really hope u boycotted the dragon ball movie, that was a peice of shit right there, but m. night isnt that bad. i though happening was so bad it was good, hell watch it with the riftrax and it doubles the fun! oh and since no one has said it yet... "WHAT A TWIST!"
I totally agree with you... in spirit! If you're going to boycott this, you're going to have to boycott a lot of other films. Did you know John Cho and Simon Pegg, who played Sulu and Scotty in the Star Trek re-boot, respectively, are neither Japanese nor Scottish? Did you know Christian Bale isn't American, and that Ra's Al Ghul (the character) is neither Japanese (like Ken Watanabe) or British (like Liam Neeson)? Did you know that Jake Sully isn't a Na'vi?
Don't get me wrong. I 100% agree with your sentiment, but, unless you're prepared to retroactively boycott whole swaths of cinema, you should reconsider... Unless you're boycotting because, as a man of Indian heritage, Night should be more aware of sensitive racial issues in casting, like this. That's fully supportable, and I support it! ;)
Anonymous replied to RobP:
...James Doohan wasn't Scottish either. He was a Canadian who was very good at accents, and he actually decided to make the character Scottish since, according to him, many of the world's great engineers came from Scotland.
Anonymous replied to RobP:
Very true, and that does annoy me. Is it so hard to find a good Japanese guy to play a Japanese guy? But, I do love John Cho so I have nothing against him. I thought he did a great job. I don't think that race should necessarily dictate who should/shouldn't be able to take on a role... I agree that maybe these kids are great actors and can really do a great job as the characters..
But you know, at least John Cho IS Asian. Simon Pegg is from the general region (I know, he's British, not Scottish but you know what I mean). I just don't understand how they could have gotten white people to play what, to me and to many others, seem to be pretty obvious non-white roles. The only members of the cast NOT white are the Fire Nation who are technically the "bad guys" ....
Anonymous replied to Anonymous:
Well on Sulu, I believe he's actually mixed race (Japanese and Filipino), although Cho is still neither. But Sulu was supposed to be a character that kind of represented all Asian groups (ie Sulu referenced by Rodenberry). But I agree with your point. But then again, it's also true that the casting in Avatar is a very miscasting compared to Sulu. (They're colorfacing, after all.)
RunnerX13 replied to Anonymous:
But it's a little different with Avatar. Bale played Batman as an American. Takei is Japanese-American, Sulu is just Asian. But in Avatar, the Fire nation is very much an analog of ancient Japan, Earth Nation is Chinese, Water is undefined native culture, and the Air Nation are Buddhists.
Arcane replied to Anonymous:
Untrue, members of the Earth Kingdom in the film are cast with Asians. Earth Kingdom just gets little play in the first Book.
Anonymous replied to RobP:
Um, Na'Vi aren't real, so a human playing a Na'Vi doesn't mean anything. And Sulu wasn't ever meant to be Japanese, he was just played by a Japanese actor, and even if he was, I'd rather see an Asian in the role than a white guy. I do think that Ra's Al Guhl should have been played by a vaguely Middle Eastern guy, though Watanabe's race is irrelevent because he was a decoy. And since American and Scottish are not races, I'm not touching that.
The bottom line is that it's really clear the the animators intended for the Airbenders to be Tibetan influenced, the Northern and Southern Water Tribes to have Inuit influences, and the Swamp Tribe to have Vietnamese influences, and for the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdoms to have Chinese influences. They worked incredibly hard to adopt these elements without relying on stereotypes and taking the easy way out. They even had an adviser so they could animate the martial arts sequences just so (and truly, Avatar has some of the most beautifully animated martial arts sequences I have ever seen) and M. Night just tossed all that aside that did whatever the fuck he wanted.
And speaking as a nerd with brown skin, it was nice to see a show, and such a well made one, with people who looked like me.
Hyuri replied to Anonymous:
man I didn't mean to start up a firestorm in the discussion *runs*
DBZ, I didn't watch it simply because it was anime adaptation made by Hollywood, nuff said. The whole thing with Goku played by Caucasian actor didn't enter my mind. There's that thing with whenever anyone in series go SSJ they go from different color hair to blonde was always an interest debate topic for the voices in my head to argue over, that's a whole different topic.
That said, here is a different issue. The creators, like many have said, out of respect for the cultures, researched and styled their creation in such a way that would definitely gives people the impression that it's an Asian origin world.
I'm gonna stop ranting.
Um. The Na'vi line was clearly a joke, wasn't it?
Like I said, I 100% agree that the live action cast should reflect the ethnicity of the characters as presented in the animation. It's something I strongly agree with, all I was saying was that one would have to start boycotting a lot of other entertainments one probably enjoys, based on basically the same parameters.
Fernando Secco said:
I can't say I like the idea of Night directing The Last Airbender, but saying he is "cinematic irrelevant" is just plain wrong. "The Village", "Lady in the Water" and "The Happening" are all great movies.
Maybe not to "blockbuster" guys, but Shyamalan if quite a relevant filmmaker among the critics and the world of art cinema.
Anonymous replied to Fernando Secco:
Lady in the Water was NOT a great movie.
dWhisper replied to Anonymous:
Neither were The Village, Signs, or any of the other crap he's churned out (save perhaps Unbreakable). He's a one-trick pony that relies so much on a twist that it belongs to a joke in itself. Except after you get a couple of his movies, it's not even funny. And there aren't enough of them to make even a servicable drinking game.
GreekGeek replied to dWhisper:
T'll second that. Besides sixth sense, the only film worth mentioning.....
Arcane replied to WetOREO:
I liked Signs and The Village. Lady in the Water was ok-ish, but it was such a blatant masturbatory act. Casting himself as the writer who will inspire a great world leader and then killing a film critic as the only character death, come awnn.
Greg replied to Fernando Secco:
You've clearly suffered a serious head injury and you need to call 911 immediately and get assistance. "The Happening" was one of the worst movies ever projected onto a screen. And that's counting every home movie ever made.
Fernando Secco replied to Greg:
Yeah, yeah, I forgot that I can only like a moviemaker more than you guys after suffering an injury or something. I think internet comments will always be flame wars, no matter what...
Well, I still think Shyamalan is brilliant, even though I don't expect too much from Airbender.
Wetoreo said:
Airbender is a cartoon that I hold in high regard as Gargoyles was.
As for the "race", if a black man can play The Kingpin, then I have no problem with this. That's why these are "actors".
Anonymous replied to Wetoreo:
if they can have ben affleck as daredevil and nick cage as ghost rider apparently anything's possible. besides, i though kingpin WAS black in the ultimate reboot. unless that was just nick fury and mr sinister.
Jay replied to Anonymous:
Kinda dropped out of Ultimate X-Men, but I'm pretty sure it was just Fury.
Kevin said:
Somehow I get the feeling that "Avatar" has ruined this movies' chances of success. Not only did he basically steal the name from them, but he made a movie that kicked the shit out of every other movie in it's path (even though it kind of sucks).
I don't care that James Cameron worked on the script for "Avatar" for 20 years or whatever, the "Avatar" cartoon was around long before he announced the title of his new project.
Odds are Shama-lama-ding-dong will screw this one up, but if it's actually a decent movie, it will still be forever known as "That other Avatar movie".
Benne replied to Kevin:
In fairness, Cameron copyrighted the title "Avatar" long before the cartoon came out. Nickelodeon was kinda screwed either.
Rob said:
To all concerned — watching the entirety of the Avatar cartoon is next on my list of shit to catch up on. Right after I finished with Doctor Who and Torchwood.
phoenixphire24 said:
I'm still holding out for the long trailer before passing judgment. One thing I do notice, that should be the side of Zuko's face that's scared. Doesn't seem to be much there...
Nameless Grunt replied to phoenixphire24:
It's there. Note how there appears to be a reflection on his upper cheek area and around Zuko's eye. That's the scarring. The light and angle of the actor make it hard to see clearly, unfortunately.
TerraForever replied to Nameless Grunt:
In general, from photos of the actors during breaks or official movie stills online, the scar was barely there. Granted, there weren't any good up close photos. But from afar the scar should be super noticeable. In those photos...they were just barely. It looks like Hollywood wants their Zuko to be pretty.
phoenixphire24 replied to TerraForever:
Boo, the scar is one of the main characteristics of Zuko and really helps to define his dichotomy. It's disappointing that they would just want him to be "pretty." Hopefully the character won't suffer for it.
Monkey boy said:
I love how morons get pissed that American actors were cast for an American adaptation of an American cartoon with a cast of American voice actors. Nothing is Asian about avatar TLAB except the vaguely Asian look of the anime inspired animation. But it is a wholly American production through and through, and most anime characters look Caucasian anyway.
As for rob, it is becoming a HUGE trend for you to love or hate something with a passion based on trailers and posters. Ok trailers I sort of understand, but with gi Joe, the other avatar, smallville, etc etc you flip out and go crazy as if the underpaid graphic designers who make the posters have anything at all to do with the folks who make the movie. Sure someone approves it, probably a fat cat producer with a cigar and a monocle, but a movies promo team has very little to do with the folks who actually make the movie.
Angela replied to Monkey boy:
"most anime characters look Caucasian anyway."
No they don't: http://www.matt-thorn.com/mangagaku/faceoftheother.html
Anonymous replied to Angela:
Haha what? Basically that article just made japanese people look like huge racists. Which to be fair, most of them are. But the notion that Japanese people immediately identify large eyed, blond haired cartoon characters as Japanese doesn't change the fact that to most of the non Japanese world, anime characters look Caucasian because they feature distinctly non Asian traits (exaggerated eyes and light hair). The article goes on to say that basically Japanese people know what they're doing because when they portray an African or European ethnicity, they racist the fuck out of it. Good points all around.
I've read that article before and it's absolute bullshit.
Anime characters look Caucasian to Caucasians, and east Asian to east Asians. Fine, I can live with that.
But... ask someone who's neither Caucasian nor east Asian what nationality Sailor Moon is, and I can garuan-damn-tee you the answer WILL NOT BE JAPANESE. A neutral observer is much more likely to think the characters are Caucasian than Asian.
Angela replied to Geoff:
It's not meant to apply to all characters everywhere, certainly. But it absolutely applies to many. One thing you seem to be missing is that there is no such thing as a neutral observer; we're ALL affected by the cultures we grow up in.
In any case, the Asian world that Avatar takes place in is beyond dispute, and Katara and Sokka certainly aren't white.
Yes, the girl who's obviously dressed in a Japanese schoolgirl's uniform, whose name is a reference to a Japanese children's tale about the moon, who hangs around with a Japanese priestess, clearly isn't Japanese.
Red-Bird replied to Geoff:
It should also be pointed out that the Japanese LIKE natural blonds. Plus, from what I understand, it's also a sign of a powerful individual (which Sailor Moon IS). It also helps the character stand out and is a reflection of their personality. Also more than half of Japanese people DYE their hair.
It is also likely an outlet of creativity in regards to hair. You may not know this, but in Japan, there is a conformist attitude. In school, for example, young people are expected to dress and 'look' a certain way. This includes hair color. Many schools in Japan have rigid standards in this regard and students with lighter hair (that's closer to a natural brown or even reddish) will get picked on.
Arcane replied to Geoff:
She only has 4' legs in the Manga, she's pretty short in the anime
Darth Shoju replied to Monkey boy:
So American = white?
This cartoon made clear use of Asian and Inuit culture visually and thematically. And at least one of its voice actors was Japanese (Mako). Are you saying you don't see anything disrespectful about essentially saying: "We love everything about your culture except you. Buh-bye." Casting the guy from Slumdog Millionaire helped, but it didn't make a lot of sense (Fire Nation was clearly Japanese, not Indian).
At any rate, despite my personal distaste for the casting choices, I'm sure I'll still see this in the theatre. I'm a whore that way.
*sigh*
SpiderHyphenMan replied to Darth Shoju:
Fire Nation is Japanese, Air Nomads are Tibetan, Water Tribe is Inuit, and Earth Kingdom is China. VERY IMPORTANT!
Monkey boy replied to Darth Shoju:
I think my issue may lie with the cartoon itself. Considering it's an entirely american production, to call it a "uniquely Asian story" as someone else did in the same way LOTR is a uniquely European story...it seems weird to me. Lotr is a European story because it's creator was European. Avatar is American, so it's strange to me that all these Americans have crafted a uniquely Asian story.
Darth Shoju replied to Monkey boy:
That helps me to see where you are coming from, but I see things differently. IMO, LoTR was European (more specifically British) because Tolkien was trying to create a mythology of sorts for Britain.
The folks at Nickelodeon who made Avatar were clearly fans of the cultures represented in the cartoon, and were honest enough about their inspirations to keep the characters ethnically true to the inspiration. I think that when it came time to make a movie, someone made the executive decision that having a basically non-white cast would lower the domestic box office.
Personally I think that is a fallacy, and one I hope will go away soon.
Angela replied to Monkey boy:
What Darth Shoju said. Additionally, the two creators of the series have stated explicitly that Avatar is meant to take place in a world based on certain Asian cultures. No, that doesn't make it "real" Asia, but it does mean the main characters wouldn't be lily-white.
Anonymous replied to Monkey boy:
Nothing is Asian about avatar TLAB except the vaguely Asian look of the anime inspired animation.
And the clothing the characters wear. And the characters' names. And the food they eat. And the buildings they live in. And the weapons they use. And the language they write in. And their art. And their festivals. And, well, most every facet of all the cultures in the entire show.
But beyond all that, there's hardly anything Asian at all, I guess.
Red-Bird replied to Monkey boy:
Given the fact that Mike and Bryan spent YEARS researching Asia, from the various cultures, architecture, cuisine, mythology, philosophy, traditional clothing, history and everything else pertaining, plus consulting with various experts on Asia and asked for advise from Asians and Asian-Americans how to do this and treat the various source materials with the respect they deserve... then yes, I'd say that would reasonably qualify them to create a story based in a pan-Asian world.
Monkey boy replied to Red-Bird:
But a pan Asian world doesn't necessarily have to have Asian ethnicities. When you think about it, the culture that influences this American cartoon doesn't necesssarily have to reflect in the races of the characters. I understand what you guys are saying, but just because the American creators of this imaginary world wanted an Asian cultural look, by no means does that absolutely require the characters races reflect that. It's a fictional fantasy world after all.
Red-Bird replied to Monkey boy:
Why SHOULDN'T it have Asian ethnicities? It lends a greater level of believability and authenticity. Otherwise, it looks... ridiculous.
If this world were set in a place that were based on Africa; from the clothes, food, history, mythology, culture and everything else, and the characters were White, what do you think the reaction would be?
boredatwork replied to Darth Shoju:
And Zuko's voice actor is Filipino... well in the same way my wife is. Pretty brown but completely American.
Arcane replied to boredatwork:
I loved Dante Basco in But I'm a Cheerleader.
Anonymous replied to Monkey boy:
I love how morons get pissed and blah blah blah all over the place when clearly they have no idea what they are talking about.
Protip: All Americans are not white.
Anonymous replied to Anonymous:
Don't think I said America=white chief. In my mind though it's kind of almost as "racist" to expect an entirely Asian looking cast, considering this series doesn't take place in Asia. Much like the cartoon, the movie seems to incorporate Asian elements to depict its culture, but this doesn't mean the characters in this fictional fantasy world created by Americans should necessarily look Asian.
Keechara replied to Monkey boy:
:Totally enjoying mental image of fat cat with a cigar and monocle:
GreekGeek said:
The show is awesome, the movie will probably suck balls......
Reason: only one...they will not stick to the original myth of the avatar and make Aang look like Neo.....
The silly-twist-man directing this has already said he has made changes to the tone of key characters (Soka and Zuko).
For example,Zuko is supposed to have a horrible burn covering the whole of his left eye cavity. And instead of that what do why get? the scar they gave him looks like a skywalking razor cut. Soka is supposed to be toned down a bit. But Soka was the funniest element in the whole damn cartoon. What the skywalking fuck is wrong with these people?
This cartoon shouldn't have been made into a movie. Damn you M NIGHT SHYAMALAN!!!!
Angela said:
I wanted to love this movie. Who knows, maybe it will be just as cool as I once dreamed it would be. But the racist casting kind of makes me doubt it. (Read THIS before you protest that Avatar isn't really Asian: http://aang-aint-white.livejournal.com/1007.html It's every bit as much of an Asian fantasy story as LOTR is a European fantasy story)
Monkey boy replied to Angela:
Wow you're right all those broken photobucket inactive account links totally sealed the deal....
WetOREO replied to Monkey boy:
lawlers!
Angela replied to Monkey boy:
Damn. Photobucket is blocked at the place I was posting from, so I assumed the pictures weren't showing up because of that.
Well, here's another way to see all the hundreds of Asian elements in Avatar: actually watch the show.
Anonymous replied to Angela:
Ok but here's what I'm saying...these American creators co-opted Asian elements to create their fictional world. The world they created is not Asia,it's a fantasy world. Just because these Americans incorporate Asian elements into the world, why does everyone who dwells within have to be Asian? If japan took over the whole world right now, would we all ethnically become Asian looking?
vashfanatic replied to Angela:
None of the characters are "Asian" in our sense of the term, since there is no Asia in this world. And Asia, need we remind you, encompasses half the world's population, including China and Japan but also Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, etc. etc. etc. People who keep saying "Aang is Asian!" like that's one unified ethnicity are being racist too.
That said, what's with having someone dark-skinned playing Zuko?? He's one of the palest characters in the show. And the scar is nowhere near as extreme as it ought to be. That's just... lazy or something.
Geoff replied to vashfanatic:
I remember filling out my law school application and looking at the affirmative action checkbox and realising I counted as 'Asian / Pacific Islander.'
So, basically, someone like myself - both parents from Goa - is lumped in with everyone as far east as Pakistan and as far west as Hawaii. I wish they'd just have put 'places whose students apparently do well enough in school that they don't get any special treatment', because at least that would have been honest.
I didn't wind up checking the box, of course. Was a bit too insulted by the whole deal.
Angela replied to vashfanatic:
I don't have a problem with a dark-skinned Zuko, though it does creep me out that the only Asian in the main cast is the "bad" guy--for now, anyway. It's the whitewashing of the rest that I object to. Dev Patel actually would have made a great Sokka, but I'm willing to give him a chance at Zuko.
rickicker replied to vashfanatic:
"Aang is ASIAN!!"
so is goku, but we all know how THAT story ended up now didn't we? -sigh-
Karma replied to rickicker:
SHUT THE FUCK UP SHUT THE FUCK UP SHUT THE FUCK UP. Goku is NOT Asian. JESUS I hate it when stupid fucking assholes keep saying Goku is Asian.
He's NOT fucking Asian. Dragonball or Dragonball Z, or even fucking GT doesn't even take place on the same Earth that we even know.
Dragonball universe doesn't have any fucking Asians in it. There are however, Namekians, and Dog people, and Anthropomorphic pigs, and hick farmers, whatever the fuck Mr. Pop is and tribes of people who appear native American despite there being no "America" in Dragonball Earth.
Goku's not fucking Asian, you stupid cock. You know what he IS, though? He's a fuckin SAIYAN.
And we don't know WHAT race Saiyans are supposed to look like, but my guess is that they look like fucking Saiyans.
Sayian =/= Asian. THE END.
Karma replied to Karma:
And now.... before some idiot tries to ridicule me for typing "Mr. Pop", and I get some snarky "what is a Mr. Pop? huh huh"... you know what I meant.
"Mr. Popo." Typos happen, and I didn't see it before I hit enter. Laptop keyboards are more difficult to type on and the O didn't register. The same thing could happen to anyone. Even someone whose point is still right, like mine is. Get over it.
Anyway.... just to make sure that everyone in the world understand this for the last fucking time (and because it cannot be more obviously stated or important), Goku's not a goddamn fucking Asian. For the last time.
Saiyan =/= Asian.
Besides, if people think that Dragonball Evolution's only problem was Goku's nationality, they obviously didn't notice that he was also cast as an emo, horny, angst-ridden, little high-school douchebag that just stumbled out of Dawson's Creek who makes weird faces, and whines about everything, while nothing else about him or any facet of the film from the actors to the set design to the plot specifics, to the general concept even resembled the anime or manga.
That being the real fact of the matter, it's absolutely fucking pathetic that these weeaboo cumstains all over the internet somehow think that the nationality of the actor playing a monkey from space single-handedly ruined a film, when there are at least 600 other things that ruined the film far more effectively.
This stupid fucking "OMG GOKU IS ASIAN" bullshit needs to die once and for all. Saiyan. Not fucking Asian.
Red-Bird replied to Karma:
'Dragonball' and the character of Goku are based off of the story 'Journey to the West', one of the most famous Chinese legends that centers on Hanuman, the Monkey-King, on whom Goku is based.
Using your argument, we should assume that Superman isn't Caucasian, he is Kryptonian.
Yet, it's clear that, by standards WE recognize, he IS Caucasian.
And using that same logic, we can assume Goku, though also from another planet, when you also use our standards, is Asian.
Red-Bird replied to Red-Bird:
(Continued)
While the standards of race in the fictional Dragonball Universe is vastly different from ours, that doesn't change that fact that the characters and backgrounds were created with a clearly Asian look/feel/sound, etc.
Therefore, it is safe to assume that ALL the characters, INCLUDING Goku, DESPITE being an alien, would fall into the racial ethnicity that WE would recognize as Asian.
Feel free to dispute that, but if you're going to make that claim, then you have to apply to heroes like Superman, who, like Goku, came from a another planet as a baby and was raised on Earth. You wouldn't dispute Superman's ethnicity, would you?
Arcane replied to Red-Bird:
Right, Superman is semitic
Tanath replied to Karma:
i think you meant "understands"
Lithroe replied to Karma:
You've got to learn to calm the fuck down.
JT said:
"I'm one of the few people on this planet that didn't like The Sixth Sense"
How Shocking.
RageTreb said:
I'll definitely see this movie, but my favorite character from the cartoon, Toph, won't be in it. I think she's planned for a sequel (if one is made), so I really hope this does well to justify one.
Gleeman replied to RageTreb:
Word, Toph is by far the best character in the show, which is saying allot since the others are very well done also.
Rob, definitely check the show out. In my opinion (FWIW) it's among the best TV series, live action, Western animation or Anime that I've ever seen. It sits proudly on my shelves next to Cowboy Bebop, Planetes, GITS-SAC, Hellsing OVA, BSG, Pushing Daisies, and all the other shows/movies I own.
Pragmatic replied to RageTreb:
She appeared in the second "Book." I think it's supposed to be one "Book" per movie. How they plan to condense down a season into one movie, I don't know.
Capt Ireland said:
Absolutely check out the show. it is undeniably awesome. Trust the cartoon/anime/random community with this. It starts somewhat slow (but still good) then it picks up like a fat kid at an all you can eat buffet.
Scortia said:
I'm still pensive. All the ethnicities are a mess. Oh no, gotta make the Water tribe caucasian because they're the good guys. We don't like dark skinned people so now they're the Fire Nation. I like how Shaymalan is a man of color and yet still did this. It's hilarious.
Nicnac said:
the problem with Shamalaymalam is that he wanted to replicate the surprise ending of Sixth Sense.
As others have said in this thread, he has a great eye, and great sense of timing. It will be good to see him get out of the great mystery, suspenseful long shots mode and into a more 'standard' movie.
And yes, I too loved Unbreakable and Signs. But, the only thing that comes close to Sixth Sense in my mind is The Others.
RubyRoses said:
not going to lie, for a really long time [check up until about half-way through the trailer the first time], I thought it was this, I was pretty fucking bummed when I realized it was some other thing. So, well... I'm just glad this is really a movie, and yeah I hope M.Night stays the hell away from the script. I've also only watched the first season of the show, so I'm not going in incredibly biased. Yay!
Wonder Pigeon said:
I just recently finished getting through the first season of Avatar, and yeah, its pretty cool. This movie could go either way, we'll see.
tvtastegood said:
As far as casting goes I'm still butt hurt that Ben Fucking Affleck was Daredevil but I'm getting over it.
Nillin said:
It looks humorless and white washed. Not terribly interested.
Alex M said:
I enjoyed the Avatar series!
I really really hope the movie is as good as series! I would be so sad to see a good story destroyed.
The trailer was interesting. Are we going to see any more trailers before it comes out?
Just a thought.
Briahlen said:
While it would be nice to have characters look their nationality...really...I don't care. I'd rather have a good actor who can nail the role but looks different than one who looks the part...but couldn't act his way out of a paper bag.
Angela replied to Briahlen:
I think just about everyone would agree that a good actor is better than a bad actor who looks the part. But there are thousands of excellent Asian actors out there; the moviemakers could have their pick. I could maybe understand it if they were trying to use a well-known actor to headline the project, but the only semi-famous one of the main group is that Twilight guy.
Grady said:
Ohhh please don't suck, please don't suck, please don't suck. If it's good enough I'll even ease up on the Aan Aint White rant that everyone loves to do.
Justin said:
My feelings about Avatar:The Last Airbender are pretty much like how some people feel about Star Wars, Harry Potter, and (fuck you Cameron you cock sucker) Avatar...It's the bees knees. Best animated series ever period. It just nudges out The Batman Animated Series for me...and I love me some Kevin Conroy voiced Batman...
As for the movie, I have hope based on the effects from the trailer and the fact that the creators of the show wrote the screenplay and are acting as executive producers. Here's hoping.
Red-Bird replied to Justin:
Mike and Bryan offered creative advise and made a list of things that would be essential to the plot... but they did NOT write the script. M. Night did. And it's up to HIM what get's put in, left out, what's changed, etc. Mike and Bryan have NO control whatsoever in that regard. They may be the creators, but they don't own the rights to the show. Nick Studios and Paramount do.
David said:
This isn't exactly the same as Daredevil's casting, though. Imagine if in addition to Michael Clarke Duncan, they also initially cast black actors for the other leading roles of Daredevil, Elektra, and Bullseye, with casting calls for the characters saying they were looking for actors who were "African American or any other ethnicity." Under those circumstances, wouldn't you think they had gone out of their way to seek out black actors and avoid white ones? That's much more like what happened with Airbender - they favored white actors to play Asian characters.
Plus, Daredevil takes place in modern America where it's commonplace to find a wide variety of races. The people in Avatar's world was more homogenously Asian, so non-Asian characters are even more out of place.
rickicker replied to David:
if said asian actors could both look the part AND act it well, then i wouldn't have a problem with it! however, most often times they would choose someone to just be ethnically correct and let the acting goes to shit!
i hiring a caucasian means that the characters i've come to love are saved from on-screen butchering, then i guess you can call me happily compromised.
Red-Bird replied to rickicker:
Are you suggesting that there are no Asian-American actors that BOTH look the part and can act???
Well, of course not! You've seen Asian actors perform, haven't you?
Red-Bird replied to Skemono:
Yes, I HAVE seen Asian-American actors perform.
But there seems to be an implication in your post that by hiring actors who look the role, there would be a sacrifice in quality in regards to the acting.
rickicker replied to Red-Bird:
wrong! no implication. i meant just what i wrote.
Tanath replied to rickicker:
i think the kid looks like aang...
Arcane replied to David:
I will dispute homogenization. Even if we accept that the blanket term of Asian applies to everyone in the cast, including the vast breadth of racial qualities that includes, Avatar still had rather diverse groups. Each Nation is rather distinguishable from one another, although amazingly all of them were able to pass as Fire Nation in Book Three. I guess people in the world of Avatar can't see race. Would that we were all so lucky.
rickicker said:
now THIS is what an "Avatar" should LOOK like!!
Anonymous said:
When I first looked at the Zuko poster I totally thought it was Michael Cera. Talk about a pants-crapper.
Arcane replied to Anonymous:
Take THAT, type-casting!
Catherine said:
I dunno. The posters do look good but I'm still a bit miffed that there wasn't any open auditions.
Brion said:
Ahhh it all makes sense now. I could have sworn I saw a trailer for this months ago, while Avatar the movie was being promoted as well. My brain can stop hurting.
I have never watched a second of the cartoon as well. But this film does look really good.
Rogue said:
I don't think the cast is that white or they don't look that white.
From what I can tell the idea in the movie is Fire nation-Indian/tan skin(I hear they were casting Mexicans as well), Earth nation-Generic Asian, Air Nation- Who knows, whatever they decided the actor who plays Anng looks like, and Water I guess is supposed to be European. Tho I don't think the actor who plays Sokka is actually that white (looks like a mutt to me) and the actress who plays princess Yue is very ethnic looking.
but then again maybe I don't know what I'm talking about as a women of mixed race. I just find it very hard to place race at all anymore and in the end who cares? As long as they can act and they movie is faithful to the heart of the story i will be happy.
Arcane replied to Rogue:
Well, the actor playing Sokka was white enough to play a Cullen in Twilight, not that they're related genetically or anything.
John said:
Actually, Nickelodeon should sue Cameron for using the Avatar name. After all, didn't the cartoon series use the name long before Cameron stole it? Now, Nick has to rename their movie so people won't confuse their movie with Cameron's and so Cameron doesn't sue them?? Come on!
Nickelodeon is owned by NBC/ Universal, so it's not like they don't have the resources to sue.
Then again, who distributed Cameron's Avatar? If it was Universal, then I take back my suggestion.
NicoNicoDouchebag said:
While I personally didn't like the show, I did like the fact that it attempted to set a story in an Asian-inspired world with people who looked Asian.
This rendition...doesn't really look anything like the show, especially in terms of casting.
I dunno, when the casting call asked for "WHITE PEOPLE PREFERRED" for the lead roles, that's really suspect.
Eh, I'll just wait for the Journey to the West movie to come out. At least there will be characters I can identify with more there, and there will be no crazy-ass shippers in the theater.
