According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount Pictures has obtained the screen rights to Heavy Metal’s coffe table book Last Man Standing: Killbook of a Bounty Hunter.
Scott Aversano (THE LAST AIRBENDER), will be the producer along with Last Man Standing creator Daniel LuVisi. Peter Levin (OVERKILL: The Aileen Wuornos Story), Russell Binder and Stephan Lokotsch (THE HOOK ARMED MAN) are attached as executive producers.
From the LMS website, in lead character’s “Gabriel’s words:
“I used to work for a company called ARMTECH or A.W.O. (Armtech Weapons Organization). It’s basically a ‘big brother’ type of company that focuses on keeping our country, that being Amerika, safe. Or under their thumb some might say. They began as a company based on morals and ethics. Citizens of Amerika came first on their list of protection. They solved our problems and fought one hell of a fight if anyone threatened them. They were the side you wanted to be on, and once you vowed your loyalty you weren’t going anywhere. I worked for them because I was made by them. I was created to be the world’s first “superhero” or what ARMTECH calls, a PALADIN, a soldier with the talent of 500 soldiers.
Before you start getting excited, I can’t fly. I don’t have x-ray vision or claws and I wasn’t bitten by any insects. I can’t regenerate and as much as I’d love to be, I’m not a multi-billionaire with a fascination for winged mammals. What I can do is kick ass and take a whole lot of ass kicking. I was created to be a walking army, a bruiser. When our boys in the forces were too afraid to go into the most dangerous of war-zones, they’d call me in to patch things up.
There used to be a lot of us, but now I’m the last one surviving. I’m still human, at least I think I am.”
M. Night Shyamalan owes audiences an apology. Paramount pictures owes viewers a refund. Not for the overall defectivness of THE LAST AIRBENDER (although there is that). Rather, they owe us for the abominable 3-D presentation, which costs consumers an extra $4 per ticket – money that could be far more entertainingly used by bending it into origami torture devices and inserting into the vulnerable anatomical areas of those responsible for the post-production 3-D conversion.
THE LAST AIRBENDER is the current bete noir of those who prefer their 3-D films shot that way, rather than retrofitted after the fact. Like the upcoming THE GREEN HORNET, Shyamalan’s film was shot in standard 2-D, then converted, because 3-D makes everything better – or, rather, it allows theatres to charge more for the allegedly premium viewing experience. Never mind that the results are haphazard, sometimes lacking depth, at other times stretching the anatomical proportions of a shoulder to that of a mountain range. And the polaroid lenses darken the image by one or two stops, diminishing the sparkle of the cinematography. Far from a premium experience, THE LAST AIRBENDER ends up looking as if it were being projected in a second-run theatre striving to save on projector bulbs by turning down the illumination.
Why would a distributor foist such a defective product on paying customers? Hollywood has jumped on the 3-D bandwagon in a big way since James Cameron’s 3-D blockbuster AVATAR blew through the international box office, earning billions worldwide. Fortunately for viewers, AVATAR was actually shot in 3-D, and the difference is stunning in its clarity and depth, helping to immerse viewers in the on-screen action. Unfortunately for viewers, the extra dollars earned by charging more for 3-D screenings tempted Hollywood to cash in, regardless of quality, with last-minute 3-D conversions for ALICE IN WONDERLAND and CLASH OF THE TITANS. THE LAST AIRBENDER – which, ironically, is based on a Nickelodeon cartoon series titled AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER – is simply the latest example, and it is an understatement of Godzilla-size proportions to say that LAST AIRBENDER is no AVATAR.
Sadly, if atrocious 3-D conversions continue, audiences might revolt against being ripped off for higher prices that do not deliver higher quality, and we could see the third wave of 3-D come to a premature conclusion, just as similar waves died out in the 1950s and 1980s. That would be a disaster, because today’s 3-D technology is capable of offering viewers something better than they have ever seen before; it simply needs to be done correctly. The "3D" was removed from most posters due to a lack of specially equipped theatres.
Although the current 3-D craze flew onto the Hollywood radar with AVATAR, it actually launched considerably earlier. Cameron has long been advocating for an industry-wide shift to 3-D, and so has Jeffrey Katzenberg, whose DreamWorks Animation recently released HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON and SHREK FOREVER AFTER in 3-D. Two years ago, JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH was originally titled JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH IN 3-D, until it became apparent that the lack of 3-D theatres would require that most engagements be in 2-D; unfortunately, the film was so bad that 3-D was almost the only appealing thing about it. The far superior CORALINE (2009) also used 3-D to enhance its fantasy world, adding depth to the texture of its stop-motion puppets and miniature sets.
Meanwhile, a couple of modestly budgeted horror films put 3-D to good use last year: MY BLOODY VALENTINE and THE FINAL DESTINATION opted for the old-fashioned gimmick of tossing objects out of the screen; pick axes and shrapnel seemed to fly right into your face, providing a cheap but very entertaining thrill, not all that different from the ping-pong ball that seemed to bounce under your nose in HOUSE OF WAX back in 1953. What is different is that the new digital 3-D offers a pristine picture, unmarred by double images, blur, or any of the other problems that used to plague stereo-vision movies of yesteryear.
3-D is being adopted today for the same reason it was in the past: as a way of luring audiences back into theatres. In the 1950s the enemy was television; in the 1980s it was the new home video market. Now we have DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, streaming, iPods, etc. – all of which pose a threat to theatrical distribution. Widescreen high-def television sets can offer a great home viewing experience, but the glory of IMAX 3-D is still available only in theatres. However, Hollywood needs to learn a lesson from the past. Back in 1973, FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN made great use of 3D
The two previous 3-D waves lasted about a year each: 1953 and 1983. In each case, the novelty of 3-D wore off quickly, marred by bad movies and eyestrain. There have also been sporadic attempts to use 3-D as a gimmick in exploitation films like THE STEWARDESSES (1969). ANDY WARHOL’S FRANKENSTEIN (a.k.a. FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN, 1973) offered X-rated nudity and gore by the boatload, which raised the question of whether 3-D might inherently be most appropriate for lurid subject matter. Certainly, the 3-D Frankenstein film (which was actually written and directed by Paul Morrissey, with an assist from Antonio Margherti) made some of the best use of the process ever; the entrails and organs dangling in front of viewer noses heightened the absurd nature of the campy storyline in a way that no 2-D presentation could match.
The conventional wisdom became that 3-D was a gimmick; even if the technical issues could be resolved, it was not appropriate for “serious” films. For many years, few filmmakers even attempted it, outside of theme park attractions like CAPTAIN EO, motion-simulation rides, and IMAX short subjects like SIEGFRIED AND ROY’S THE MAGIC BOX. Because these short films were presented in at most a handful of specially designed theatres, the quality of the 3-D could be maintained in a way that was not possible for a nationwide release screened at the local multiplex. For years, it seemed that this was all 3-D would ever be. That changed thanks to new digital technology. Whether or not you swoon at the sight of a pick ax flying into your face, or burning shrapnel exploding out into the audience, you have to admit that MY BLOODY VALENTINE’s 3-D and THE FINAL DESTINATION proved that all the old problems had been; each film looked as good as – or better than – the best 3-D ever seen. Even though they still required polaroid lenses, the image was clear, sharp, and bright; you didn’t suffer from mismatched brightness for the right eye versus the left eye (as happened with the red-green glasses used for the 3-D sequence of FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE, for example). In short, this and other recent 3-D films proved that the process could be viable for a nationwide release, with a presentation in your local theatre that could equal the viewing experience previously achieved only in a specially designed venue for something like TERMINATOR 2 3-D.
With high-quality 3-D now seemingly within the grasp of even modest filmmakers, the equation has shifted. It’s no longer a matter of smacking thrill-seekers in the face with a few objects popping off the screen. The beautiful sense of the depth, coupled with the ease on the eyes, allows for opportunities to fashion more subtle movies, in which the stereo-vision simply makes the movie seem more real, as if you are looking through a window upon another world. 3-D can be more than an exploitation gimmick; it might turn out to be a tool used to enhance many different kinds of stories, not just ones emphasizing sex and violence. At very least, the potential seems to be there, if creative filmmakers can seize it.
3-D conversion, however, is another matter – a last-minute effort to layer a phony sheen on a film not designed for it (even if you can add depth, you cannot retroactively create sequences designed to showcase the third dimension). Advocates selling their processes claim their results can be as good as or better than films shot in 3-D, and there are cases that yield good results . Computer-generated movies – which exist only in the virtual realm anyway – can be digitally retooled to create double images for the left and right eye, yielding a convincing sense of depth even if the films lack gimmicky images of objects flying off the screen. Also, the 2006 3-D conversion of Tim Burton’s THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993) looked beautiful: something about the stop-motion figures and sets lent itself to the process; the added depth made them seem even more tangible.
Live-action, however, turns out to be a less successful mad scientist’s experiment, one that creates results as mis-shappen as any Frankenstein monster. There are reports of blockbusters like STAR WARS, TITANIC, and KING KONG being converted to 3-D with great results, which we should be seeing in upcoming re-releases. However, the few post-AVATAR examples we have seen do not bode well, failing to deliver results that would justify the extra expense. 3-D yielded bizarre results in CLASH OF THE TITANS
CLASH OF THE TITANS presented what looked like flat figures cut out and separated into foreground, midground, and background; when depth did appear, it cold be grossly out of proportion, as when Ralph Fiennes’ hair seemed to be floating about a food behind his head. THE LAST AIRBENDER often looks flat. Worse, it looks so dingy that removing the polaroid glasses often improves the viewing experience; much of the live-action appears without the double images necessary to create the separation between left eye and right eye that is necessary for 3-D. In short, you would be better off paying for a 2-D screening and saving yourself the extra bucks.
And extra bucks is what this is all about, really. Hollywood has been advocating for tiered ticket prices for over a decade, hoping to charge more for their more lavish blockbusters, and 3-D finally has finally given them the excuse they need. But is this a good idea? If theatres charge more, audiences have a right to expect more – and the films had better deliver all the flash of a supernova.*
Instead, we find ourselves in a situation where little local theatres are charging more for a premium experience that is far from premium. This is, to put it bluntly, a rip-off, and viewers should boycott future 3-D conversions until someone proves they can deliver the depth and visual immersion of genuine 3-D. While I’m on the topic of rip-offs: if you attend an “IMAX” 3-D presentation at your local multiplex, the chances are that you are not seeing true IMAX, which requires a phenomenally large screen and steep, stadium-style seating, which can only be achieved in a specially built theatre. But calling it “IMAX” allows the theatres to charge even more, ripping you off twice as much. AVATAR delivered the spectacle that justified higher ticket prices.
Genuine 3-D is worth the extra money – if the film itself is good. The same can be said of genuine IMAX. A combination of the two, applied to a great film, offers the kind of spectacle that deserves to be called “premium viewing.” If Hollywood wants to lure viewers back into theatres, away from their iPods and digital downloads, they need to offer the real deal – good films designed for 3-D from the ground up – not bad movies polished up with an artificial sheen that does nothing to hide their underlying faults. To use 3-d that way would be to repeat the mistakes of the past, and if Hollywood is too stupid to self-correct their own destructive course, then we need to send the studios a message: We will pay premium prices for films that truly deliver a premium experience, but not for a ghastly imitation. FOOTNOTE:
In a sense, there used to be a tiered system: decades ago, blockbusters were rolled out gradually, first appearing in exclusive, months-long engagements in lavish movie palaces with higher ticket prices, while smaller studio productions and independent films moved more quickly into the less expensive local theatres. Even when Hollywood started releasing everything nationwide on opening weekend, there was still a sort of self-selecting form of tiered pricing: viewers were more likely to drive to an expensive downtown theatre to see LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOW SHIP OF THE RING than to see HOSTEL 2.
In the second Cinefantastique Post-Mortem Pocast, your trio of talented talkers (i.e., Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski) leave the recorder running after their episode dedicated to PREDATORS, THE LAST AIRBENDER, and THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE episode – offerING free-form observations, rants, suppositions, and confessions. Included is a discussion of the non-horror – but still frightening – hard-boiled film noir, THE KILLER INSIDE ME, based on the Jim Thompson novel. Explored is the subject of whether 3-D is better suited to theme park rides – like Universal Studios Hollywood’s new King Kong 360 3-D – than it is to narrative feature film. And answered is the question: Is watching DARK SHADOWS an adequate antidote for sitting through THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE?
It’s a double-dose of photodramatic discussion, disputation, and dissention on this week’s episode of the The Cinefantastique Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction Podcast, as Dan Persons, Steve Biodrowski, and Lawrence French take on romantic vampires, macho werewolves, and elemental airbenders. Does THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE deliver? Can the post-production 3-D conversion process add depth to M. Night Shyamalan’s live-action adaptation of the Nicolodean animated series? And what’s King Kong doing on the back lot of Universal Studios Hollywood? These and other questions are answered with lightning rounds of rapier wit and incisive analysis. Plus: an interview with Nimrod Antal about directing the upcoming PREDATORS.
The conversion process needed here was not to add 3-D to the images, but to add depth to characters and a story that barely qualify as one-dimensional.
The dialogue has all the breath of a collapsed lung. The tone is as fluffy as a fallen souffle. The performances are as tabular as a well-sanded board. The action has all the bounce of a deflated tire. The story extends like an outstretched, horizontal plane, without features or variation to break the monotony. In short – resorting to the cliche my thesaurus and I have been studiously avoiding, even though it perfectly encapsulates the film – THE LAST AIRBENDER is, from beginning to end, as flat as a pancake. And the post-production 3-D conversion only underlines the planar qualities of M. Night Shyamalan’s latest disappointment: dingy and dark when viewed through the polarized lenses, the optical process not only fails to immerse you in the fantasy world on screen; it very often provides not even the minimal illusion of depth. Sad to say, the conversion process truly needed here would have begun in preproduction – not to design the film with 3-D in mind, but to add some depth to characters and a storyline that barely qualify as one-dimensional, let alone two.
THE LAST AIRBENDER (based on the cartoon series AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER) is set in a world divided between four nations, each representing one of the primal elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Each nation has “Benders,” individuals capable of controlling their nation’s element. There is supposed to be an Avatar, who controls all four, bringing balance to the world; unfortunately, he has been missing in action for 100 years, allowing the Fire Nation to rise up, attempting to gain dominance over the others. Out hunting one day, Katara(Nicola Peltz) and Sokka (Jackson Rathbone) find Aang (Noah Ringer) buried under the ice. He turns out to be the epynomous Last Airbender, who ran away from home a century ago when he learned that his destiny would prevent him from having a normal life. Only trained in bending his own nation’s element, he must now master Earth, Air, and Water. However, Prince Zuko (Dev Patel), banished from the Fire Nation by his father, knows that the only way to regain favor is to return with Aang as his prisoner. Noah Ringer as Aang
THE LAST AIRBENDER proceeds with all the choppy rhythm and incoherent storytelling of a film that had been ruined in post-production. (Yes, I’m thinking of you, JONAH HEX.) Apparently pitching his film to fans of the cartoon, Shyamalan makes little or no effort to involve newbies or even explain why they should care; he just throws them into the middle of the Four Nations and lets the story unfold, without bothering to structure it in a meaningful way.
Speaking in simple sentences that suggest a third-grade grammar book, characters walk in and out of scenes almost aimlessly; incidents happen, but the action seldom registers, because scenes are clipped before they have any impact. Instead, a narration is plastered on to explain what’s happening (as if the over-obvious dialogue were not enough). But nothing much needs explaining because nothing much is happening.
Shyamalan presents all of this in a style that suggests his approach to LADY IN THE WATER distilled down to its purest form: we’re supposed to view the film with child-like wonder, accepting its simple-minded simplicity as some kind of innocent purity; to expect anything more is to betray your adult cynicism. Unfortunately, when you attempt to create something child-like, you run the risk of being childish. Shaun Toub steals the show as Uncle Iroh
THE LAST AIRBENDER’s one glimmer of an interesting sub-plot pertains to Prince Zuko, who hopes to regain his honor by capturing Aang. Dev Patel is a bit strained in his effort to convey the prince’s wounded pride and desire for redemption, but at least he’s trying, which is more than can be said for the rest of his young co-stars. Patel is certainly helped by being teamed with the excellent Shaun Toub as Zuko’s Uncle Iroh. Shoub is the only one who gives a fully engaging performance; he’s lucky enough to be playing the only character with some shading: he’s a member of the Fire Nation, but his commitment to certain principles overrides his nationalism, and he shows admirable concern for his banished nephew. It’s a deep sign of what’s wrong with THE LAST AIRBENDER that the titular character is much less interesting than his chief antagonist.
VISUALS, MARTIAL ARTS & 3-D
One of the film's cute but sadly underused creatures
THE LAST AIRBENDER features glossy production values and special effects that look great in the trailers, but overall the visual design falls short. Ringer, with his bald head and tattoos, does not cut a striking figure as the Avatar. Seychelle Gabriel looks simply weird with her albino white hair as Princess Yue. At least the creature designs are nice; unfortunately, the creatures are underused, pasted onto scenes like decoration. The exception is the Dragon Spirit (voiced by FRINGE’s John Noble), who makes a dignified impression in only a small amount of screen time.
The martial arts sequences, when they finally arrive, offer a brief respite from the story’s tedium. The concept of different elements combating each other (e.g., fire blocked by earth or doused by water) is well realized on screen, and the use of CGI and slow-motion to enhance the battles is effective, but the actual choreography soon grows repetitious. After watching Aang do his little dance to bend air for the fourth or fifth time, you begin to wonder why his opponents never strike before he has completed his routine. Like BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE, this is a sad case of a film whose fight scenes work better in isolation; viewed as brief, separate clips on the Internet, the special effects and action – such as Aang’s run across the couryard in the middle of battle, with water spouts freezing around him -ignite a sense of anticipation that the film itself cannot satisfy.
In any case, THE LAST AIRBENDER’s visual qualities are marred by the last-minute addition of 3-D (the film was shot 2-D and converted in post-production). This is the worst 3-D I’ve seen in years, adding nothing of interest to the film. Much of the footage still looks flat, and the 3-D glasses darken the image, taking some of the sparkle out of what should have been pristine visuals. You will find yourself tempted to remove the specs and watch the film without them – which means you might as well save yourself a few dollars and see the flat version.
CONCLUSION
Since THE SIXTH SENSE (1999), Shyamalan’s career has been on a downhill slide, briefly interrupted by SIGNS in 2002. Till now, however, even his weakest films showed some glimmer of his previous talent; it was as if he was caught up by the ego and expectations that come with blockbuster success, and he was trapped into trying to recreate that winning formula. THE LAST AIRBENDER offered hope – a change in direction, working from pre-existing material that could reinvigorate him with the opportunity to do something new and different, a full-blown fant-asia style adventure that left the spook-show stuff behind in favor of epic vistas, colorful creatures, and archetypal heroes and villains. Instead, he has delivered his most disappointing film to date – an empty bauble that could have been handled by any Hollywood hack.
And in the worst tradition of summer blockbuster’s, THE LAST AIRBENDER is a shameless attempt to launch a franchise, whether we want one or not. Not only is the film sub-titled “Book One: Water,” there is also an obvious hook for a sequel placed before the closing credits. After sitting through this installment, however, it is hard to imagine anyone breathlessly anticipating “Book Two.” The action scenes are not bad but a bit repetitious THE LAST AIRBENDER (July 1, 2010). Written, produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Cast: Noah Ringer, Dev Patel, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, Shaun Toub, Aasif Mandy, Cliff Curtis. Seychelle Gabriel, Katharine Houghton, Keon Sim, Isaac Jin Solstein, Edmund Ideda, John Noble.
[serialposts]
THE LAST AIRBENDER: Fulfill Your Destiny
The live action version of the anime-inspiried cartoon AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER series opens July 1st.
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, the film stars Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, Dev Patel, Jessica Jade Andres, Cliff Curtis, Aasif Mandvi, Shaun Toub,and Keong Sim.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount Pictures has obtained the screen rights to Heavy Metal’s coffe table book Last Man Standing: Killbook of a Bounty Hunter. 
