Geek Entertainment News and Commentary

Airbender Head Shots

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at 10:41 am by Jamie

Is it just me or does the chick look like that other chick from Chronicles of Narnia except a little older?

AZM Ally Jen Starling from the Racebending crew sent along these head shots of movie Aang, movie Zuko, movie Sokka, and movie Katara.

*sigh*

I am not at all pleased with these casting choices even if I think the henna arrow is an interesting choice and I like Katara’s hair. But to play Devil’s advocate for a brief moment, Michael Clark Duncan was the best part of that stupid Daredevil movie and he played the Kingpin, a character who has always been white in every incarnation he’s ever appeared. He was great. He was the only reason I didn’t walk out of the theater. And I wouldn’t be happy with anyone else playing the Kingpin. Now I know that Jackson Rathbone is no Michael Clark Duncan. But it might be possible, might I say, that Airbender could not suck.

However, I will never know because I will never see this thing. I don’t think they chose the right actors for the right part. I don’t think they chose the best actors for these parts. I don’t even know if it was a conscious decision on the part of the casting director to cast predominantly Caucasian leads. All I know is that Airbender had the chance to portray a fantastical world full of rich diversity and culture with people of all shades and ethinicities all fighting to live together in peace. Instead, we get more Hollywood blockbuster bait.

Airbender the film will never rise to the heights that the series has and will ultimately be a pale shadow of what it could have been. So I guess I’m not all that mad. Just very, very disappointed.

Source: Last Airbender Fans

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at 10:41 am and is filed under Chop Socky, Diversity, Fantasy, Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

25 Responses to “Airbender Head Shots”

McDucky
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 11:52 am

I’ll never see it either, unless it plays on TV sometime and I’m so bored I have nothing to watch.

Darren J. Gendron
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 12:22 pm

Just watched a lot of Book 1 yesterday. I can buy into the logic that maybe, just maybe, Aang is not Asian. His tribe was nomadic, and the design is drastically different than the water and fire tribes. They have a clear Indian flair on a different water tribe.
But the water tribe kids? Clearly, at ever moment of the way, Inuit. And Fire Nation has a pretty strong Japanese flair, from the voice actors chosen to the societal rules.
Probably the best thing going down with this book is that they can’t possibly mess up Toph. Hopefully.
But the thing really making me scratch my head? How the heck is M. Night not getting with the vibrant costumes? This is a guy that as a cinematographer is always throwing in bright yellows and reds into the wardrobe. So instead of yellow, red and blue, we get browns and blacks?

Jami
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 12:39 pm

And reds! We need reds. Zuko looks like he’s from the burnt charcoal nation, not the mighty Fire nation!

Paoken
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 1:22 pm

Jeez, Katara really doesn’t look right, does she?

She kind of looks like Micheal Tractenburg (Sp?!) a little younger…And yes, we need some reds on Zuko.

I’m still holding out for another trailer or two…But it really looks mediocre at best.

Kunoichi
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 1:35 pm

Actually, the Fire Nation is more Chinese than Japanese. That village they go to with the fighting girls, that’s Japanese!

Yeah, where are the colors? I guess M. Night decided to cut out color as much as possible on every level. -_-

And why do they all look depressed or angry? It was a happy show! Even Zuko smiled once in awhile for fuck’s sake!

Jami
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 1:48 pm

I’m guessing they’re continuity photos so that wardrobe and makeup can match the look each time which means no smiley.

HeroPower
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 3:29 pm

That’s a lot of prejudment there. I don’t agree with the casting choices either, but I’m not going to just assume the movie is a failure based upon that alone. I’m still quite excited over this.

Paoken
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 4:16 pm

I’m not against this simply due to the casting, I, personally, feel like they shouldn’t even touch television for movies. There has yet to be a good TV->Movie movie (That was a ‘remake’ of the show) that was any good.

Wow…That kind of didn’t make sense. Blah. I’m sure someone could decipher it.

Dragon Ball Evolution? Second Power Ranger movie? And a handful other’s that I’m forgetting…They’re like Video Game Movies, they’ve all sucked with a few, small, exceptions (Mortal Kombat I).

This could be the first exception to the TV rule…But I’m doubting it.

::Crosses Fingers::

Also, Black Nick Fury could kick White Fury’s ass any day of the week.
(Yes, I capitalized Black and White. As far as I’m concerned that’s their proper names).

Tyler
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 4:48 pm

I wholeheartedly agree. We need more color here. And Zuko needs to look more scarred, granted it’s probably just a light reference for any potential CG they may do on him, but if I’m wrong? He looks like he was scarred as a child and it’s faded through life, not like he’s just recently lost his honor.

I’m watching Avatar right now actually (nicktoons network ftw) and I will say that the kid playing Aang at least does bear a bit of a resemblance. And I agree with Darren, I’ve always seen the various nations as having different ethnicity between them. In my mind they were never all Asian and they were never all Caucasian…though thinking about it, I can’t for the life of me remember seeing a black guy in the series…All four nations have their influences in real life culture.

Also, am I the only person who kinda wants to punch the guy playing Sokka in the face? Pouty model lips? Really? Yeah, these are consistency shots and aren’t exactly representations of their personality in the movie, but if that actor, subconsciously or otherwise, does that when someone’s taking a picture? I don’t see good things in the future of Avatar.

KenseiDave
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 4:49 pm

Sigh our three causcasian looking asian heroes and the big bad asian enemy. Words can’t even describe my disappointment. I know this will not change but…… meh.

Samuraiartguy
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 6:00 pm

Oh GODS…. even if these were the finest youth actors in the Northen Hemisphere.. it just looks SO WRONG.

Movie Sokka, and movie Katara are so off the mark I can’t take them seriously. Ang in this image looks like a pouty angsty brat with none of the playful appeal of the animated character. And of course Hollywood decked Zuko out in standard “Villain Black” and a used armor kit left over from [i]The Last Samurai[/i] … who cares about the elemental correspondence so integral to the series?

And as a mixed race person… I just lose all patience when the nobs are all “what’s the big deal?” It’s how president Obama is “Black” even though he is mixed, since that makes him “not white”. The casually uninformed cluelessness of mainstream culture never ceases to blow my mind. A lot of the whole POINT of [i]Avatar[/i], is not only are the characters asian inspired, but the entire concept and storyline of [i]Avatar[/i] is steeped in Asian Culture, Taoism and the eastern Martial Arts.

But it’s right up there with picking David Carradine over Bruce Lee for Kwai Chang Caine in [i]Kung Fu[/i]. (Even though he did well with the role) “American audiences won’t accept an Asian character as a hero.” What FUCKING YEAR IS IT? 1972?

The producers are obviously white and don’t give a shit. I wonder what the [i]Avatar’s[/i] series creators think? Or have they been paid off to take the money and shut the frak up.

jglc
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
12

“a pale shadow of what it could have been”

please tell me that the pun was intended

jglc
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 6:24 pm

@Samuraiartguy Actually, in 1972, precisely because of Bruce Lee’s influence, Asian actors might have had a better chance of getting a lead role. Sure, they’d be doing some chop-socky while at it, just saying…

@HeroPower “That’s a lot of prejudment there. I don’t agree with the casting choices either, but I’m not going to just assume the movie is a failure based upon that alone.”
-It seems to me that you misread the entire thrust of Jamie’s argument. He’s not saying “the casting choices make this a bad movie,” but instead “the casting choices make this a movie that I will not support.” The movie may not actually be a failure; but I want it to fail based on the racial politics of the casting directors (and, I assume, other key members of the production team).

Jen Starling
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 6:52 pm

Well, to answer some of the questions about the visual look of the film, M Night has stated in numerous interviews that he’s taking out most of the humor, what he called “fart humor” and it making it a more political movie. We also know that the character of Sokka will now be more serious or as M Night says “grounded” and we also know that the martial arts that made the TV show are not a major consideration in the film. The choreographers are not martial arts experts and they’re not basing any of the bending off of the source arts from the TV show. Water bending for example is no longer Tai Chi.

Each thing I see makes this film look less and less like Avatar and more like generic Lord of the Rings wanna be.

John
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
15

Anyone who supports this is an idiot. Nuff said.

SkaOreo
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 9:41 pm

While I agree that the casting choice is not right for the film, it’s a bit ridiculous to say that a movie loses its potential simply because M. Night didn’t cast a bunch of asians for this film.

Jami
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 10:14 pm

Taking out the humor is kind of not what you want in an Airbender flick. Aang is all about laughing. And joking, that’s kind of what Sokka is all about. Ugh. Yet another reason to be saddened by this film.

Kevin
Posted: Jul 14th, 2009 at 11:26 pm

Wait he’s throwing politics in there? And getting rid of the kung fu and humor? Fuck it. I’m done. I really don’t care that Aang looked right but the other two protagonists were off any more.

FmF
Posted: Jul 15th, 2009 at 12:36 am

Ok what can i say that i haven’t say.well ill nit pick now.Zuko scowling don’t look threatening at all more like he ate some thing slightly sour.His scar is to under play.It was meant to be the reason why he doing what he doing and it play as his overall emotional inspiration.I wouldn’t even notice that if he walk by me on the street.Make up people do not seem to know that if you live in a snowy climate the refraction from the snow will cause you to tan or burn.Ask any skier.Small thing but i all way get annoyed by the small stuff.Ang still have his baby cheeks.Just some thing funny about the biggest threat to the first nation make me want to pinch his cheeks going who the world last hope you are yes you are.

So he taking out the humor and called it “fart humor”.So my seance of humor is beneath you.First “cough” Go fuck your self M Night Douche Bag.Also taking the marshal arts out.OK it official it wasn’t dead when they were casting it was dead the second it landed on his desk.Making a kid show political.What it going to wrestle with the ethical/legal charges of Katara usage of water boarding?

Grand Master
Posted: Jul 15th, 2009 at 2:05 am

“it’s a bit ridiculous to say that a movie loses its potential simply because M. Night didn’t cast a bunch of asians for this film. ”

I don’t think that’s what anyone’s saying; the movie isn’t losing its potential to be a good movie. It is, however, taking a major hit in the credibility and ethics fields.

Lurklen
Posted: Jul 15th, 2009 at 7:40 am

Aang looks so stoned in that pic, and what the hell’s with Sokka he looks like the most serious person in the world right there. I dunno those two just don’t look right, why aren’t their clothes blue? It just looks like a couple of white kids mugged Sokka and Katara and decided now was the time to stare down the camera.

And why the hell would you take out the martial arts? It was one of the things that was so cool about the series, I can see taking someof the cartoonish humor out but the fighting looked amazeing because it looked real.

solkana
Posted: Jul 15th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
22

I’m wondering how they’ll screw up Appa :\

HeroPower
Posted: Jul 15th, 2009 at 8:42 pm

The movie is not the show. I’m amazed that anyone would have thought that they would just transplant the show to film exactly. There are always changes. The movie is its own thing, and if you don’t like it, then that takes nothing from you. The TV show is still there for you to enjoy all you want.

Avatarfan
Posted: Jul 28th, 2009 at 2:20 pm

We all know the movie is not the show, but with this cast the Avatar’s fans can not wait for something good. This cast sucks! I mean, Dev Patel = Zuko?????? I can’t believe it!!! Dev is a nice guy, but HE IS NOT ZUKO! Zuko is hot, and Dev is not. And Katara and Sokka have dark skin and Zuko’s is pretty white, but is not only the skin color: these actors -even the Aang guy- does not have that feeling of Avatar’s characters, you know, you look at them and you can’t say “hey, hes IS Sokka!”…I think they could choose another cast, more similar than this to the original characters….So sad this chance to get this amazing serie to the big screen will be a big $”#%&%/….Do you remember Dragon Ball in live action? It really sucks! so, what can we expect? Nickelodeon should have chosen a better director and have took care of the cast.