I had read that M. Night Shyamalan had one more chance to make boxoffice magic, like the powerful and moving The Sixth Sense or Signs, and stemming the tide of criticism that rose after The Village (okay), Unbreakable (seriously?), The Lady In The Water (okay, I actually liked that one), and The Happening (you've got to be kidding me). So, I shelled out my hard-earned cash for some popcorn, a Coke, and a ticket, and settled in for a movie that I was sure would entertain me for the afternoon. I left thinking that the Rotten Tomatoes aggregate score of 6% is a little... high.

It's not that the general premise about a boy/ancient one who fled his responsibilities as the peacekeeper of the world and returns to find the elemental kingdoms of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water in disarray lacks potential, or that the actors don't throw themselves earnestly into their roles, or that the special effects are all obviously blue-screened. But somehow, the actualization of these three together results in something disappointing, and unspectacular, and quite seriously found me nodding off more than a dozen times.

The movie wants to be The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia, or some Third World version of Harry Potter. But somehow, we're never put in a position to care about these characters the way we've cared about Dr. Malcolm Crowe, Reverend Graham Hess, or even Cleveland Heap. The kids try hard but they're pretty unconvincing; Jackson Rathbone as Sokka is particularly terrible and he's probably the most experienced of the younguns. Dev Patel plays the dark Prince Zuko who probably has the most potential of any of the characters, but given his role in Slumdog Millionaire, I expected him to rock this... and he didn't either.

You'd think I would've loved this movie given its theological and mythological implications, and epic statements like "all wars are won in the heart," but somehow, it just didn't get it done for me.Beyond the obvious setup for a sequel (I'm unfamiliar with the Nickelodeon set, so I don't know exactly what would follow), the film seems content to give us a broad overview, and try to wrap-up the current action with a knock-off of The Battle of Helm's Deep. Considering how creative Shyamalan is, it's a shame that the climax comes across as a complete rip-off, including the seeking out of the spirits from "holy places" which is another obvious Rings comparison.

Still, this one gets high marks for morals, the promotion of peace, and even a noticeable lack of vulgarity and violence, but if that feels like a saccharine final statement on the movie's promise, then consider it right in line with the film itself.