The Last Airbender

Based on the animated Nickelodeon TV series, this live-action fantasy adventure weaves a hard-to-follow storyline through a mythological universe comprised of four nations: Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. Within each realm, certain individuals can telepathically control their particular element, “bending” nature to stir up dust storms or unleash fireballs. But an avatar can manipulate all four worlds and communicate with spirits. As the story begins, two young Water tribe siblings, Katara and Sokka (Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone), find a mysterious boy named Aang (Noah Ringer) trapped in a bubble of ice. Aang turns out to be the last avatar—all of the other Air avatars have been slaughtered by Fire Nation troops commanded by the vicious Lord Ozai (Cliff Curtis). Not surprisingly, Aang becomes a prize target in Fire's offensive, pursued not only by Ozai's banished son, Prince Zuko (Dev Patel)—who hopes to regain his father's recognition—but also by Zuko's archrival, Zhao (Aasif Mandvi). Meanwhile, Aang brushes up on his supernatural powers so he can help defend Water against the new Fire attack. Intended as the first chapter in a franchise, The Last Airbender suffers from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's long expository speeches, which bring this high-flying would-be adventure crashing to the ground. Not a necessary purchase. (S. Granger)