The Last Airbender is a 2010 American epic adventure fantasy film released to North America on July 1, 2010.

It is a live-action film adaptation based on the first season of the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The film stars Noah Ringer as Aang, a reluctant hero who prefers adventure over his job as the Avatar. Aang and his friends, Katara and Sokka, journey to the North Pole to find a Waterbending master to teach Aang and Katara the secrets of the craft. At the same time, Fire Lord Ozai, the current Fire Lord of the Fire Nation, is waging a seemingly endless war against the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes, and the already vanquished Air Nomads. The film also stars Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, and Dev Patel.

The first of a planned trilogy, The Last Airbender was produced by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies. Development for a film began in 2007; it was adapted into a film by M. Night Shyamalan, who also directed and produced. Other producers include Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, Sam Mercer and Scott Aversano.

The series from which it was adapted was influenced by Asian art, mythology and various martial arts fighting styles and was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. Filming began in mid-March 2009; the movie was released in both traditional two-dimensional projectors, as well as in 3D (using the RealD 3D format).

The Last Airbender was made for $150 million and marketed with a budget of $130 million, making total costs at least $280 million. Other estimates put the cost between $100 million and $110 million, while various news sources reported the whole Last Airbender trilogy would be made for around $250 million. Premiering in New York City on June 30, 2010, it opened in the United States the following day, grossing an estimated $16 million.

Plot
One hundred years ago, a twelve-year-old Airbender named Aang learns he is the new Avatar, the only person in his generation capable of controlling and manipulating all four elements to his will and the one tasked with maintaining peace between the Four Nations of the world. Fearful of the heavy responsibilities of being the Avatar, Aang flees from home on his animal guide, a flying bison called Appa. Caught by a fierce storm, they crash into the ocean, and Aang’s protective Avatar State freezes them in a state of suspended animation inside an iceberg. Right after his disappearance, Fire Lord Sozin launches a genocidal campaign against the Air Nomads in hopes of wiping out the Avatar so he can achieve his plot for the Fire Nation to rule the world.

In the present, Aang becomes unfrozen by a fourteen-year-old Waterbender girl named Katara, and her older warrior brother, Sokka from the Southern Water Tribe. This attracts the attention of Zuko, the Prince of the Fire Nation who was exiled by his father: The current Fire Lord Ozai. Arriving to Southern Water Tribe, Zuko demands the elderly under the impression that Avatar is an old person until Aang is found. Aang surrenders himself to Zuko as long as he agrees to leave the village alone. Aboard Zuko’s ship, Aang is at Zuko’s mercy, but he eventually manages to maneuver away from the guards before Katara and Sokka arrive on Appa, making their escape. Aang and friends visit the Southern Air Temple where the Avatar learns that he was in the ice for a century and the Fire Nation wiped out everyone he knew there, entering the Avatar State and meeting a dragon spirit. It was there Aang meets up with the only known remaining “winged lemurbat”, naming it “Momo” as it joins Aang’s group. Meanwhile, Zuko and his uncle, the military genius Iroh, run into Commander Zhao, who belittles the exiled prince.

Arriving in a small Earth Kingdom town that is controlled by the Fire Nation, Aang’s group are arrested while helping a boy named Haru there. They then incite a rebellion with an inspiring speech. Soon after, Katara finds a waterbending scroll that she uses to perfect her skills while helping Aang master waterbending as they make their way to the Northen Water Tribe and liberate more Earth Kingdom villages in the process. During a side track to the Northern Air Temple on his own, Aang is captured by a group of Fire Nation Yuu Yan archers, commanded by Admiral Zhao. However, a masked marauder, the “Blue Spirit,” rescues Aang from Zhao before being knocked unconscious during the escape. Discovering that his rescuer is Zuko, Aang takes him to safety under a cloak of fog before leaving him to continue his journey. Aware that Zuko is the “Blue Spirit,” Zhao arranges the prince’s demise. But Zuko survives the attempt on his life and, with Iroh’s help, sneaks aboard Zhao’s lead ship as his fleet departs for the Northern Water Tribe to execute the plan he and Ozai set up with the scrolls from the Library detailing the spirits there.

Upon arriving, Aang’s group is welcomed warmly by the citizens of the Northern Water Tribe as Sokka falls in love with princess Yue while Aang and Katara master their waterbending skills under Pakku. Once the Fire Nation armada arrives, Zhao begins his attack while Zuko infiltrates the tribe on his own, capturing Aang while he entered the spirit world to find the dragon spirit to give him the wisdom to defeat the Fire Nation. Coming to, Aang battles Zuko before Katara freezes him. As the battles escalates, Iroh watches Zhao slay the moon spirit Tui, causing the waterbenders to lose their power. However, Yue, who was imbued with some of the energy of the Moon spirit when she was a newborn, sacrifices her life to revive the Moon spirit. As Zhao is drowned by Waterbenders after Zuko and Iroh leave him to his fate, Aang uses the ocean to drive the armada back. When news of Zhao’s death and Iroh’s betrayal reaches him, Ozai appoints his daughter Azula to pursue Aang and hinder him in any way before Sozin’s Comet makes its return in three years’ time.

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Produced by
M. Night Shyamalan
Frank Marshall
Kathleen Kennedy
Sam Mercer
Scott Aversano

Written by
Screenplay:
M. Night Shyamalan
Original story:
Michael Dante DiMartino
Bryan Konietzko

Cast
Noah Ringer as Aang
Dev Patel as Prince Zuko
Nicola Peltz as Katara
Jackson Rathbone as Sokka
Shaun Toub as Iroh
Aasif Mandvi as Admiral Zhao
Seychelle Gabriel as Princess Yue
Cliff Curtis as Fire Lord Ozai
Summer Bishil as Azula
Francis Guinan as Master Pakku
Katharine Houghton as Kanna
John Noble as the Dragon Spirit
Damon Gupton as Monk Gyatso

Music by James Newton Howard
Cinematography Andrew Lesnie
Editing by Conrad Buff

Studio
Nickelodeon Movies
The Kennedy/Marshall Company
Blinding Edge Pictures
MTV Films

Distributed by Paramount Pictures

Release date(s)
New York City premiere: June 30, 2010
United States: July 1, 2010

Running time 103 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $150,000,000
Gross revenue $111,813,808

Official Website

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