The film didn't contain character development or camaraderie among the leading characters. The visuals were good although the 3D was an after thought that added little. I thought the actors play Zhao, Zuko, Iroh, and Yue did alright. For more details, see the Lampbane review which contains spoilers.
So, what went wrong? First off, I'd read somewhere that we ended up with White actors for all the heroic leads because of studio interference. I don't know if that's true, but I do know that this felt like a longer film that had substantial chunks torn out and replaced by exposition via voiceover. I'm guessing things weren't playing before test audiences and as a result someone applied a butchers knife inn the editing room.
Weakly written characters and resultant acting problems as well as odd thematic choices were probably just as bad in the full length version. I'm assuming there were to be more attempts at camaraderie building and personal growth that didn't happen at the instigation of a spirit but that's just because I like giving people the benefit of the doubt.
Ultimately, I think Ebert is right that it was a mistake to go live action. Why? Not because it couldn't look good, I'm sure James Cameron could pull it off and some of the visuals weren't half bad. The problem is at $150 million the film got to be so expensive that the artistic vision is compromised. I'm sure the series wasn't made on a shoe string, but by going with a Korean animation study and using sometimes sub-par CGI meant decisions like having authentically Asian visuals and writing requiring some thought from viewers could slip under the radar.
In short, kudos to those who boycotted because of the initial racial casting controversy, it proved to be but the first of many ways the appeal of the television series was compromised.
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