Comments on: Dev Patel as Zuko Last Airbender Movie

By: tym233

tym233 — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:53:50 +0000

ok i absolutely LOVE avatar, but i see this movie going down the drain fast, i was sceptical at first, and the more i see, the less i like. plus, it sounds like im not the only one who feels this way
there are so many thing is see on just the pictures, and teaser traler out, alone, much less the whole movie. if m. night can start to miraculously win over now fans of the franchise, how will he get new ones?
i see this becoming the next eragon movies, hated by fans of the book, like by a few who never read the book, and failing at the box office, with out a sequel. ill go see it for the sake of the franchise, but it worries me greatly

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 06:58:11 +0000

Does anyone know why they did not just cast the origional voice actor (Dante Basco) as Zuko? I’ve seen his other movies, most notably “Hook” and thought he did a wonderful job. Actually the part he played of a rebellious teenage leader and fighter in Hook reminds me a lot of Zuko. Also, forgive me for being petty, but he was also a lot better looking. :)

By: B

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:05:24 +0000

That’s right, this guy should play Sokka. He is really like Sokka. Zuko is a handsome, cool person. This guy looks like pretty. :)

By: avatar fan

avatar fan — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:01:51 +0000

For our own opinon we think that the guy playing Zuko should actually play Sokka. he looks more like him, other than that it’s perfect.

By: gah!!what!?

gah!!what!? — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 11:56:56 +0000

No! Come on! He’s too dark to play Zuko! And Sokka and Katara are too light to play their respective characters! Man! I’ should have been the casting director for this movie! I would have dome a MUCH better job than that… *sigh*… I’m disappointed.

By: avatar fan

avatar fan — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:02:26 +0000

I think the really strong racist comments really take away from real artistic criticism. The cartoon series has such a strong fan base that really love these characters. They are the ones that will rush to see this movie and will be disappointed by the cating. It is the attention to detail and research into eastern mythology that made it so beautiful and real. Sokka and Katara were from the southern water tribe. ie. the south pole, and they were darkskinnned. The northern water tribe had fair hair and skin. Prince Zuko, had fair skin, and was asian. We believed in the characters because finally we had a story that was global and referenced eastern culture. I believe the casting of aang as he looked like that.
I would swap the actors for Zuko and Sokka. Then, I’d believe it. Dev Patel would make a really natural Sokka he is naturally very likable as a funny goofball in Skins. I think in an attempt to be hollywood and marketable M. Night Shyamalan has missed the mark a little. Be brave and be faithful to a lovable beautiful story.

By: booty

booty — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:20:14 +0000

ewww this guy should not be in the movie playing as zuko he’s too ugly seriously he’s gonna ruin the whole movie pick someone else to be zuko a better somebody

By: chicken

chicken — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:46:33 +0000

I guess on the casting in general i have two main thoughts. Firstly, from the studio’s perspective, they’re obviously more concerned with box-office appeal than with cultural authenticity. Secondly, from the audience’s perspective, ultimately it shouldn’t matter what race the actors who play the characters are, as long as the film makers get the cultural aesthetics right. I hope they do:)

By: chicken

chicken — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:28:19 +0000

i agree with much of what has been said about the scars and tatoos- zuko’s scar in particular is far too light. His scar is a symbol of his traumatic past. It also serves a dramatic function by letting the audience know straight away that zuko is not like the other fire nation commanders- he, too, has been burnt. This changes the way the audience (and the other characters) react to him and makes him a more sympathetic character. Reducing its prominence changes the whole dynamic of his relationships with the audience and the other characters.
The lack of a topknot is also irritating. As Northener mentioned, the topknot was symbolic- it represents zuko’s position, his duties and his relationship with his father. It is also an embodiment of his culture (in the show, a composite of Chinese AND Japanese influences) which makes all of these things so important to zuko.
I have to admit that in the show Zuko was one of my favourite characters. Watching his tortured soul inch towards redemption was one of the things that made watching the show so memorable and rewarding. I think Dev Patel probably has the acting chops to pull off the angst and torment that the role requires, but the decision to axe the topknot and minimise the scar shows a worrying lack of understanding of the tensions operating within zuko, at least on the part of make-up and costume.
I’ve seen an interview with him and M Night seems to be a fan so i hope that he at least gets how zuko works and how crucial he is to the heart and soul of the story. At the end of the day, even if they get everything else right, a botched up zuko could ruin the whole movie.

P.S. on the whole racial-casting issue: the good guys are white, the bad guys (ie the fire nation) are dark and there’s not an asian in sight- doesn’t really seem like political correctness got much of a look in at all.

By: Mad

Mad — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:26:03 +0000

Okay, I’ve seen some better pics of Dev as Zuko, and the scar IS there, but it’s so light it looks as if it could heal up in a week or two, as opposed to a horrific scar that helps shape his whole personality. And while I do like Dev as an actor (I loved slumdog) I think he would have been far more appropriate as say, Sokka, who is one of the few non-benders and is actually darker-complected. I think Noah will do, but only if he is able to loosen up (Remember, Aang doesn’t get all angsty until book 3.) and for Roku’s sake, Darken That Tattoo!