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I'm going to try something a little different here. I'm going to talk about a very popular mythology show which I haven't yet watched. For that matter, I'll be talking about a movie, and try not to review it so much as to use it to illustrate a good approach to telling modern mythologies.

The show-slash-movie in question here is The Last Airbender. I make it clear that I am unfamiliar with the source material because I don't think you need to be a fan to understand why the movie fails. Now, I'm no Shyamalan critic, like most of this site's contributors. I can find something to like in most of his work, but there's just no excuse for the awfulness of his latest movie.
I repeat, it's important to note that I haven't seen so much as a single episode of the show upon which he bases the movie. It's important because there is clearly something engaging about the mythology of the show which Shyamalan misses.

One could argue that the program has as loyal a following as some of its live action mythological counterparts such as Lost, Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Battlestar Galactica. As an Avatar virgin, I can see the appeal of a fantasy world designed around those who manipulate the four elements. I can imagine the pleasure derived from exploring the minutia of societies built around these elements. I understand how the Avatar's quest to bend all four elements and defeat the Fire Nation is representative of the so-called hero's journey.

I plan on watching the show soon, and I'm sure I will enjoy exploring this world, so no, Shyamalan's misstep isn't going to sour me on what is, by all accounts, a rich engaging mythology. One of the great pleasures of watching these mythology shows, and movies for that matter, is immersing oneself in the fantasy world. I look forward to doing so with Avatar.

Problem is, because the world isn't real, the creators must go to great lengths to establish an authenticity. All of his flaws aside, George Lucas illustrates how to do this in his original Star Wars. Much has been written about his lived-in universe. The Galaxy Far, Far Away doesn't look pristine, it doesn't look artificial. It's beat up, run down, yes, lived in. This helps to create the sense that this galaxy extends far beyond the reach of the frame we see and of the story we experience. Luke and his pals' adventures seem like just a fraction of this sweeping galactic society that we're peering into.

The effect this has on the viewer is one of authenticity. We feel swept up in this grand civilization, the unknown stories we presume are happening outside of the main one helps us to take an epic about Jedi Knights and Wookiees seriously.

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