One of these days, I'll actually get through Book One of Avatar: The Last Airbender, but probably not before M. Night Shyamalan buries me and my Cinematical cohorts under a slew of trailers and photos. But hey, this is the kind of thing that should appeal to the clueless non-fans as well as the Avatar devoted, so perhaps approaching it from the vantage point of a newbie is a good thing.

But whether you're a newbie or a longtime fan, this teaser trailer for Shyamalan's The Last Airbender (now officially dropping the Avatar preface) doesn't reveal a heck of a lot. The staff wielding is pretty kickass, effects are good, the music makes me want a noodle bowl something fierce, and the voiceover makes me feel like a kid listening to Don LaFontaine. The shot at the end of unknown baddies coming to blast our chosen one to bits is pretty awesome, if a bit evovative of Troy. But if I hadn't been told by friends that this is a series worth watching, I would brush the trailer off as a cheesy ripoff of every Asian movie I'd ever seen, and rap its knuckles for its unrepentant quoting of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. You never, ever want to make a "chosen line" quote in your trailer in a post Phantom Menace world.

However, that's my uneducated take. Let's hear yours, Airbender fans. The trailer is below the jump, and the movie hits theaters on July 2, 2010.