M. Night Shyamalan is one of the most divisive directors we’ve had in recent years. While he proved that he’s a talented filmmaker with movies like The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, his other works have either been mixed bags (I loved Signs and really enjoyed The Village, but I know plenty who hated both) or outright disasters (Lady in the Water wasn’t good; The Happening was just an utterly puzzling experience). Still, that kind of talent doesn’t just suddenly disappear, right? Everyone can fall into a slump — it doesn’t mean they’re incapable of returning to form.

So when Shyamalan signed on to adapt Nickelodeon’s extremely well-regarded series Avatar: The Last Airbender for the big-screen, fans were understandably worried. On the one hand, Shyamalan’s a big name and bound to get the kind of budget and studio support other directors can’t. He has the potential to deliver a truly great film. On the other hand, this was the guy who just put out The Happening. The early teaser seemed to earn some excitement, but, for the most part, didn’t sway anyone one way or the other. Now we get a second and better look at the film via UGO’s premiere of its Super Bowl Ad. The result? Pretty impressive.

Check it out, plus our thoughts and some posters, after the jump.

The effects look spectacular here, and it really appears that Shyamalan has crafted a vibrant and cohesive world to do justice to the one fans of the cartoon series fell in love with (also see if you can spot Appa the Sky Bison in the top left corner of the frame during the first shot of the North Pole battle scene. UGO points him out if you can’t). The action set pieces look like they’re going to be stunning and even Noah Ringer looks legitimately bad-ass as Aang in the Avatar State. So why am I still worried?

Part of what made the series so successful was its uniquely hilarious sense of humor and a balanced mix of lighthearted fun with heavier drama. Shyamalan can do drama, this we know. But can he do humor (The Happening makes a strong case that he can, but how much of that was intentional)? Can Shyamalan adequately capture the fun of the series, or is the whole thing going to be a dour experience peppered with a few sparse and largely ineffective jokes? And for a story that excelled so much because of its brilliant cast of characters, I have yet to see enough of the acting to know if Ringer and co. can carry their weight. First time actor who already has to overcome the fact that he looks kind of goofy? They’ve got an uphill battle to fight.

For the record, I do want and hope the movie to be good. My doubts are probably just a means of protecting myself from disappointment, but believe you me, if this movie is as good as this ad suggests it can be, I’ll be amongst its happiest and most vocal of supporters.

Anyway, while we’re here, here are a few of the posters for the film. The first two come from Yahoo! and the last one comes from Empire.

The Last Airbender is in theaters on July 2, 2010.

Tags: Cliff Curtis, Dev Patel, Jackson Rathbone, M. Night Shyamalan, Nicola Peltz, Noah Ringer, The Last Airbender