If sleep is a hard thing to come by, then a dose of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender is just the cure for you.

There was a time when Shyamalan’s movies used to induce an opposite reaction. The Sixth Sense, Signs, hell even The Village had elements that were worthy of revisiting, unlike this plodding piece of pretension.

Based on the popular Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender (the “Avatar” was removed so there would be no confusion with James Cameron’s film), Shyamalan has attempted to stretch himself by delving into the action fantasy sub-genre, yet comes up well short of the expectations placed on him.

The film is set in an alternate world made up of four nations – Fire, Water, Air, and Earth – besieged by war and oppression, with the Fire Nation scorching the Earth with flame and a message of anti-spirituality (i.e. anti-religion).

Salvation rests in the Avatar (Noah Ringer), last remaining member of the Air tribe and link to the spirit world, who has awoken from his century’s long slumber to a world under tyrannic rule. Imagine the Dali Lama, but with super powers.

That last part is of particular interest, with The Last Airbender a clear representation of communist/atheist aggression made writ through a fantasy picture. One scene even features the young saviour walking through an old monastery, now occupied by the charred bones of the monks who once worshipped there.

Yet for a movie that focuses on the persecution and preservation of religious life, it is sorely lacking in soul.

Technically, it is competently made, with visual effects and cinematography a highlight. But in every other crevice The Last Airbender is rigid, flat, and painstakingly boring to sit through.

Although it features the likes of Dev Patel and Cliff Curtis in its cast, the performances are atrocious, with its actors delivering their lines as if reading from cue cards.

The action scenes don’t fare any better, with a distinct lack of rhythm and excitement in its martial arts infused battle sequences.

Instead, what Shyamalan has achieved is bore his audience to the point of questioning: Just how does a filmmaker of considerable skill manage such a poor job with material as rich as this?

Wake me when you know the answer.