Movie reviews are typically outside of my comfort zone. The medium, vast team nature, the art of acting, and audio-visual aspects explode the craft of storytelling by exponential factors. In those spaces, I claim no expertise. In fact, I am likely the least capable person of providing critique on acting or special effects. Where my interest and work lies is in the nature of…
the STORY… the CHARACTERS… and the WORLD.
And though I do not consider myself a “movie critic,” I do have thoughts on these very critical aspects of storytelling in general.
Yesterday, after we celebrated my son’s achievement of Eagle Scout, we went to see Aquaman–something that had been long awaited by my family of gaming nerds and live-action comic geeks. Popcorn and Cokes (yes, that’s a shout-out to my Texans) in hand, we settled into our luxury, heated recliners for the previews. There’s typically little for me to say about those, but some interesting tidbits that tie into my thoughts on Aquaman:
Godzilla…A Battle-Laden Extravaganza!
I have never been a fan, and I doubt I will see the upcoming battle-laden movie where Godzilla faces off against Titans(?). Something here is simply lost upon me.
New ‘Godzilla 2’ Poster Is Massive; An Absolute Unit
Battle-laden is the keyword in this preview. It seems like something focused strictly on the battle of creatures. While that’s cool, I have trouble seeing a movie built strictly around non-humanoid figures. The second in the transformers series was an ‘Optimus Prime’ example of this faux pas. The appeal is lost, and watching this type of film tends to leave me feeling visually exhausted. I’m certain that is not a thing, but it’s the best way I can describe the way I leave a theater after a movie chocked full of non-humanoid battles.
Returning to Aquaman. For the most part, the battles had purpose; however, they went on for the sake of what a good friend has labeled “the cool factor.” The story had heartfelt potential and enough purposefully cheesy moments that the overdone battles left me feeling a bit…meh.
Alita: Battle Angel…CGI potential, and wow with the technology!
Surprisingly for me, a non-anime person, I think this upcoming movie has a ton of potential in the aspect of storytelling. From the previews, the CGI appears to be well-done and enough to help me suspend my disbelief and go along for the ride. I must say, I remain skeptically optimistic.
Considering the CGI in Aquaman, the hair in the water thing was just flat-out distracting. I’m uncertain why it bothered me so, but there you have it. It’s a minor thing, and alone wouldn’t have been an issue, but this brings me to my next point…
Technology. In Alita, the technology seems to be the center point of the story, the world, and the characters. In Aquaman, it did not! I left the theater wondering why they needed to attempt to layer in a technologically super-advanced society. It made me question the innate abilities within the characters–like, how the hell can they jump out of a plane and land in a desert totally uninjured? In my (humble, or not so humble) opinion, the infusion of technology disrupted the world that they needed to build to help me go along for this ride.
The absolutely amazing cheesiness!
This! This was the most redeeming quality in the movie.
Nicole Kidman’s portrayal of an injured sea creature took me right back to Daryll Hannah’s performance in Splash. Did anyone else feel that way? Maybe it was the overly blonde…blonde hair, or maybe it was the interaction with a television, but most likely, it was the hottie falling for the average, every-day guy.
Remember that scene from The Justice League when Arthur sat on Wonder Woman’s lasso and started spouting his internal thought process? Yeah…it was that type of humor throughout, and one of those things I absolutely love.
All-in-all, I enjoyed the ride and the characters, but wished for a bit more focus on story to balance out the overdose of world inconsistencies.
Finally…to the preview that I’ve been expecting for some time…
The only correlation I can find to Aquaman is that they both deal with “comics.” Regardless, I’m including this one here. I’m frequently mixed in my thoughts on M. Knight Shyamalan movies, but I thoroughly enjoyed Split, so much so that I went back and watched Unbreakable. Though there is a possibility that my obsession with James McAvoy as an actor is largely responsible for how much I enjoyed Split, Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson have appeal of their own. And in the hands of Shyamalan, they seem to be so oddly fantastic that it’s definitely worth the watch. So, you can bet that I will be making my way to the theaters in January to see…
Glass
Image Source: Wikipedia
Bottom line on DC’s Aquaman… The glass is about 2/3 full, aligned with the overall scores I’ve seen on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB. I enjoyed the ride, but, as with most of DC, I was still left wanting a little more story-centered movie. If you love the DC Universe, love comics, love battles, love technology, or love Magic the Gathering, see it!
Love to all, and thank you for tolerating my tangentially related musings!
I wish you all the most happiness in your holiday celebrations.