A Must See and Great movie to end the Year with!!!

Rating: 9/10 (31 December 2018)

Aquaman Review by Hezy James
Director: James Wan
Release Date: 12/21/1018
My Own Personal Score: 9.5/10
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2Hrs, 23 Mins
Cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Nicole Kidman, Patrick Wilson
**********WARNING! - Major Spoiler Alert**********

Okay, So I have seen it twice now with 2 different groups. I have to say that I am very impressed. Been a while since I seen a good movie that combines everything: Action, Family Drama, Comedy, Romance and Mystery. The Story/Plot is good even though there are some moments that are questionable, but I will get into that later. I absolutely loved it and would recommend you go see it yourself. The trailers do not give it enough credit. In honesty, the trailers sucked but the movie was 100 times better than the trailer. I was not sure what to expect the first time because I did not see the trailers at all before my friends took me to the movie theater. It was not until the first fight scene where the guards came to take Atlanna that I was thinking "Oh, Okay. It's going to be one in those movies. Okay let me get comfortable then." It was so good that the first time I saw it, I had to pee like 1 hour and 15 mins into the movie and I did not want to miss a scene, so I held it. I'm guessing everyone else did the same cause as soon as the post credits scene finished, we all ran out to the bathroom. The second time, I filled my bookbag with candy and junk food (do not Judge...We all have done it.) When the movie finishes, I completely forgot all the stuff in my bookbag. I got so hooked into the movie, I forgot I had snacks and candy. Well, let's dive right into it.
Plot/Story:
I personally think the plot was well written overall minus a few moments which I will address in the "Feedback" section lower down. The plot is about Arthur who is Aquaman going on a journey of self-discovery. The whole movie he keeps saying he is not worthy to be king, but he finally accepts it with the help of some friends. I feel the plot had just enough of everything. Love: Between Tom and Atlanna and between Mera and Arthur. The love between Tom and Atlanna, we felt his pain all right. Imagine walking to the end of a dock every morning for 20 years just hoping the love of your life would be there. Comedy: they threw in a few jokes with Arthur that made him not look like the "I'm all about Seriousness 24/7" type and I loved that. Also made the whole movie theater laugh too. Family Drama: we can feel the tension coming from Arthur's little brother Orm. In Orm's opinion, Arthur is the reason their mother was killed. Mystery: they added little mystery with Atlanna and what really happened to her. All they kept saying is she was sacrificed to the Trench. Which Arthur comes to learn is their form of a "execution." We don't get to see what the Trench is until the very end of the movie. And woah, not a nice way to be sacrificed for sure.

Characters/Cast
The cast did an amazing job. I feel as if they all fitted their characters perfectly. In my opinion, I did not see any flaws or anything I did not like. The acting was good and made the characters come to life even more.
Cinematography
The shots and camera angles were amazing, specially during the fight scenes. Movement with the actors was good. I loved how it would switch scenes quickly. Like when Vulko threw the trident at Arthur and then it's a flashback of young Arthur catching a trident. The colors used to show Atlantis was stunning. The scene where Arthur arrives in Atlantis for the first time, it was just so colorful and beautiful. The Dessert scene, even though I loved it made me feel as if I was playing uncharted again. I mean I loved the game, so I did not mind that scene. Special effects were awesome with all the underwater scenes and the creatures. Overall, the scenes were shot beautifully, and the environment looked amazing.
Feedback
Okay, So I have been seeing a lot of the comments for the movie. And about those questionable scenes. Let's get into it. First, the Scene where Black Manta is upgrading the weapons and armor, he got from Orm. Okay, I'm seeing a lot of comments that is asking how he knows how to re work the well what is considered "Alien Tech" to him. He could have messed with the wrong thing and blow himself up. Second, Atlanna and how she survived on that island alone for so long. What did she eat? Where did she get the awesome end game high level armor she was wearing? Where did she keep her bottles of Loreal on the island to keep her hair looking just like when she left in the beginning? We have to remember that they had a time limit to work with. And when movies are being editing in the final moments, a lot of scenes get deleted to meet the time goal. Aquaman is already very long at 2Hrs and 23mins. They could not really add in any extra scenes that was not really needed. Yes, we could of use a scene where a younger Black Manta was trying to sneak into Atlantis to steal weapon manuals or blueprints or instead, kidnapping one of their weapon/armor builders and him torturing them to teach him how to. Or, a scene where Atlanna was on the island trying to start a fire and cutting up some dinosaur meat. Yes, dinosaur meat: in the scene where they show the island, you can see dinosaurs running around. So, yea these scenes that we feel are missing, we will just have to use our imagination to fill in the blanks and understand that the movie is already as long as it is.
Favorite Quotes
Mera: What did he just say?
Arthur: Something, Something, Trident
Mera: We need water, you're the closest source.
Arthur: Show Off, I could've just peed on it
Orm: My Brother has come from the surface to challenge me for the throne!
Arthur: I call it an Ass-Whooping
So Overall, I would give this movie a 9.5/10 as my own personal rating and would recommend you go watch it and see for yourself. It is a wonderful movie that displays a strong plot with an amazing group of actors set in a unforgettable environment mixed in with love, comedy and drama. Oh, and stay for the post credits scene. It shows that Black Manta might be the Big bad guy in part 2. And trust me, the End credits song is just beautiful that I actually think people stayed more just because of the song than the post credits scene. The song is Skylar Grey - Everything I need for those who are wondering. There is a original and a film version. Just remember to use the bathroom right before you go into the movie theater and don't forget that you have any snacks or junk food.