6PM Screening at Imagine Cinema (ImagineFX)
Theatre Service: 10/10
Projection: 9/10
AQUAMAN 2 hr 38 mins
Our hats off to James Wan for this successful origin to the story of Aquaman. To start off this is a jam packed film, constantly mixing the spectacle of a myth like treasure hunt with some truly beautiful imagery that takes the viewer to the world of Atlantis.
There were transitions that were reminiscent of Saw II. It had an equal amount of spicy scenes vs one-shots. It showed similarities to the DC universe, fight sequences, character exposition and tone or sense of humor. However, it did try many new things as far as the horror elements in the deep sea scenes or the forceful female gaze during Jason Mamoa’s opening scene. The plot of the film made for interesting editing choices, which lead us to believe there may be a few deleted scenes, but didn’t take away from the overall story or affect the progression of the plot.
A brilliant job mixing the past with the present and thoughtfully integrating flashbacks throughout Aquaman’s coming of age story. Strong villains in both King Oram and Black Manta while Aquaman’s character is discovering his place in this new underwater Kingdom.
Job well done to the casting director: all the “Aquamen” in the film are believable and Jason Mamoa as Aquaman fits so very well, we’re not sure who we would suggest alternatively. Strong female characters throughout the film, Amber Heard as Mera was badass and Nicole Kidman as Atlanta was a fantastic character arch to watch play out.
Beautiful set decoration and costuming really helped to blur the line between what was practical and what was CGI addition. WE CANNOT WAIT to see the behind the scenes Blu-ray extras, having seen James Wan behind the scenes on Saw, Insidious, and now Aquaman will be an interesting comparison. Cinematographer Don Burgess does a phenomenal job of executing the action sequences starting at the very beginning of the film, the camera work is breathtaking.
>> 7/10 <<
Pacing: 7/10
Editing: 8.5/10
Plot: 8/10
Acting: 7/10
Cinematography: 9/10
Soundtrack: 5/10
Re-watch-ability: 2.5/10