Aquaman

After the big failure that was Justice League, DC really needs a big hit to keep things going and to keep the fans interested in it's movie universe. "Aquaman" has to bare a lot of that weight on it's shoulders, while also introducing viewers to the world of Aquaman and all the lore that is apart of that world. We got a brief introduction to Aquaman in Justice League and honestly he was probably the best part of that movie. Jason Momoa oozes charm and like-ability with his dude-bro version of Aquaman. But would it work if he's the lead? "Aquaman" answers that question and more.

So "Aquaman" introduces us to the story of Arthur, a half-Human and half-Atlantean. His mother a Queen from Atlantis and his father some random human who lives in a lighthouse. After the events of Justice League, Arthur is called back home to Atlantis to prevent his half-brother from uniting the different armies of the ocean and attacking the humans on earth. Oh, and there's also a crazy soldier who calls himself Black Manta who is seeking revenge against Aquaman for events that happen early in the movie. Arthur teams up with reluctant partner Mera to find a hidden trident that will help stop Atlantis from going to war with the Humans.

This movie really could have been a great time. There was a lot keeping it from being great in my eyes though. Before that, let's talk about the good things. As you've probably heard, this movie looks awesome... and it does. The effects are pretty damn cool to look at, especially when it goes underwater into the world of Atlantis. Lots of cool colors and designs and shiny things to look at. This is one of those movies that might be worth watching in IMAX just because of these effects and visuals. The other good thing is of course Aquaman himself. He hasn't lost any of that charm from Justice League and he's easy to root for as a hero. The movie has a lot more focus on fun, like what "Suicide Squad" was trying to do... except it works a lot better in "Aquaman". Besides Aquaman though, all the other actors do a fine job with their characters. Some characters don't seem to get a lot of screen time which is a shame, but I'll get to that later. The action scenes where mostly good, though a lot of them were set up the same. The movie constantly started action scenes out of nowhere, with a jump-scare moment, which got kind of annoying. That aside, the action scenes were still mostly fun to watch and well made.

What really kept this movie from being great though was the way it tried to introduce you to the world. The movie had to keep stopping to explain the history and lore of Atlantis, with long dialog scenes that were pretty boring sometimes. There was also the problem of having two villains in one movie, which rarely works in these comic book movies. Instead of putting all of the focus on one baddie, they tried to put in two. Black Manta as a villain, barely got much screen time and it felt pretty strange. It probably would have been better to keep Black Manta away until the next movie or focus the entire movie on him.

This movie also just feels way too long at almost 2 1/2 hours. I struggled to stay interested in the story for that long, especially in the middle where the story takes a turn into an adventure movie. It made the movie feel even longer than it actually was. It didn't always use that time in a good way either. Like not focusing on certain characters enough, or using a lot of time to drop exposition. It makes sense to drop a lot of exposition in a movie introducing us to a whole new comic book world, but i'm sure there were better ways to do it.

There was a lot I liked in this movie and a lot of things I didn't like. That makes the movie fall right in the middle of how I felt about it, it was OKAY. I had enough fun that I would gladly watch a sequel and I would be excited for it, but I don't see myself coming back to this particular movie anytime soon. There's room for lots of improvement, but it was a good start to the Aquaman character. It's worth a watch if you like anything that has to do with DC and comic movies, or you just want a visually interesting action movie.

B-B-B-B-BONUS ROUND!!!!!

Speaking of visually interesting movies, here's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse! This is a new animated movie was created by Sony Pictures Animation. They don't have the best track record when it comes to animated movies, just recently making one of the worst movies in "The Emoji Movie".  But when I heard that Lord and Miller were going to be the ones behind this, my excitement shot up to the heavens. These two guys are behind two of my favorite animated movies of recent memory (Sunny With a Chance of Meatballs and Lego Movie). Expectations were high, and the movie had a lot to live up to with the Spider-Man name attached to it. Especially after how great the recent Spider-Man movies have been on the Disney side of things. 

I'll just say it now, Spider-Verse lives up to all the hype and surpasses it greatly. This is by far the best animated movie of the year, with pretty much nothing coming close to it (except maybe Isle of Dogs?).  The animation is some of the best I've seen in a long time, and it's got a very unique style that fits the world so perfectly. Everything in this movie works so well together. The great voice cast, writing, action, animation, soundtrack and story. Everyone who worked on this movie made sure to make every detail and second of this movie entertaining and well-made. While there are a lot of characters thrown into the movie, it keeps it's focus where it's most important: Miles Morales. The other character are all great, especially Peter Parker who is much different than any other Peter Parker that has been on film. The relationship between Peter and Miles is what drives the movie and was the best part of the movie in my opinion. There's a great balance between fun/humor and emotional moments that push the story forward. 

This might be one of the most flawless movies I've seen in a long time. For me, it's the best Spider-Man movie ever made, and considering how great some of the past Spider-Man movies have been in the past that's really saying something. When the filmmakers pay attention to every detail of the movie with lots of care, you get a movie like this. A movie that accomplishes all of it's goals and more.

It's been a while since an animated movie was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars... this should be the next one.  

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BONUS RRRRRROUND! *cough*

It's been a strange year for Disney. Reaching the highest highs with Black Panther and Infinity War, but falling down again and again with movies like Wrinkle in Time, Nutcracker and Solo. One thing that hasn't failed them recently though is their main animation studio, which this year brought us Ralph Breaks the Internet. 

Ralph 2 is one of those movies that looked like it was going to be a letdown from the trailers. Going to the internet is an interesting concept for a sequel, but one that could easily turn the movie into more of an advertisement than a movie. The fact that Disney chose to use real life products and websites was concerning, I was worried about the movie becoming watered down by the constant use of real life products. Then I remember that the first movie also had lots of properties from the real world, but it was all video game properties and not websites. The first movie did a great job at showing lots of love to gaming with lots of references and cameos, but it still put most of its focus on its original ideas and characters. Ralph Breaks the Internet also does that same thing, but tells a completely different story. While I found the use of the internet a lot less charming than the use of video games, it didn't take away too much from the great story and humor the movie had.

The sequel follows Ralph and Vanellope right after the first movie. They are still best friends and hang out everyday after their games are shut down for the night. Things change after the arcade they live in has internet and WiFi installed, and a portal to the internet is opened in their hub. After an indecent where Vanellope is left homeless after her game breaks, they must travel to the internet to find the piece of her game that's missing before it's shut down permanently.

 The story leads to a really good and not often touched upon message regarding friendship. It's what really drives the movie and keeps it going, despite some things that didn't work so well for me. Like I said before, the internet is a much less interesting location than the arcade in my opinion. Maybe it's because we already spend so much time there, that it feels less magical and whimsical than the movie tries to make it out to be. The movie has the characters interact with some real life sites like Ebay and a YouTube style site called Buzztube. The whole Buzztube part of the movie felt really... strange. It was like Disney was trying really hard to connect with all the young kids of today that watch YouTube, but also making fun of people that do at the same time? It was confusing. 

What was cool to see though was Disney actually making fun of itself for once, which happens later in the movie and was sadly shown in most of the trailers. Still, it was a really great moment when Vanellope goes to the Disney part of the internet and meets the princessesesses. Moments like that and the great story between Ralph and Vanellope are what kept this movie fun and entertaining. It's not the best that Disney Animation Studios has put out in recent years, but it's another hit in a time where they keep putting out good movies. While it wasn't as good as the first, it wasn't really a disappointing movie because it kept all of the important aspects from the first movie and built upon them. The characters are still just as lovable as the first time, and by the end of this movie you'll probably love them more.