Acquaria

I promised my friends before seeing this movie that Sandy and Junior, wouldn't sing... We'll, after a short while, I was begging for forgiveness! If it had just two more songs, it'd be considered a musical. An Indian musical actually! Did the movie really need those songs? I gave a 6 out of 10 as it wasn't that bad at all. It was actually pretty watchable, even though the story is more than clichéd. You can see all the influences from Dune, Star Wars, Waterworld (now, this is a really bad one!), so you must take it from granted that it's not such an original movie. But it served it's purpose: entertain.

So, don't forget before going to the cinema or getting the DVD, that this is a kid's movie, and should be seen as that...

I just recently saw Acquaria at a Latin Film Festival and was blown away. It is a very innovative film. The premise is similar to the film Waterworld with Kevin Costner but it goes beyond your typical doomsday story. The director has a vision that I haven't seen in American Cinema in quite some time.

First, the desert scenes are filmed like a Salvador Dali painting. It is so surreal and stunning at the same time. It is worth viewing just to look at the beautiful desert scenes.

Second, the actors are refreshing. The leading actor is actually a Brazilian pop star in real life. Her name is Sandy. I'm not exactly sure what kind of music she sings in her native country of Brazil but she is hot! This girl is so beautiful you cannot wait for her to be in another scene just to take in her beauty. Plus, she is a natural actor. She seems so comfortable in front of the camera. I can see her crossing over to American Cinema someday. Watch out! This girl can do it all.

I have to mention the dog in the movie. He is a Jack Russell Terrier named Mingus. This dog is probably the most talented canine I have ever seen on screen. Benji eat your heart out. The tricks this dog does in front of the camera are amazing.

And here's the best thing about this film. It is a family film with an intellectual plot so the adults can watch it with the kiddies and not get bored. This film is entertaining. I hope it finds wider distribution in the US.

You know, I have seen a fair share of what come out of Hollywood and National productions, all shrink-wrapped and on the shelves of the local video stores. I have seen horribly constructed 'Xuxa's', stupid 'casseta e Planeta's', dramatic 'Cazuza's', 'Santoro's', awesome and trash Hollywood dragons, green Hulks, some hobbit with a ring, Elvis sing-acting, and even had breakfast at Tiffany's. Now I've seen a post-apocalyptic action drama where our 'national' world has turn dried, and this world has a sand ocean to fish in it and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle. There are some comments on plot holes and whatnot, and I totally agree. The 'cliché teen love/hate fights', 'the main actress survival after been lost in the desert for days and her impeccable Make-up' was useful, but why just keep focus on it? Why not tip it into the huge bucket that is the desert? See what happens. Anywho... Where was I? Aaah, yes. The effects were very good. A impeccable direction and the acting was on par; Not a Oscar winning, but fitting, I'd say. And, frankly, I liked the concept. Yes, it might be a better movie, maybe if its public was more specific (target for adults only), but no one in South America 'wild lands' has even tried to think of doing something like it and/or come up with something better, as of 2004. Long story short, I enjoyed the movie and urge my internet film connoisseurs to see this movie. Never mind that just a few people (and a dog – Incredible by the way) share it all in an empty, destroyed, dry city. Get your popcorn, relax and just watch the movie! Cheers, Patrick

I thought I wouldn't like Acquaria at all but when I went to see it now - I was totally blown away. First of all, the looks and the story - a magnificently photography/art and a nice structured screenplay that hit all the right notes. Who says that a great action, science fiction films are made in the action/efx sequences? The reason why the action sequences in this film were so nice, was because the characters were so well drawn out, given time to develop, and it gave us time for us to developed a sense of them, caring about them, and then, the action sequences hit. Such amazing moments. The acting is top notch, especially Sandy, who endowed the character with such depth of feeling. Ever the skeptic, I kept hinting at moments that would go wrong. At times, when the screenwriter would take the cliché way out. But then, something happen, the moment right after the action sequence in the house, a moment when the family is killed, and the baby is inside the piano--- I don't mind saying, that I breathed deeply and tears rolled down my eyes when they were in Acquaria, dancing. Why? because for one second, Flavia Moraes, let me see the heart of the movie. Underneath this glossy, special effects action filled movie, there's something that is all too lacking in the science fiction film production that I have recently seen, and that's a heart as big and as deep as a person's imagination.

Many people in Brazil dismiss the importance of this movie, due to their prejudice to young and popular pop stars like Sandy and Junior, accusing it to be just a commercial movie, aimed to promote their music. Such people couldn't be more than wrong: the movie actually is different from everything that has done before in Brazil. It has a lot of visual effects (seldom seen in Brazilian movies), it doesn't has much action nor long conversations. It's a movie made to delight our view, with beautiful art direction and amazing, poetic (although dry) landscapes. The story is slow-paced, reflective, but the plot just doesn't have enough elements to call you attention, sometimes it seems just too flat. Some important elements in the story just don't receive the required attention, leaving a lot of questions in our minds - I don't know if it was in purpose, to make us think and imagine, but there are just too much of these holes in the plot. Acting also could have been better. Even so, it's a delightful movie well worth seeing, hope to see more Brazilian movies using the same visual resources of Acquaria in the future