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...

Hey everybody, I've gotten the last Sandy and junior DVD and IT IS BEAUTIFUL! Actually I am not sure if it is their last DVD but it is the fist movie they did. I really like them, Sandy and Junior are the most popular Brazilian group and from my point of view the best one. Anyway, I wish I had the chance of seeing Acquaria on the big scream but it was SO poorly advertised that I didn't know the movie was released so I could came to see it. It was't playing in my small town but anyway, it must be incredible on the theaters because from the DVD I was in tears, the desert, the colors, the dancing, the musics, everything... I loved it - Sandy's voice, boy amazing, Junior is soo cute, Besides, the story is good, filled with emotion and perfect for the biggest Brazilian pop stars. Beautiful, beautiful, Lais.

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

Let's see… from the DVD I've just watched I regard this movie as the ultimate Brazilian production escape. It's exotic, dry and the 'desertscapes' are simply stunning. I guess it's popular to hate Acquaria. But for what reason? Okay, so it never made as much money as Universal wanted, but it's all up there on the

screen and it DID make a profit, didn't it? It's not the flop everyone thinks it is. I found Sandy and Junior to be actually quite effective as the (desert living) people and all the other casting incredible choose to feel it. The action is very exciting and the effects never fails to entertain. But bizarrely enough, the best scenes of the film are the quieter scenes. Actually I'd seriously recommend hunting down the soundtrack CD to this one – well, for those who

like Sandy and Junior, off course. It's a shame the explanations and reasons wasn't very clear on the script,

deeper descriptions on the way/why of living and characters for example would have made this movie much more commercial for its public.

There is no point going through this film and trying to make all the science/ desert feature reality fit. I found this a very enjoyable experience. Great national stuff. I can't wait for the producers to make a sequel.

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.