Aquamarine

I took my daughter 5 and son 8 to see Aquamarine yesterday after school. I didn't go in expecting to see an Oscar worthy movie as many who rated this movie must have. Both of my kids really enjoyed the movie and I did as well. I thought the plot was good and the acting was pretty good as well. I liked the magical feel that this movie had and at least it lets kids use their imagination instead of just the same old boring stuff. How Aquamarine could ever have a lower user rating than Ultraviolet is a crime against humanity. I am glad that several of the user comments that I have read appreciate this movie for what it is, a movie for your kids and that the parents will enjoy also.

I wanted to hate this movie. Everything from the constant squealing of "Oh My God", the stream of clichés and the sheer ridiculousness of some of the dialouge pointed in the direction of a complete waste of time. Somehow however, Aquamarine managed to win me over through charm and its child like determination to please. The movie centers around two teenage girls (Emma Roberts and JoJo) who are spending their last summer together before Hayley (Jojo) moves away to Austrailia. Their summer takes a surprising twist when they discover a mermaid (Sara Paxton) in a pool after a terrible storm. They spend the rest of the summer trying to help her find true love. Both Emma Roberts and Jojo are newcomers to the screen and do a surprisingly good job at playing bubbly girls without making the audience want to wring their necks 10 minutes in and though each have yet to develop their skills especially at showing a wide range of emotions, they certainly are charming and enjoyable to watch. Sara Paxton looks and talks the part and though this role wasn't one to exhibit any real acting abilities she embraces the part full on. Yes, Aqaumarine features a mean blonde girl and yes there is the "hot" guy but if you watch this movie for exactly what it is, a fluffy escape from life, then it shouldn't bother you. So if you are ever in the mood, wait until it comes out on video and don't pay 10 dollars on it, it is definitely a rental.

Following a violent storm, a beautiful and sassy mermaid named Aquamarine washes ashore and into the lives of two teenage girls. After Aquamarine falls for a local, hunky lifeguard, she enlists the girls' help to win his heart.

After watching the trailer for Aquamarine, I was expecting a horrible movie. Instead, I got a decent "tween" film that should appeal to its target audience. The film proves to be mildly charming and enjoyable for adults with a few fun characters and scenes. The premise is pretty familiar and the film is a little by-the numbers. However, screenwriter Jessica Bendinger is pretty good when it comes to harmless fluff and she at least tries to stray away from the familiar path. Of course she gets help from a good cast and the combination makes the film quite entertaining.

The main reason why this film works well is because of its young and charming cast. I don't really like JoJo as a singer so I was expecting her to give a bad performance. To my surprise, she shows a lot of charm in the role and she is actually quite engaging. Emma Roberts gives an okay performance, nothing special. However, her character is kind of dull so maybe that's why her performance isn't very interesting. Sara Paxton gives the best performance as Aquamarine. Her performance is a little familiar but still pretty funny.

The most engaging aspect of the movie is the relationship between the three girls. Of course the premise is far fetched but the relationships are realistic and it helps make the film more enjoyable. Despite this engaging quality, the film is still only average for me. I liked it but I didn't like it too much. The pacing was too slow, especially during the first twenty minutes. There were also a few "girly" scenes that almost completely lost my interest in the film. After the movie had finished, I got a lukewarm feeling. The ending wasn't as good as I was expecting it to be and the entire thing really wasn't that memorable. Aquamarine is a nice movie to watch but it doesn't leave a long lasting impression on the viewer unless you're part of the target audience. In the end, Aquamarine is harmless fluff and it's worth checking out. Rating 5/10

Even though I was forced to watch this with younger siblings, I actually enjoyed myself. Besides the movie Splash which was made years ago, I don't think there has been many mermaid movies. This one, although a little bit on the cheesy side, had a pretty good underlying message. Graphics were not extraordinary, but they weren't terrible. Jojo turned out to be a sarcastic, funny actress and Sara Paxton did a pretty good job on being the clueless mermaid. Emma Roberts was a little bit rusty on acting, but she can sure tear up. Yea it was cheesy, but what'd you expect, at least it wasn't unbearably cheesy. It was really just cute and I enjoyed watching it with my siblings.

Aquamarine was a nice, sweet movie. The twist in the ending was nice as well and original. However, the movie was packed with cliches. But, overall, it was enjoyable.