“Aquaman” (Action/Adventure: 2 hours, 23 minutes)

Starring: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson and Nicole Kidman

Director: James Wan

Rated: PG-13 (Sequences of violence and action and strong language)

 

Movie Review: A good thing Aquaman can breathe underwater. Otherwise, he would drown in the ocean of bad story-telling.

Arthur Curry (Momoa) has been a superhero on land, known as Aquaman. One day, he learns he is needed underwater. Deep in the Earth’s oceans, the kingdom of Atlantis now has a new monarch, Curry’s half-brother, King Orm (Wilson). 

All is not well in the kingdom. Orm wants to wage war against land dwellers. Curry fights for the crown as a way to stop his brother.

While it boasts nice visual effects, “Aquaman” has enough material to create two movies. Thus like most DC Universe movies, it puts too much in one script. What is not in this movie is better character development. This misses moments to make one care about the characters.

The movie strives for entertainment with good visual effects. The movie achieves that. It is action-packed, and the underwater world is a stunning sight.

However, the movie is really “Lord of Rings” under the seas with a story similar to “Black Panther.” It involves dueling kingdoms using huge sea creatures as high-tech vehicles. The fact these characters use sea creatures and vehicles to travel is intriguing when some of these people can swim at the speed of sound. 

Plenty about the thinly veiled story makes sense. Director James Wan (“Saw,” 2003; “The Conjuring,” 2013) and producers attempt to cover the negatives of this movie is a good one. They use plenty of action scenes and visual treats to distract. Still, the overstuffed, yet slim, story and character development are lacking.

Grade: C+ (“Aquaman” is entertaining, but its story drowns it.)

“Bumblebee” (Action/Science-Fiction: 1 hour, 54 minutes)

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., John Cena and Dylan O’Brien

Director: Travis Knight

Rated: PG-13 (Violence)

 

Movie Review: After countless Michael Bay mishaps with this franchise, “Bumblebee” becomes the best of the six Transformers live-action movies. It is a thoughtful prequel, a mix of action and characters. It is a welcome surprise this holiday season.

In 1987, Autobot B-127, known as Bumblebee (voice of O’Brien), leaves the Transformer’s homeworld of Cybertron. He lands on Earth. The mechanical being finds refuge in a Californian garage of teen Charlie Watson (Steinfeld), a near 18-year-old teenager and outsider still grieving the death of her father. 

She discovers Bumblebee thinking he is just a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle. The two become fast friends, but their relationship may end abruptly. Lt. Jack Burns (Cena) and his team of Sector 7, a secret government agency that monitors extraterrestrial activity, and two malevolent Decepticons from Cybertron, are pursuing Bumblebee. 

Travis Knight directed the beautiful “Kubo and the Two Strings” (2016). “Bumblebee” is his second feature as a director. As a director, he knows storytelling is important to making a good movie. Knight works with writer Christina Hodson. Perhaps, more of these superhero movies should involve man-woman duos. “Bumblebee” has a good story while delivering plenty of action, too.

Even more, it gets back to what made the Transformer cartoons good. The movie focuses on Transformers as well as humans. The movie uses both humans and Bumblebee to create an emotive movie, where the characters are enduring.

Grade: B (Bumblebee transforms into a good movie.)

“Second Act” (Comedy/Romance: 1 hour, 43 minutes)

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Vanessa Hudgens, Leah Remini, Milo Ventimiglia and Treat Williams

Director: Peter Segal

Rated: PG-13 (Crude sexual references and strong language )

 

Movie Review: The ageless and beautiful Jennifer Lopez is always nice to see in movies. However, her rapport with comedies is sketchy. This aspect remains so still. “Second Act” suffers from poor story execution. 

Maya Vargas (Lopez) is an assistant manager at Value Shop. When management omits her for a promotion because she lacks the appropriate college degree, Vargas quits on her 43rd birthday. 

She intends to prove she has what it takes to find a better job. She lands a prestigious job at a big cosmetics firm — her second act. 

Peter Segal directs “Second Act.” He previously directed “50 First Dates” (2004) and “Get Smart” (2008). He knows how to handle a romcom. Here, the screenplay is messy.

Two scenes are the apex of this movie. When they happen, the moments are emotionless and empty. Neither garners a worthwhile response from the characters or the movie audience. The moments fail because the movie creates no real climatic buildup. 

Scenes haphazardly join multiple substories in a manner that is poor storytelling.

Grade: D+ (Second rate.)

Adann-Kennn Alexxandar lives in Valdosta.