SYNOPSIS: 

Arthur (Jason Mamoa) is a product of love between Queen Atlanna of Atlantis and a normal lighthouse keeper. Being the first born, he is destined to be the King of Atlantis and no matter how much he wanted to deny his own rights, situation forces him to unleash his own potential and be the bridge between two worlds. In more simple and direct words, Aquaman doesn't want to be king but his asshole younger brother wants to start a war so Aquaman has no choice but to be king. 

James Wan is an interesting director for me. When he was assigned to be Furious 7's director, I had my doubts because how come he who is specialized in making good horror movies is given the task to direct such a fun and action filled franchise? Well, he nailed Furious 7 as the action parts are so over the top and fun to watch. James brought the same elements into Aquaman and managed to take a different turn from other DC movies so far by not making it too gloomy and serious but instead, full of wonders and fun. 

Okay, making Aquaman a surfer dude may not be James Wan's idea but he embraced it and fully exploited it. I love the concept because the Aquaman in the comics is too serious and kinda depressed about not wanting to be king and wanting to belong somewhere in the world sort of thing. Movie Aquaman just lay it out to everyone - "Hey, I don't want to be king. But if you keep pressing me to do it!!!!! Whatever, I'll do it." DC cinematic Aquaman is so laid back and cool, it's hard not to fall in love with him. 

Going back to assessing the movie, as I mentioned, James Wan managed to make it fun by putting so much over the top action scenes. My favorite is the part in Sicily, Italy which is revealed in some of the marketing efforts before the release. Even though I have watched the scene before the release, it's just so cool to watch. 

The action scenes also showcase Aquaman's strength as a hero. We can finally see how strong he is and how talking to fish is not an ability can be taken so lightly. I'm just so happy with the amount of work being put into the action parts. 

Besides that, I am impressed with how Atlantis turns out. In the comics and animated movies / series, Atlantis has always been portrayed as a bit primitive with some spices of technology. In this movie, it's the other way around. Atlantis is so modern with little touches of ancient customs and elements. James Wan's Atlantis is like a mixture of Tron cities and Star Wars. 

The CGI is tremendously wonderful. I love the Trench scene when the ship is being attacked. It's very Snyder like and reminded me of scenes from 300. As expected from Zack Snyder. 

The costumes are awesome to see and pay homage to the comics especially at the later part of the movie. So glad to see the bright original colors are used on Aquaman. Orm or Ocean Master's battle armor at the end is also awesome. I love the face cover. Well, I don't have to mention how happy I am with Mera's. Honorable mention? Nicole Kidman. Phew. Man, she still got it. You know what I'm saying?

Of course, this movie is not perfect. The obvious flaw is in the script. I get that Aquaman / Arthur is a surfer dude with a vocabulary of a ten year old but in my opinion it would not hurt to give him one or two cool, memorable lines. I also wish they had done a better job at writing Mera's script. She's a princess for God's sake. Throughout the movie, she speaks like a bimbo but acts like warrior, which I think do not match. 

Maybe I love comic book Mera too much that I feel conflicted about movie Mera. Amber Heard is awesome but I think she needs to bring more fierce into Mera. Comic book Mera is not to be messed with. In the comics, even Aquaman kinda fears her a bit. In this movie, Mera seems more flirty or easily charmed. Hey I get that Aquaman is the most manly man in the whole seas but come on, she's a warrior princess. I was hoping that she would have Wonder Woman's characters a little bit because when I think about it, both are quite similar in background. 

Even though Aquaman is the main, to tell you the truth, I kinda fell in love with Orm / Ocean Master a bit. It's probably because the production gave Jason Mamoa with little to work with while Patrick Wilson has so many inspiring yet evil lines. Like I mentioned, they should give Aquaman more cool lines and not portray him as too dumb. 

Lastly, I just had to say that I am so glad to see Willem Dafoe in this. He's awesome. 

To conclude, Aquaman is a fun to watch movie as the action is over the top fun and the scenes are beautiful to see. Though, I expected more clever and memorable script. 

4 out of 5 stars

SYNOPSIS: 

Kurosaki Ichigo (Sôta Fukushi) is a high school student who has the ability to see ghosts. One night, a Shinigami (Soul Reaper) named Kuchiki Rukia (Hana Sugisaki) suddenly appeared in his bedroom and his house and family was attacked by an unknown creature known as a Hollow. Situation required Ichigo to take Rukia's powers and become a Shinigami. 

Bleach is easily one of my favorite manga. Even after it suffers a downfall after the Aizen arc ended, I loyally continued reading it until the very last chapter. I have to admit, I had concerns when I learned that there's gonna be a live action movie of Bleach. Many manga/anime adaptations fail to capture the real essence of the manga and therefore I was worried that the movie would ruin the manga for me. 

To my surprise, this movie is quite well made. 

My first concern was pacing. Fitting in many chapters of a manga into one movie is tough and might result in an overly fast pace. However, the director clearly knew what he was doing. The pacing is just right. It is not rushed but at the same time, it manages to cover a whole arc. 

The fact that the story line is a bit different from the manga helps. Yes, there are key scenes that copies the manga which is awesome but it is refreshing to see some variety and differences. 

It feels good to see how the characters have room to showcase their growth and affections towards each other. The nice pacing gives audience room to really feel and love the characters.

Speaking of characters, I think that all of the actors and actresses did a great job in portraying their roles. I love Sota Fukushi's portrayal of Ichigo. Hana Sugisaki needs to be more silly when it comes to being Rukia but overall, she nails the emotional and temperamental parts of her. 

The side characters are also lovable especially Chad (Yû Koyanagi) and Orihime (Erina Mano). Seeing these two makes me smile. They are cute and the bond between them and Ichigo can clearly be seen.

Uryu Ishida (Ryô Yoshizawa) could have been a better character if given more action and screen time. The casting for Renji is perfect. Taichi Saotome nails the looks and character of the gangster Shinigami. Lastly, Miyavi as well did a good job as Byakuya. 

Apart from that, the action parts are very engaging. I love the part where Rukia trains Ichigo because the movements seems fluid and believable. They seem to possess fighting skills probably due to real life training. 

The sword fights seem visually cool. Come on, Japanese katana fights have always looked cool. Attatatatatata hiyaaa! Slash! and the loser falls. Not gonna lie, most of the fight scenes gave me goose bumps. 

The fight with hollows are also engaging but they're not the main focus. This movie is more towards Ichigo's fight against the Shinigami monarchy. 

I definitely want a sequel because so far, I am entertained by Shinsuke Sato's work. My concerns for the sequel is the overabundance of CGI since it would take place of Soul Society. I am hoping that Shinsuke Sato would make it simple yet engaging by focusing more on character development rather than the visual effects like in this movie. 

4 out of 5 stars.

SYNOPSIS: 

Gorilla Grodd builds a time travel machine and sent Batman and most of Gotham's main criminals to the feudal era of Japan. Batman has to find a way to defeat the enemies and go back to the future. 

Okay, ever since I first saw the poster above last year on reddit, I was stoked. Batman is an awesome character and to be able to see a ninja version of him makes me feel so hyped. 

There are two versions which are the English version and Japanese version. I have watched both versions and they're quite the same except for the languages spoken. 

In terms of voice acting, both versions excel. All of the voice actors give their best performance and are able bring out the best in the characters that they portray. I personally love the English version of The Joker which is voiced by Tony Hale. Incredible job. 

The visual and artwork are stunning. It's a fusion of western style cartoon and anime which I think looks amazing. The costume design of all characters are also awesome. 

Fans who are familiar with the traditional dark and serious versions of Batman might not like this version because of the elements of anime. Honestly, the action is over the top and I'm sure many would think that it is too ridiculous to watch. 

However, I personally like the over the top action scenes. It's probably because I watch and love both western animation and anime. The final fight between Batman and Joker is so awesome and nerve wrecking to watch. As one would expect out of a Ninja version of Batman, there are many katana wielding fights and Naruto level ninja moves. 

In terms of story, it can still be improved. I would suggest making Batman seems more resourceful and strong as I don't quite like the fact that he has to depend on so many people (and other creatures) to defeat the enemies. He's in a disadvantage because he lost his gadgets and cool gizmos. I would like it more if he can single handedly defeat a giant robot using the only stuff he has. I mean, he's THE Batman. He is more than his gadgets. 

All in all, I think this movie is great for kids and anime fans. The animation is beautiful and it is action packed. However, hardcore Batman fans might find this movie rather insulting because of the anime elements in the story. 

I personally like it.

3 out of 5 stars.