Official Synopsis:
Two best friends get exactly what they fish for in Aquamarine, a laugh-out-loud hilarious comedy about friendship. Emma Roberts, Sara Paxton and pop sensation JoJo star in "The Sweetest Treat Since Princess Diaries!" (Yahoo! Movies). It's the end of summer and Claire (Roberts) and Hailey (JoJo) have a major problem. In just five days, Hailey's family is moving halfway around the world! These girls need a major miracle, and get one in the form of Aquamarine, a beautiful mermaid who washes ashore in a late summer storm. Sweet but clueless to the ways of romance, she offers to grant the girls one wish if they help her find the boy of her dreams. But when they attempt to reel in the cute local lifeguard, the result is something none of them expect...and they discover that sometimes what you wish for isn't what you really want after all!
Our Take:
The problem with making movies for a set demographic is that often times they appeal only to that demographic. Take Aquamarine, for example; if you're an 11-year-old girl, I can't recommend this film highly enough. Of course, I don't think that the majority of DVD Snapshot's readers happen to be 11-year-old girls. If you're anything other than a tweenage girl, Aquamarine will probably come across as nothing more than a bland mermaid-themed romantic comedy.
Aquamarine isn't a bad film; the three lead girls all do fine jobs in their roles, including pop singer JoJo who, despite her third billing on the cover, is the main character of the film. There are boy troubles and mermaid hijinks and jokes about fish and comic pratfalls galore, so at least it's entertaining enough. But there's nothing extra to give it any kind of spark that an adult would find interesting. Now, there's nothing wrong with that per se; I mean, let's face it, this film is made for tweens, plain and simple. It's just good that it's rated PG so you can let kids watch it unattended.
Surprisingly, the DVD actually comes with an impressive collection of extra features. Here's what's on the disc:
* Commentary - Director Elizabeth Allen and producer Susan Cartsonis talk about making the film.
* Scene Specific Commentary by Emma Roberts, JoJo, and Sara Paxton - Seven scenes can be viewed with commentary by the three main cast members, with a total running time of about 21 minutes.
* Totally Deleted Scenes - Six deleted scenes running about 4 1/2 minutes.
* Awesome Auditions (5 minutes) - A compilation of audition footage from the cast members.
* Building The Capri Club (3 minutes) - A quick tour of the film's main set.
* Mermaid Makeover (3 minutes) - Find out how Sara Paxton was transformed into a mermaid.
* It's All About the Fashion (4 minutes) - It's all about the fashion!
* Aqua's Squeals (1 minute) - A goofy little feature.
* Kickin' It On Set (5 minutes) - A collection of on-set goofs and bloopers.
I don't really have much else to say about Aquamarine. If you are, know, or have an 11-year-old girl, recommend this flick to them.
Overall Picture:
Movie (for tweens): A
Movie (for anyone else): C+
DVD: A-
- Mike Spring
Editor
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