That bad movie you enjoyed watching

Yesterday, on an airplane, I watched the new Aquaman. It was a bad movie.

There were so many things wrong with it that I couldn’t even begin to enumerate them. Fortunately, you have the critics for that (pretty much all of them, it seems).

Yet my traveling companion and I really enjoyed watching it — even the bad and unintentionally cheesy and ridiculous parts. There is something about watching a bad movie together that brings its own pleasures.

I subscribe to the theory that a large part of movie watching is the person next to you. When we watch movies with somebody we know, we are learning at least as much about them as we are about the movie.

We notice when they laugh, when they groan, when they gasp in disbelief. If you subscribe to that theory, then even you can see how even bad movies can be enjoyable, because they help to connect you with the person you are with.

Just to be clear, I’m not talking here about every bad movie. Some movies are so bad that they are unredeemable. When you watch a movie like that, you and your friend just end up feeling as though somebody has stolen an hour and a half from your life.

Fortunately, Aquaman isn’t that kind of bad movie. It’s the kind of over the top experience that you can genuinely enjoy picking apart for its gaping plot holes, eye rolling inconsistencies, cheesy characters, over-obvious cliches and missed opportunities.

Also, Jason Momoa is great no matter what movie he is in, so there’s that.

All in all, if you’re looking for a bad movie to enjoy, I highly recommend Aquaman. Just remember to see it with a friend.

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