Aquaman review

AQUAMAN:

FUN SUPERHERO MOVIE TREADS FAMILIAR WATERS!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Jason Momoa in Aquaman

            Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones, Frontier, Braven) returns as the half-bred king of Atlantis in Aquaman, the latest installment of the DC Extended Universe. The tagline for last summer’s Teen Titans Go! To the Movies “Because if Aquaman can get a movie, anyone can” may not be as farfetched as we thought especially after the character’s infamous legacy as the laughing stock of the Justice League.

            How do you make a movie around this character? He’s not Superman, Batman, or even Wonder Woman, it’s just Aquaman, the DC superhero who can talk to fish. I doubt people would be anticipating this film if it came out during the eras of Christopher Reeve’s Superman movies, the Batman movies directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton, or Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, it probably wouldn’t be as bad as some of DC’s other projects that were released at the time, but nobody would be taking it seriously.

            Thankfully after various film adaptations of other obscure comic book properties like Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man, and Suicide Squad proved to be successful, and Momoa won audiences over with his portrayal of Aquaman in Justice League, James Wan (Saw, The Conjuring 1 and 2, Furious 7) brings to the screen the first live-action film centered around the character. Since the previous DCEU installments have been very hit-or-miss with the exception of Wonder Woman which most people agree is a solid film, I didn’t know what to expect with an Aquaman movie, would it just be Underwater Thor or is there something more.

            Well, I’m glad to say that Aquaman’s first theatrical movie is…not half bad, it isn’t a great movie or one of the best superhero movies ever made, but it’s perfectly satisfying popcorn entertainment with some gorgeous visuals and exciting action. It doesn’t take itself too seriously like a lot of DC’s recent films but it’s also not too silly to the point where it becomes annoying, I can’t believe I’m saying this but Aquaman captures the spirit of DC Comics better than Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Justice League.

             After the events of Justice League, the film follows half-human, half-Atlantean, Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Momoa) as he is called back to the city of Atlantis when his half-brother and current ruler of Atlantis with a serious hatred for Arthur, Orm (Patrick Wilson-Watchmen, Insidious 1 and 2, The Conjuring 1 and 2) seeks to unite the seven underwater kingdoms and declare war on the surface world. Upon hearing the plan to attack the surface world, princess of the Xebel tribe, Mera (Amber Heard-Pineapple Express, Zombieland, The Danish Girl) who was betrothed to Orm, journeys to the surface to find Arthur for help.

            He reluctantly agrees and the two set off to locate the Trident of Atlan, a magic artifact that once belonged the original ruler of Atlantis and believed to be the only thing strong enough to stop Orm. This mission will not only require Arthur to face who he really is but also to discover if he’s worthy enough to claim the trident and become a king.

            The film also stars Willem Dafoe (The Boondock Saints, Spider-Man, Finding Nemo) as Nuidis Vulko, Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV, Universal Soldier, Creed II) as King Nereus, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (The Get Down, Baywatch, The Greatest Showman) as David Kane/Black Manta, and Nicole Kidman (Batman Forever, Eyes Wide Shut, Paddington) as Queen Atlanna.

            Overall, Aquaman is a fun superhero movie, though it doesn’t do anything game-changing like Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, or Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. I thought it looked like DC’s answer to Marvel’s Thor character and I’m not lying, parts of the movie do feel like that.

            Think about it, you have a fantasy world with advanced technology, a God-like being living like a human, a vengeful brother out to kill him and claim (or reclaim) the throne, and the protagonist goes through a journey of self-identity to prove himself worthy of his powers. So yeah, the plot is very familiar, but DC adds their own spin to the formula and environments to make them stand out.

            Despite the movie relying on a lot of CGI and some of it looking fake, this is a gorgeous and colorful looking movie. The world of Atlantis is just so vibrant and imaginative, kind of looks like a mix of the city in Blade Runner, Asgard from Thor, and Pandora from Avatar, in fact I wouldn’t be shocked if the visuals in Avatar 2 looked like this, it’s supposed to take place underwater so maybe James Cameron snuck onto the set one day.

            The action sequences are also impressive and manage to breathe new life into overused action tropes that filmmakers like Zack Snyder and Michael Bay often use. There is a lot of slow-motion and flashing laser beams, missiles, and bullets flying everywhere, but you can make everything out and there are less shaky-cams compared to other DCEU films.

            Luckily the film’s style never overshadows its substance and characters, even though Aquaman does have his cocky and selfish moments, I was invested in his character and the struggles that he is going through balancing human life and being an Atlantean king. I wanted to see him evolve and become a hero to both his homes.

            However, we’ve already had a dose of Aquaman action in Justice League last year, so let’s move onto another character that surprised me, Amber Heard as Mera. I knew absolutely nothing about her despite seeing cosplays of her at Comic Con, but she completely won me over as a badass heroine who doesn’t fall victim to the damsel in distress cliché, with the magic of CPR and the ability to transform liquids into sharp weapons, she can give baddies some vino in Hell, despite the fact she looks like the offspring of The Little Mermaid and Poison Ivy (There, I beat the Honest Trailers to the joke!).

            Aquaman isn’t without its flaws though, besides the recycled plot and sometimes fake CGI, Patrick Wilson’s performance as King Orm is laughably bad. He doesn’t destroy the movie, but a lot of his dialogue sounds half-ass and they decided to go with the first draft without reshoots, I think Wilson is a decent actor, but he lacks the intimidation or even humorous side of portraying a comic book villain, I’m laughing at him but probably not intentionally.

            What more can I say? This is a solid film adaptation of Aquaman and easily the second-best installment of the DC Extended Universe after Wonder Woman. It doesn’t have the forced dark edge of Man of Steel nor does it have the inconsistent tone of Suicide Squad, but rather just a fun superhero movie to watch this holiday season.