Aquaman Review
PG-13: Sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language
Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films
2 Hrs and 23 Minutes
Dir: James Wan | Writers: David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Will Beall
Cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Kidman, Randall Park, Julie Andrews
Release Date: December 21st 2018
The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be…a king.
In the half-baked “Justice League”, Arthur was depicted as the Thor of DC where he was dim-witted yet energetic, but in this solo film his personality traits are distinct and fleshed out. He’s a big dude-bro jock with a rockstar attitude. Jason Momoa gives one hell of a performance and actively proves throughout that this is HIS movie. While “Wonder Woman” solidified Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, “Aquaman” solidifies that Jason Momoa IS Aquaman. I’ve witnessed Momoa’s persona firsthand and he is not too different from Arthur Curry. That being said, he infuses nothing but charm and energy into his portrayal. For the narrative focusing on Arthur claiming his birthright and becoming Aquaman, he maintains to be the most interesting character of the film and you’re engaged in his journey. The way he’s characterized and his actions through each situation are captivating and you honestly love him for it. This might be the first superhero movie I’ve seen in a long time where the hero does superhero work and genuinely help people in trouble from the goodness of his heart. Even in the midst of a huge action sequence, he still uses the sparse amount of extra time to help and save people, unlike “Man of Steel.”
What truly makes “Aquaman” stand out from a lot of superhero movies lies within director James Wan. He went from being a small-time horror director who provides an entrance style to his films to doing big-budget blockbusters. Wan once again proves that he is one of the best visionaries working today. Wan knows how to handle a huge budget and has already proven it with “Furious 7” (arguably the best film in the franchise). Yet, he also has displayed range as a filmmaker who can take on films no matter what budget he’s given. Although “Furious 7” felt more like a studio film than a James Wan film, this is definitely a James Wan film, for he brings along his visionary style and applies it heavily. His direction keeps the flow of the film nicely paced. Even some of the supporting characters are fun, such as Mera (Amber Heard) who is this strong-willed princess that assists Arthur on his journey and contains a rather decent arc herself.
Each set piece and action sequence is distinct and Wan gives each arrangement its own flair to make them stand out on their own as he plays with either the technical aspects or genre elements. There is a scene where a destructive tidal wave crashes onto the surface world. If this had been placed in the hands of Snyder, a lot of the action would’ve been loud and pompous. Wan, on the other hand, plays with sound mixing where this huge sequence of destruction is mostly inaudible and lets the visuals speak for themselves. Also, if you’ve followed Wan’s career you’ll know that he cannot stray far from horror and best believe he will add touches of that element despite this being a sci-fi superhero film.
This is his experimental playground and I’m in awe of how DC allowed him to take such creative liberties to give this solo story an identity and stand out from the crowd. Similar to how Taika Waititi’s direction of “Thor: Ragnarok” helped define what a Thor film should be, Wan shows what a DC movie should be. While it has comical moments that sometimes get cartoonish, it works because of the personality of the central character, while still feeling like a DC movie. Yes, the film gets cartoonishly silly, but it feels welcoming and often maintains a consistent tone, especially when Arthur travels with Mera and you’re given hilarious moments of pure banter.
His action arrangements often made me reminisce of “The Adventures of Tintin” in the vein of the pacing of the action where one master shot would occur as the camera moves around displaying the feats of action going on. Wan has done this in his previous films, primarily “The Conjuring”, but here it’s constantly put into use and it’s so mesmerizing, thrilling, and fun to witness. Watching the rooftop sequence in the trailer did nothing for me, but watching it flow in the movie with context is gratifying. Definitely see this in 4DX because it as if you’re strapped into a two-hour rollercoaster ride you don’t want to get off from.
Then, you have the visual effects work which is at its top tier A-game. The visual effects department team went all out on developing the film and the valiant effort is noticeable. It’s quite fascinating how the DCEU launched a visually dark and gloomy franchise but immediately transitioned to display bright and colorful set pieces with “Wonder Woman”. Like “Black Panther” before it, the moment we settle into the central hero’s home setting (Arthur’s being Atlantis) the visuals leave you breathless. The way Atlantis is presented has to be one of the most gorgeous scenes this year. I know I just said to watch this movie in 4DX because of the action, but see it in IMAX if you want to experience a large-scale spectacle, for you witness the many mesmerizing set pieces in all their glory and you become fully immersed into the world.
Comic book fans can attest to this statement: Aquaman does not have any distinguishable villains. Everyone knows Black Manta and, while his character is strongly introduced and developed with an organic hatred, he doesn’t do much after. He’s just there providing weaponry and planning his revenge. You understand his motivation, but there’s nothing special about him. He’s just a thinly written antagonist who has incredibly little to do.
While each action sequence and set piece is incredible, they often begin very repetitiously. Whenever a scene becomes slow or hits a lull, SURPRISE EXPLOSION and now we’re in a new action sequence. You can play a drinking game with the many times an explosion would kick off an action scene.
The film doesn't take itself too seriously, but when it does... it’s lame. The cheesy dialogue becomes apparent to an extent that you’re unintentionally laughing at certain aspects, such as any time the title “Ocean Master” is uttered. Speaking of lame, there is a flashback scene where Vulko and Teenage Arthur are training and the kid who plays Arthur can’t act. It’s a brief minute of a scene, but his poor performance is glaringly bad.
My opinion differs slightly from Rendy’s with this one. I enjoyed it just a tiny bit less, but that’s because I had a difficult time letting go of the corny dialogue. I know what to expect in superhero films and I’m a massive fan of DC as a whole (cartoons, video games, comics, etc), but the incredibly uncreative dialogue left me wanting more. Aquaman has always had lame villains so I’m not shocked that I cared absolutely nada about our pouty Black Manta or the pouty half-brother. Also, I’ve been making fun of that teenage actor in the flashback scene since I left the theater. Holy hell, who hired that guy?
That said, the film is a fun, wild ride that may or may not provide a slew of headaches. I haven’t seen that much neon action on a huge screen since “Tron: Legacy”, but I’m a sucker for pretty colors. Jason Momoa is excellent, Amber Heard is the token badass princess, and Nicole Kidman is heartwarming and endearing. At the end of the day, it’s just another entertaining superhero flick.
December 2018 has been shaping up to be the season of surprises where a Transformers movie is decent, the same studio that gave us “The Emoji Movie” delivered a game-changing film for animation, and now we get another great DC movie. It truly is a Christmas miracle.
Good to know Randall Park is getting that Marvel AND DC money this year, for he’s in both “Ant Man and the Wasp” and “Aquaman”. Something I am personally disappointed by was the lack of “Finding Nemo” references. There’s an epic ring of fire battle scene that didn’t have the chant from “Finding Nemo”.
Both films had Willem Dafoe as a mentor character. It would’ve been right.
I’m not going to compare this to “Black Panther” with the birthright narrative, the royal family drama, and how Patrick Wilson is to James Wan as Michael B. Jordan is to Ryan Coogler (even down to them portraying the antagonist), but to be honest both films bear an obvious resemblance to “The Lion King” in their narratives. While “Black Panther” had a cultural significance backing up its solid story, this is more of a central character driven narrative which is still relatively strong. This is the first DC film where I felt every aspect of the story and the structure was fluent and it flowed decently. There are aspects that aren’t that strong, but for the most part it never felt like they dropped the ball in accounts of the narrative.
With exhilarating, nonstop action, Wan’s stylistic direction, and strong charismatic performances (especially by Momoa), “Aquaman” brilliantly solidifies that the DCEU is here to stay. Bravo for making DC’s whipping boy the best in the universe thus far.
Not only does this have me ecstatic for “Shazam”, but it also has me 100% faithful in the DCEU and its future.
Rating: 4/5 | 87%
This is what “Man of Steel” should’ve been.
Super Scene: Calling all the sea animals.
