Aquaman is in theaters on December 21st, 2018.
It’s a bombastically bonkers, balls to the walls CGI skirmish with oceanic creatures that include a giant drum playing octopus, some glowing jellyfish’s, a seahorse riding Dolph Lundgren and sharks with fricken lasers on them. This is a movie that embraces its silliness, throws a lot of ideas in to the mix, runs with it and mostly comes out on top. There is a lot going on but it’s a huge amount of fun too. Aquaman provided so much more than I anticipated.
More or less following the same structure as Other DC origin movies and mixing it with the lighter tone of Wonder Woman, Aquaman is one of the better films in DC’s shared universe. Visually it’s like a mix of Avatar’s iridescent world building and Indiana Jones’s swashbuckling adventure.
Arthur Curry aka Aquaman (Jason Momoa), the son of a lighthouse keeper and an Atlantean Queen, is recruited by Princess Mera to challenge his brother, King Orm, for the throne of Atlantis, and stop his plan to attack the surface world and destroy humanity.
The visuals and lightness of tone really are the strengths of the film and they help keep things going when the story slows. things get a bit cliched or just plain bizarre, however the fact that this film was willing to be quite weird is appreciated when other current superhero films are weighed down by their own seriousness.
Jason Momoa as Arthur proves to be another excellent casting choice and embodies Aquaman perfectly. His carefree attitude and natural charisma help him to instantly connect with the audience and sells a character who is rather obscure to the wider audience. While he carries the film, he is surrounded by a good supporting cast. Amber Heard as Princess Mera was a good choice and had decent chemistry with Momoa. Patrick Wilson & Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as King Orm and Black Manta were both interesting bad guys. Nicole Kidman's Queen Atlanna is a bad ass and Temuera Morrison's Tom Curry were a delight in the few scenes they had together.
It's obvious that director, James Wan had his own distinct vision and carried it out successfully. The action sequences he created are oddly beautiful and totally captivating. There is one section of the movie towards the end where he brings his signature style in horror and applies it there. That scene was basked in suspense and filled to the brim with terror.
At least the movie knows what it is. From the overly epic zooms to the familiar dialogue; the cheesiness just flows from Aquaman. I would be lying if I said I didn’t have fun. The flaws are there and they’re unavoidable. Sometimes you have to just take the film at face value and not dig any deeper. I enjoyed the heck out of this one.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Will (Contributor) has called many places home but now resides in Michigan. An Air Force veteran and avid movie goer who enjoys indie movies just as much as major blockbusters. He is also a technology enthusiast.
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