In a Nutshell
After brief appearances in Batman vs Superman and Justice League, Aquaman finally gets his first solo outing.
[imdb]https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477834/[/imdb]
Review
In November 1941, the world was introduced to Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman. Initially conceived as a side character, he eventually became the star of his own comic book series and was one of the founding members of the Justice League.
Despite his rise to prominence in the world of DC comics, the half human/half Atlantean’s journey to the big screen has been anything but easy. After the briefest of cameos in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and a supporting role in last year’s Justice League, Aquaman finally gets a chance to stretch his sea legs with his own film to expand the DC Extended Universe.
Opening in 1985 at a Massachusetts lighthouse during a treacherous storm, a lighthouse keeper, Tom Curry (Temuera Morrison) comes across injured Atlantean Queen, Atlanna (Nicole Kidman). As he nurses, her back to health romance blossoms between them and the pair have a son, Arthur. However, in order to keep their son safe Atlanna returns home.
Fast forward to the present day (and a year after the events of Justice League), Arthur is caught in the middle of a conflict between the surface world and the underwater kingdom of Atlantis forcing him to accept his destiny to become king of Atlantis to establish peace before worlds collide.
Wan Ups The Fun Factor within the DC Extended Universe
With the DC Extended Universes lacklustre track run and a history of ridicule thanks to pop culture, director James Wan faced an uphill task trying to bring a convincing iteration of the character to the big screen. Given his reputation as a workmanlike “crowd pleaser” through his work in The Conjuring and The Fast and the Furious series, Wan manages to
Wan does a terrific job with the seemingly endless amount of action scenes in the film (particularly those on land) with some inventive and kinetic camera techniques keeping the audience entertained at all times. However, for all of these thrills, exposition-heavy scenes (that are for the most part played too seriously) make the film feel needlessly baggy and lack the gravitas they intend to convey. Perhaps if the film was played more like Flash Gordon it would have worked better.
There are glimmers of this when the world of Atlantis is introduced (complete with a drumming octopus and luminous jellyfish infused fashion), but an over-reliance on CGI gives these aspects of the film a sense of weightlessness. The overall design is impressive it doesn’t quite evoke the sense of awe that Ryan Cooglar did in Black Panther with Wakanda or what Kenneth Branagh did with Asgard in Thor. On some
The opening act of the film follows (what feels like) a never-ending pattern of exposition and action, but the film really comes to life when Arthur alongside Atlantean, Mera (who is introduced looking like a cross between Ariel from the Little Mermaid and Xena: Warrior Princess) go on a quest to retrieve the powerful artifact, the Trident of Atlan. The chemistry and playful dialogue between the characters allows the film to settle and the characters to grow in face of all that has already passed.
A Perfect Vehicle for Momoa’s Brash Charm
In the lead role, Jason Momoa builds on the brash charm he established in Justice League as a beer swigging rogue who struggles over accepting his destiny as ruler of Atlantis. Introduced in an impressive action sequence on board a submarine involving piracy, Momoa emulates the presence of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime (complete with one-liners). It is his infectiously likeable performance that helps mask the shortcomings of the films plot and clunky dialogue.
Playing opposite him Amber Heard’s Mera is introduced as a powerful warrior of the seas but by the end she is reduced to being nothing more than a guide who predictably becomes a love interest in a cliched manner.
In the role of the leading villain, Patrick Wilson plays the po-faced Orm, half-brother of Arthur who wants to unite all the kingdoms of the ocean in a war against the surface world (highlighting the film’s hackneyed environmental message ). Wilson’s bland performance makes Orm come across more like a spoiled child than a vengeful tyrant which isn’t helped by his contrived dialogue that is often punctuated by obvious and unintentionally humorous close-ups.
The nature of the film can be summed up in Rupert Gregson-Williams’ score, which i a combination of orchestral and electronic elements. The electronic aspects seem to borrow heavily from Vangelis’ work on Blade Runner, the orchestral sections feel like they are lifted straight from the romantic theme from Braveheart and other elements within this section of the score underpin bombastic pomp, particularly during the epic finale. Although these two elements lack cohesion they work really well as individual pieces.
Verdict
For all it’s faults, Aquaman is a ridiculous but fun romp that steps out of the bleak shadows of the DC Extended Universe into a brighter, optimistic future. James Wan does a great job at paving over the film’s overlong and convoluted cracks by playing to his strengths behind the camera. He also gets the most out of Jason Momoa in front of the camera too making Aquaman a flawed but worthwhile piece of escapism.
