Aquaman Review

Aquaman, the true king of Atlantis and butt of many jokes on Family Guy and The Big Bang Theory finally gets his first solo film with the DCEU going for a lighter tone.

Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) was the result of a loving union between a human and the Queen of Atlantis. His mother, Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) believes he would be able to unite the people of the surface and the water, but she is forced to abandon her family to keep them safe from Atlantis.

As an adult Arthur has become the Aquaman, a super strong being that protects the innocent on the high seas. But he is reluctant to take his birthright or enter Atlantis when Mera (Amber Heard) asks for his help to stop his brother, King Orm (Patrick Wilson) who plans to unite the sea-people and declare war on the surface world.

The DCEU has had a torrid time. Many of the films have received a mixed reception and have been criticised for being too violent, dark and gloomy. Since Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice Warner Brothers has made efforts to lighten up the franchise. Wonder Woman had moments of humour and Justice League hired Joss Whedon to rewrite and takeover directing Justice League. Aquaman is the first film in the DCEU that was meant to be a lighter comic-book adventure from the outset. Aquaman has brighter cinematography and the humour is more obvert then in other DCEU films.

One of the first scenes in the film was Atlanna eating one of Thomas Curry’s (Temuera Morrison) goldfish and the humour continues from there. Most of the humour comes from the relationship between Aquaman and Mera – Mera having to handle Aquaman’s naivety. Despite the issues between them there is clearly attracted to each other – the relationship is a throwback to films from the ’80s and ’90s where two characters with little connection before the events but fall for each other by the end.

The film acts as a counter-balance to Man of Steel. There are similarities like Arthur getting tutored on how to use his powers, Arthur getting bullied as a child and both characters were introduced saving people at sea. Both characters have to face villains from their homeworlds who have their own plans for Earth. However, Arthur was a more carefree than Clark Kent was. The film also makes a point that Aquaman did everything he can to save innocent people even when battling powerful villains – one of the biggest criticisms against Man of Steel was Superman and Zod got to destroy a city which would have resulted in many deaths.

Another film comparison would be with the first Thor films. Arthur and the titular Marvel character were cocky, both have to search for a legendary weapon (alluring to Arthurian legends) and reclaim their birthright. There are familial struggles and visits to fantastical worlds in both films. Both characters have to learn to be humble during their journeys and learn what it means to be a king.

Because of the underwater setting a lot of a CGI was required. Clearly there was great effort to realise the world of Atlantis but underwater effects are some of the hardest to put on screen. It was a great improvement over Justice League‘s underwater effects which were murky, but the finale of Aquaman was just CGI overload. Other films like Star Wars and Thor used details sets and locations to make their worlds feel more real. The best action scenes were the ones with Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) because they felt more physical and real. The battle in Sicily was the action highlight of the film.

James Wan was hired to direct and despite coming from a horror background he makes a light film. He already had action experience when he made Furious 7 and even though Zack Snyder has been disowned by Warner Brothers his presence is still felt. There are lots of fancy camera tricks and editing throughout the film and there is a plenty of slo-mo. This was evident from the first action scene when Atlanna has to fight off a group of soldiers from Atlantis.

Patrick Wilson was bland in his role as the power-hungry king of Atlantis. Yet he had one interesting feature – his justifications. Humans have been polluting the seas and their conflicts have affected their world. He is hardly Magneto because he is shown to do anything to achieve power and basically wants world domination. He is more in league with the DCEU’s General Zod then Lex Luthor.

The big issue is the writing. Aquaman has a standard story which is not a problem in itself – most blockbusters follow a formula. But Aquaman does little to stand out making it a generic entry in the superhero genre. The film has some of the worst expository dialogue in recent memory – when Orm meets another king to form an alliance they describe the history of Atlantis and their rules. It was done for the benefit of the audiences rather than the characters.

Aquaman is an entertaining if unremarkable entry in the superhero genre – it pales in comparison to the recently released Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse. It has the right amount of action and humour to keep audiences engaged.