The dude that can talk to fish is back with his own film that is loud, action-packed, ridiculously over-the-top, and really fun.
Plot Summary
The movie begins with the meeting of Aquaman’s parents. His father is a lighthouse worker that rescues a wounded Queen Atlanna as she flees from an arranged marriage in her native country of Atlantis. The two fall in love and she gives birth to a son, Arthur Curry, who inherits her Atlantean powers. She eventually returns to Atlantis out of fear for the safety of her surface family, promising to return once she knows things are safe for them all. After years of her absence, Arthur and his father presume the worst and Arthur discovers his powers as a child, leading to his career as the legendary ocean vigilante “Aquaman.”
Meanwhile, Atlantis has a new ruler revealed to be Aquaman’s half-brother Orm. He is arrogant, ambitious, and militant, and seeks to unite the ocean kingdoms (by force if necessary) in hopes of accruing enough power to launch a full-out assault on the surface world. A group of Atlanteans (including Princess Mera) seek out Arthur in hopes that he will return to Atlantis and help stop the impending war between the two worlds.
What You’re Going to Like
The Film is Beautiful - The world of Atlantis looks like Asgard mixed with Wakanda with a little bit of Gungan City thrown in. It’s colorful, creative, and absolutely stunning to look at...and Atlantis itself may not even be the best visual scene in the movie. The descent into the Trench Kingdom (shown below) literally left my mouth hanging open.
Better CGI - Remember the complaints about Superman’s mustache and Steppenwolf in “Justice League?” None of that nonsense here. The effects in this film are first rate, and the underwater movements and battles look as realistic as one could reasonably hope for.
Jason Momoa!! - He brings back all the meat-headed charm, wit, and attitude that made him a hit in “Justice League.” He’s easily the best thing about this movie and Aquaman is a character I can’t wait to see more of. Patrick Wilson was also great as “Orm.”
Legit Character Motivations - All of the characters have legitimate, reasonable motivations for doing the things they do. Black Manta, in particular, is given especially strong motivation for hating Aquaman.
Actiony Action - There is a lot of action in this movie, and the film does a good job of mixing up the settings and the type of action taking place. There are weapons fights on land and underwater, chase scenes on land and underwater, hand-to-hand combat on land and underwater, and two large scale underwater battles. The diversity of the action helps prevent the battle fatigue that tends to happen in blockbusters like this.
Sense of Adventure - The movie feels more like “Indiana Jones” than “Transformers” and that’s a good thing. It’s a winding, high-stakes journey that takes our heroes over and under a rich, largely unexplored universe in a manner that is both interesting and entertaining.
What You Might Not Like
Mediocre Acting - The performances just aren’t as good as they should be. Nicole Kidman feels out-of-place as Queen Atlanna, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is over-the-top (in a bad way) as Black Manta, and there are generally just a lot of scenes where the execution is rather “bleh.”
The “Cheese” Factor - The movie is littered with comic book-esque one-liners (not all of which land) and a lot of action movie posing, hard stares at the camera, and general comic book cheesiness. It’s not terrible, but it’s does make you roll your eyes in a few spots.
Familiar Plot -- It’s a pretty standard “Hero’s Journey” story complete with all the classic elements, so it makes a lot of plot rather predictable.
Dialogue - It sounds “comic booky,” but that results in some of the cheesiness mentioned above. It also contributed to some of the rather mediocre deliveries at certain points of the movie -- some of what they were being asked to say was just a tad on the silly side.
No Tears Here - The scenes that should feel like they should be really dramatic and tear-jerking just don’t quite get there.
Movie Rating
Plot/Story - 6.25/10 - The movie follows the standard Hero’s Journey/Messiah storyline. It’s fine, it’s just not particularly original.
Dialogue - 6.25/10 - The majority of the dialogue sounds like the characters are reading straight out of a comic book...and that’s not always a good thing. Aquaman has great timing and his lines are by far the best in the movie.
Characters - 6.25/10 - Aquaman is entertaining and easy to root for and King Orm makes a great foil. The rest of the characters are mostly forgettable, including Amber Heard as Mera and Nicole Kidman as Queen Atlanna.
Music/Score - 6/7.5 - Fine, but nothing noteworthy.
Visuals - 7.5/7.5 - This movie has FANTASTIC color-rich visuals on par with “Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse.” There are a number of vibrant, gorgeous backgrounds and “holy crap” images such as the descent into the Trench Kingdom and the first trip to Atlantis.
Emotion - 5.5/7.5 - It’s not as genuine and charming as “Wonder Woman” but it generates more emotion connection than “Batman vs Superman.” Of course, that’s not saying very much.
Originality - 4/5 - The story itself doesn’t offer much that’s new, but the presentation, settings, and visuals are enough to make the film stand out as unique.
"It" Factor - 7.5/10 - Is it great? No. The story is predictable and some of the performances were mediocre (at best). But it looks amazing, and it’s really fun.
Final Score: 49.75/67.5 = 74% (C-)
The Final Verdict
“Aquaman” is a solid, enjoyable action film. It isn’t “must see,” nor is it an instant classic, but what it lacks in emotional depth, high-end acting, and plot complexity it makes up for with a fantastic lead by Jason Momoa, first-rate effects, entertaining action, and solid story telling mixed with some well-timed humor. It's just a really good time. It feels as if it’s the movie “Justice League” wanted to be, and it’s a really solid entry into the DC Universe that is far superior to “Suicide Squad” and even “Batman vs Superman.”
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