Aquaman (2018)

Review

143min

Genre:     Comic-book, Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Director:  James Wan

Cast:       Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson…and more

Writers:   David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Will Beall, James Wan…more

-Synopsis-

A child of two worlds but an outsider in both, half-human half-Atlantean ‘Arthur Curry’ must rise to his regal destiny when the megalomaniacal would-be king of Atlantis seeks to consolidate power in his underwater kingdom, and threatens the surface world with war—in this ‘Aquaman’ origin story and latest blockbuster chapter in the ‘DC Extended Universe’ story.

If you had told us back in 2013 that five years and six films into DC’s cinematic universe the ‘Aquaman’ origin story and standalone film would be far from the most underwhelming and disappointing film of the franchise, we would have scarcely believed you. But after several missteps from Warner Bros. and resulting rock bottom expectations, director James Wan steps in to skilfully deliver a big, silly and dazzling superhero blockbuster, and a DC film which won’t leave you deflated.

Jason Momoa returns as the formidable eponymous water-dwelling hero, struggling to reconcile his working-class human life with his royal underwater roots, called upon by Atlanteans ‘Princess Mera’ (Amber Heard) and his mentor ‘Vulko’ (Willem Dafoe) to return to their world and take the throne, before the ambitious ‘King Orm’ (Patrick Wilson) can claim all of Atlantis for himself and start a war with the rest of the planet. And so begins a globetrotting quest for Arthur, as he seeks a powerful ancient trident and the will to fulfil his destiny, while discovering the fate of his mother ‘Queen Atlanna’ (Nicole Kidman) . . . and making some enemies along the way.

Following last year’s ‘course correction’ which delivered the worst film in the DCEU to date ‘Justice League’, Warner Bros. and Wan attempt another change of direction and hit something of a return to form (if form was ever really achieved). Essentially a character origin story with tentative links to the rest of the franchise, ‘Aquaman’ plunges into the comic-book blockbuster world as a big sprawling adventure epic with 90s sensibilities but 21st century craftsmanship, and one which doesn’t take itself too seriously, just about winning us over with spectacle and by owning its silliness—and it’s a good thing too, because boy is the film silly.

Ambitious in scale and playful in nature, ‘Aquaman’ comes off like the broad, crowd-pleasing lovechild of multiple genres; from action and fantasy to adventure and sci-fi, taking as many stylistic and thematic cues from ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Star Wars’, Indiana Jones’ and ‘The Goonies’, as it does from traditional superhero and comic-book fare.

In terms of pure spectacle, this is arguably DC’s most ambitious and spectacular film to date, inevitably all-consumed by CGI but making good use of technology to create a vibrant, over-the-top underwater world, clearly inspired by the ‘Gungan’ city in 1999’s ‘Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace’ but evolving things to a new level of scale and sub-aquatic life. The visual artistry here also breathes life into the impressive broad battles and individual fight sequences, with Wan taking advantage of shooting digitally to cover every angle imaginable, including the scarcely used satellite cam, using it all to capture more trident action than any film in history.

Saddled with slightly dull and often uninspired dialogue, the eclectic supporting cast does a solid job without jumping off the screen, with Patrick Wilson and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the film’s main antagonists shinning the brightest. But ‘Aquaman’ is ultimately carried on the broad shoulders of its star (as it should be), and the imposing Momoa owns the screen with sheer physicality and charisma—earning the credit for helping to completely transform the image of a superhero ridiculed for generations.

Yet despite its qualities and merits as a good old-fashioned superhero blockbuster, we find ourselves asking this question; is this truly a high quality 21st century comic-book epic?, or is it made to look that way by what’s come before in the DC Extended universe? . . . and the answer is more likely the latter.

‘Aquaman’ has the structure and general feel of a superhero flick made in the first years of this century or the later decades of the last, which to some extent works as an antidote to the franchise’s sombre tones, but brings with it an underwritten narrative and a story lacking in intricacy or finesse, and which does little for the rest of the DCEU. The result often feels like a meek attempt at a quasi-Shakespearean superhero family drama, delivering the modern pre-requisite neatly packaged social message, this time focusing on acceptance, belonging and the idea of home . . . plus an ecological slant of course.

Where it exists, the humour is generally broad and occasionally trite, and the cast is largely hamstrung by all-too lofty fantasy dialogue, delivered with faux gravitas and often proving unintentionally comical, matched by some cringeworthy attempts at pathos and emotion, which elicit some of the film’s biggest and most honest laughs.

Yet for its many faults, ‘Aquaman’ proves an ambitious enough spectacle and audacious enough blend of genres to make for a thoroughly entertaining, slightly zany superhero epic, gorging the senses and breathing new life into DC’s Extended Universe—although it does contribute to the feeling that unlike the meticulously managed MCU, this franchise still doesn’t know who it is or what it wants to be . . . but perhaps that might not be a bad thing.

The Bottom Line…

Despite signalling a marked improvement in the fortunes of DC’s cinematic universe, ‘Aquaman’ still proves to be a big broad superhero blockbuster with major narrative issues, but manages to surf on the wave of spectacular action and mesmerising visuals, conspiring with genre-blending playful tones to deliver a breezy two-hours-plus of pure escapist entertainment—and leaving us a tad more hopeful about the future of this lucrative franchise.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Justice League (2017)

Following Superman’s ultimate sacrifice to save humanity and with a rekindled faith in humanity, ‘Bruce Wayne’ and ‘Diana Prince’ join forces to recruit a team of powerful ‘Metahumans’ for the inevitable battle against an even greater gathering threat to the planet, as DC gets into the full swing of its cinematic ‘Extended Universe’.

Directed by Zack Snyder and starring Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot and Henry Cavill among others.

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