Aquaman Review

Once home to the most advanced civilization on Earth, the city of Atlantis is now an underwater kingdom ruled by the power-hungry King Orm. With a vast army at his disposal, Orm plans to conquer the remaining oceanic people – and then the surface world. Standing in his way is Aquaman, Orm’s half-human brother and true heir to the throne. With help from royal counsellor Vulko, Aquaman must retrieve the legendary trident of Atlan and embrace his destiny as protector of the deep.

Aquaman stars Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II with Nicole Kidman. The film is written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall whilst being produced by Peter Safran and Rob Cowan with James Wan directing.

One of the most notable elements of Aquaman is the world building taken place, often with fantasy we speak about creating a believable world, James Wan manages to achieve this flawlessly. Aquaman is not a perfect film but the ambition is second to none. This year we have had ambitious comic book films like Black Panther and Infinity War, and in terms of scope Aquaman rivals such films. Many comparisons to other fantasy blockbusters can be made and has been made, but the most apt one would be a feeling of Thor meets King Arthur meets Avatar.

Aquaman is a major step forward for the DCEU coming off the back of Justice League which whilst there were elements to be appreciated, DC did not quite nail the landing. However, by opting for a simple standalone with a self-contained story Aquaman thrives for the most part. With just one reference to the wider franchise, the film can focus on Aquaman’s story and the quest he embarks upon.

                                                             

                                                                                Image via Warner Brothers 

Bringing the characters to life is a major mark for a much joked about hero over the years, for too long Aquaman has been the butt of the joke in DC comics however I highly doubt anybody will be coming out of Aquaman with derision about the character. Momoa brings a badass hero to life, one that we can cheer on. Momoa is the star of the movie but is joined by Amber Heard, who has much of a lead role for the duration of the film. The chemistry between the two is on point, going from a lack of distrust between the two whereas by the end of the movie they have grown closer together and the movie and story benefits as a result of this. The foil to Momoa’s Aquaman is King Orm (portrayed by frequent Wan collaborator Patrick Wilson0 who manages a convincing, cunning villainous role, one that does not come across as one dimensional but layered throughout, with this really shining towards the surface in the final act. Volko (Willem Dafoe) does a strong job in his role as the mentor for Aquaman, not to mention he is highly entertaining chewing up much of the scenery. Aquaman maintains heart and character through Nicole Kidman’s Atlanna who has a heart-warming, and often emotional relationship with Thomas Curry (Temuera Morrison). Unfortunately the movie is bogged down through the secondary villain Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who is restricted to essentially a henchman role despite offering promise in the early stages of the film though the film sets up more intrigue for his character in future instalments.

                                                            

                                                                  Patrick Wilson delivers an intriguing villain

                                                                              Image via Warner Brothers

James Wan really brings his hands and vision to the film and I think it is fair to say that the film is unique in his voice, even going to the crazy, genre bending imagery, even going so as far as a shameless homage to the Bond girl scene from Dr No with a soundtrack that feels like it belongs in Fast and Furious more so than a fantasy comic book movie. The skills Wan learnt directing horror and action is clearly on display with over the top action sequences prevalent for much of the film, and though at times this can become a big too much, with some of the highlights coming from the action sequences. For instance, the final act is visually striking with some fist pumping moments. Furthermore, Wan is clearly in his element on Aquaman with horror elements coming into play, this is not a film that is made for the very young comic book fans like other genre films are. The willingness to commit to the absurd is an aspect that Wan must be fully commended upon.

Aquaman is not perfect with the narrative becoming a bit too much, and at times the film feels like it has a bit too much going on and perhaps certain pot points could have been cut out completely however it sets the bar on what it wishes to achieve very high. Despite the extended runtime and narrative, the pacing is never boring despite a 2hr20+ runtime with this in large part due to the sheer entertainment value that Aquaman brings.

Whilst not a perfect film Aquaman manages to make an otherwise mocked character interesting and fantastical, whilst delivering a kick ass action film with some spectacular set pieces.