"Aquaman" review — a joyous sci-fi flick that course-corrects the DC universe
Splashing into theaters on December 21st is DC's latest big-budget superhero film Aquaman, which delivers strong action, visual effects and a familiar, but reliable narrative sure to please the masses.
Directed by James Wan (The Conjuring franchise, Furious 7), Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as the titular Atlantean Arthur Curry, amongst a tremendous cast including Oscar nominees Willem Dafoe and Nicole Kidman. The film follows Arthur in the events following Justice League, as he returns to his coastal home, avoiding the distractions of the modern world. He is soon visited by Mera (Amber Heard), an Atlantean princess & superhero who demands he come back to Atlantis to prevent Arthur's half-brother, Orm / Oceanmaster (Patrick Wilson) from declaring war on the surface world. After a brief and unsuccessful skirmish against Orm, Aquaman and Mera set out on an adventure across the seas to find the mythical trident of Atlan in an effort to unite all seven kingdoms and overcome Orm's dangerous plans.
The DC Universe (DCU) leading up to Aquaman has had a tumultuous run, to put it mildly. Too often, they came across as a reactionary organization, announcing sequels and spin-offs to movies immediately after any social media buzz (ie. Birds of Prey, Black Adam, etc). Their response to Marvel's Avengers (2012), which grossed over $1.5 billion, was the measly Justice League (2017), which grossed $657 million—their lowest opening of any DC film at the time. Thus, one could argue that Aquaman had the most pressure to succeed and instill hope back in the DCU after the rejection of Justice League and the critical disconnect of all their previous films except Wonder Woman. James Wan's Aquaman goes back to the basis, delivering a solid and overwhelmingly fun superhero movie that bolsters strong performances and visual effects to set itself apart. Jason Momoa continues to have a blast on-screen, giving Arthur plenty of charisma and badass-ery to buoy the film. Amber Heard also delivers a career-best performance as Mera, giving her strength and intelligence unlike that of stereotypical female protagonists. Aquaman and Mera work together great, as Mera's intuition and problem-solving complements Aquaman's nonchalance. The extended cast is worthy of mention too, as Willem Dafoe (Atlantean scientist, Volko) and Nicole Kidman (Arthur's mother, Atlanna) give anchoring performances that elevate the film past safe cliches. Nicole Kidman takes the big-budget fiasco that is a superhero movie and grounds her performance in her indie background, offering tremendous emotion to the narrative that the DCU has lacked until this point. Patrick Wilson and the rest of the cast are serviceable actors here, delivering characters that neither elevate nor detract from the film's merits.
While the cast lifts Aquaman past standard conventions, James Wan and the team behind the camera deserve most of the respect for the film's success. Seeing the trailers made me nervous for the amount of visual effects used in this film, reminding me of the reliance seen in the Star Wars prequels, but Wan uses his budget to his advantage and displays an immersive look at Atlantis. Everything from the bioluminescence of the architecture to the sophisticated cityscape make Atlantis real on-screen, which allows you to be fully transported to this zany adventure. Wan held nothing back with his vision here, showing off everything from drum-playing octopodes to man-eating sea monsters that fill up the film's huge battle sequences. The visual effects in Aquaman were clearly well-imagined before the film released, which says a lot compared to past DCU films (ie. Justice League) and it aids in bringing this narrative dynamism. There is some nice social commentary here, too, from man's pollution of nature to our tendency to isolate ourselves from neighbors, but none of it is truly emphasized, as the focus here is on having fun.
While the film is very enjoyable to watch, it is not really anything original in the superhero genre, as Arthur Curry largely follows the stereotypical hero's journey. Orm's presence is neither menacing nor emotional, which was disappointing given the great development given to other characters like Kidman's Atlanna. Aquaman doesn't seem to want to be anything daring, as its clear narrative lends itself to paying homage to other films, like Indiana Jones, rather than standing on lone footing. So while Aquaman being an unoriginal concept in strict terms is disappointing to a devoted viewer, it is a big success for the DCU, which has struggled with defining itself and establishing a character fans can grab onto. I recommend seeing Aquaman on the biggest screen possible on opening weekend, since there is great fun to be had here in this film, which DC hopefully looks to for direction moving forward.
Sean Kelso (@SEANKELS0) is the founder & editor-in-chief of Greyscale.
