Aquaman (2018)
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Aquaman Movie Review
Aquaman is a 2018 superhero film directed by James Wan and starring Jason Momoa and Amber Heard. It’s a very entertaining, old-fashioned, underrated flick.
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“What did it say?
Something something trident“
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In terms of storytelling, the movie is fairly simple. There is not a single theme or sophistication or message to be found here whatsoever (maybe just that one mention of the environmental issues of the ocean). But the movie was made with the purpose to charm and entertain and it did just that so it’s ultimately a successful product. I liked also that we skipped an origin story and that the training was shown in flashbacks. That was a great choice.
This movie made many great choices with a few bad ones. First and foremost, the emphasis here is on adventure instead of action. First, ‘Bumblebee’ this weekend and then Aquaman. I do hope that this becomes a habit for the American blockbusters, this return to real values instead of overly accentuated stupid action after action.
Yes, this is a spirited adventure like the movies from the past and I am so happy that we finally got a real superhero adventure. The adventure movies have been almost absent from this decade and this is a glorious return for sure. The movie’s Greek Mythological feel and approach to it was essential in making me a fan, but also its emphasis on exploring the dunes, the ocean, the various ocean’s parts and people as well as the land. The highlights of course include the creepy, gorgeously shot Trench, the sand scenes, the first underwater scenes in Atlantis and the Sicily scenes which were shot on location, thank God, and were beautifully filmed.
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Jason Momoa is more serviceable as the titular protagonist than I expected. He still gave a so-so performance, but he’s charming in a redneck kind of way with solid humor and great charisma that ultimately his character worked despite all odds. The same goes for Amber Heard. These two are weak actors, but the director made very good use of them and hid their lack of talent so successfully. She is sexy, but also very smart and very powerful with her water kinesis which I really liked. Their chemistry is great and the scenes with just the two of them are the standouts.
But apart from Arthur and Mera, I only really liked Orm who’s, despite cliched dialogue, actually a very competent, well done, not overly exaggerated villain and the fights between the two were so well executed. I also like how the James Wan/Patrick Wilson partnership continued with this flick. Vulko played by Willem Dafoe is rather forgettable and although Nicole Kidman is good in the role, it’s a standard role and both of his parents aren’t very memorable. As for Black Manta, he is an okay, but overly one-note villain in terms of his goal and dialogue.
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The creatures in Aquaman are a lot of fun. We got Fish Men, Crab People (a South Park reference?), sharks, rays, Atlanteans and the mythical Karathen. Although some of these are rather silly, most I really liked and the movie is definitely a mish-mash of ideas, but still the epic factor of it in terms of the number of creatures and exploration of the ocean really suited me.
The world building truly is extraordinary here and the movie’s standout aspect along with the special effects. Everything is believable and so well portrayed and I liked each of the locations explored and we did get to explore them for real and not just go through them which I admired a lot. The VFX in this movie are clearly the best of the year of 2018, there is no denying that. The ocean looks amazing, Atlantis is so gorgeous and beautifully constructed with meticulous detail and all the creatures and tech also look superb. It’s a colorful, epic ride for sure.
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Aquaman needed better dialogue as unfortunately some of it was rather silly and over-the-top. The humor is also too crass, but definitely fun and effective at times. I also found its third act messy per usual for a superhero genre, but at least it has its great scenes. James Wan directed the hell out of this picture and brought DCEU movie on the map by making their best film so far which is, yes, better than ‘Wonder Woman’.
James Wan successfully reinvigorated the DCEU by making their finest movie so far. Yes, Aquaman is stupendous despite its flaws such as over-the-top dialogue and humor as well as a typically messy third act. But the action is so well done, the score is rather cool, the characters are pretty good and the movie is hugely entertaining, epic and highly adventurous. It’s an old-school, very spirited adventure and it was so nice to witness such an adventurous approach in this genre. The world building is extraordinary as are the VFX which are easily the best of the year.
