Aquaman Review

Has DC finally righted the ship? After the mixed reviews of many of their past movies, including BVS, Justice League, and Man of Steel, along with the great success of Marvel's similar movies during that timeframe, there was probably a need to produce a masterpiece as soon as possible. Aquaman seems to be that movie, at least by the box office, but is it truly that great? Is it worth the hype that the almost 822 million dollars at the theatre have brought upon it?

The short answer: yes, at least.... Mostly. While there are certain shortcomings in the movie, mostly annoying relics of past DC movies, the majority of the film is a good, character driven movie which establishes Aquaman as serious contender in the DC universe. In fact, although many people consider Wonder Woman to be DC's best hit, I would challenge that Aquaman is actually the studio's best stab into a genre controlled by Thor's hammer.

Let's start, as always, with the characters. The main cast consists of Arthur (aka Aquaman), Jason Momoa, Mera, Amber Heard, Black Manta, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Orm (aka Ocean Master), Patrick Wilson. These characters combine to form a compelling crew of dynamic heroes and sentient villains who all come to life with their own motivations, moral compasses, and flaws. If there is fault to be had in the way these characters are handled, I would point to Orom, who seems rather one-dimensional, though that is mostly the fault of some questionable writing throughout the movie. In fact, I though Orom's character was the most under-developed. It seemed that the film was more focused on paving the way for the next villain, Black Manta, than it was in establishing a complex villain for the time being. Other than that writing flaw, the characters are great, brought to life by above average CGI and costume design, along with great acting from a star-studded cast.

Musically, this movie falls into the "it could've been worse" category of cinema. There were certainly epic swells and emotional moments broadcast well through an excellent score with great timing, but there were also strange moments where the music seemed too gushy for parts, and too loud for the scene in others. There was also an annoying sequence of funny, or "slapstick", music played when Aquaman and Mera trek through a desert together, which I was not a fan of at all. All I'll say about those moments is that sometimes comedy is best when the silence is the biggest sound on the screen. But other than that, there was nothing truly special about the score. It wasn't The Lord of the Rings epic, nor was it Jaws dramatic. It was there, and it was fine.

The plot of this movie is fairly straightforward. Arthur must reclaim the throne of Atlantis, unite all of his people, and stop the war against the "surface-dwellers" by finding the trident of Atlan, the last king. In his classic hero arc, he finds courage, love, compassion, and strength through more than just arms. All normal for superhero movies, but it's the fantastical nature of the way it played out which really appealed to me.

Atlantis has always been a source of interest for me, and many others, when it comes to ancient history. Of course it's just a legend, but legends are based on a grain of truth, stretched over millennia. While this movie does not equip me with the knowledge to answer that mystery, it certainly brings a lost civilization to life well. The walls of Atlantis stretch to contain a city which is a combination of amazing old architecture, which I love, and modern technology. This bridge is the best of both worlds, giving me my dose of fantasy and lore, and the tools which service the plot when it comes to weapons and transportation. The story of a new king dethroning a poser and using an old relic is nothing new (I thought particularly of Aragorn dethroning Denethor with Anduríl), but the blend of sci-fi tech with ancient lore and buildings was like a fresh squeeze of lemon on a dead horse.

The writing is probably the toughest point in this whole movie, and that's truly a shame, because excellent visuals, great acting, and a strong plot can be thrown out the window if the writing's bad. Suffice to say that this movie had strong writing, but there were moments that really threw me. For example, at one point Orom says, in arguing on why a war was necessary with a naysayer who stated that the surface-dwellers would kill each other, "Not before they destroy us first". The correct way to say that is, "Not before they destroy us", or, "But they will destroy us first". Now that's a small nitpick, but there are some larger ones.

For example, it was really strange and rather cliché that Mera and Arthur's first kiss should happen on a field of battle where things are colorfully exploding behind them, subtly but not subtly appearing as underwater fireworks. There were also plot lines which the writers never concluded, like whether or not Orom colluded with humans to order a strike which initiated his rise to true power and the war with the surface. However, while those are jagged pills to swallow, they're not bad when you look back at the movie, and there certainly are many strong points to overshadow any weaknesses. But, as a writer, those weaknesses to glare, as much as I'd like them not to.

Cinematically, there were some more issues which are hard to look past. I saw this movie in IMAX, which means that the sound was already loud enough. But my god, if I have even half my hearing left I'll be thankful. This movie uses the jump-scare more than most horror films, and does it half as well. The end of one shot may be completely silent, whereas the next may punch in with loud gunfire. These poor transition shots litter the movie, smashing my eardrums, but more importantly, taking away from the movie. But again, there's good stuff in the filmmaking as well, such as excellent action sequences which are a breath of fresh air after so many choppy, overly cut MCU action scenes. And while I am grumpy after the loud and headache inducing transition shots, I'm also ecstatic over the great action, and I think that the latter takes precedence. So major kudos on the filmmaking. Hurrah Hurrah.

So why is Aquaman the new king of the DC universe? Because it's so consistently strong, that there's almost nothing to argue against it. Whereas Wonder Woman was great for the first two acts, it turned into a glorified and campy video game cutscene between Wonder Woman and a human toothbrush claiming to be the "God of War", as he threw badly animated lightning bolts under a helmet so big, it's a miracle he didn't save Wonder Woman the trouble and collapse from the weight of it. The last act of Wonder Woman was pathetic, and it cast a sour note for the entire experience. Aquaman suffers no such flaw in any of its acts, and while I preferred the lost city of the Amazons to the underwater lost city of Atlantis, It's not enough for me to wholeheartedly keep Wonder Woman atop the realm of DC movies.

Furthermore, while Wonder Woman was a well established character with strong powers and a great outfit since the early days of DC, Aquaman was always somewhat of a joke, with his wavy blond hair and bright orange suit, it was hard to take him seriously. The fact that this movie turned him from a laughing stock into one of the most legitimate and powerful characters in the universe should be applauded.

Aquaman is not a flawless movie. In fact, if we're comparing it to some of the best entries in the MCU, it falls among them, but not atop them, and that's if I'm being generous. The fact is that Aquaman suffers from some bad transition shots, strange music, over-dramatization, and poor attempts at comedy. Flaws which Marvel has long since moved past, but that DC is only now beginning to correct. However, Aquaman is a great movie, and definitely worth seeing in the theatre.