Aquaman Review.

King of the ocean and king of the DCEU.

DC have had a troubled start to getting their cinematic universe of the ground. While Marvel have been knocking out of the park; DC have been their own worst enemy. Man of Steel was a bore to me. Henry Cavill was too wholesome for his own good. Resulting in the first chapter in the DCEU being an inoffensive yet forgettable start. Things took a turn for the worst in their next two entries. Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice while not as bad as people make out, still wasted a golden opportunity to make a cinematic classic. How do you waste the biggest fight in cinema history by having the characters realise their mothers have the same name? Suicide Squad doesn’t have any redeemable features. A tonal mess which is more shuffled than its soundtrack. Three films in and three wasted opportunities. Last years Wonder Woman should have changed everything. The film is not just a comic book film classic but a monumental film which the world needed. Wonder Woman is the film which finally gave us a female hero. In a film which is superior to Marvels attempt of a war film (Captain America: The First Avenger). Unfortunately, Justice League ruined the DCEU’S momentum. In my eyes it’s the worst comic book film of the last 10 years. From the CGI moustache to the blandest villain ever. Justice League made me lose faith in these films. I’m not a DC hater. I love the comics, and this is why I’m so frustrated. There are so much potential and inspiration to be found in the source material. Yet here we are 5 years later and only one film has been good. It’s safe to say my expectations for Aquaman weren’t sky high. I’m stunned to say this but Aquaman blew my expectations out of the water (I’m sorry). This is not a perfect film, but man did I leave this film with a smile on my face.

Aquaman tells the story of Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) who learns that he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. Arthur needs to step up and save the people from being led down a dark pathway from King Orm (Patrick Wilson). Essentially this is Black Panther but Aquaman is in Killmonger’s place. The film flow as is director James Wan had to inject his veins with Red Bull every morning. The pacing of Aquaman would beat The Flash and Superman in a race. The opening act tells Arthur's origin story inside 15 minutes. The romance between his mother Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) and his father Tom Curry (Temuera Morrison) is a strong starting point for the film. Although it’s all over the place tonally. You can’t help but appreciate Wan’s decision to give a brisk origin to Aquaman instead of spending the whole runtime going over it. The next two acts feel like the first chapter of a love story between Aquaman and his iconic trident. Joined by Mera (Amber Heard) Aquaman goes all over the world in a film which spends less time underwater than you may anticipate. This is not a bad thing. Seeing Aquaman in action out of water provides some of the most entertaining sequences. The action on a whole is terrific. Some of the best of the year in fact. There are few scenes which bring back the Suicide Squad cringing face. If you ever wanted to hear Pitbull’s version of Africa you’re in luck! Despite feeling somewhat dated and having a mediocre villain. Aquaman shines in its lead performances.

Jason Momoa is the perfect Aquaman. The character on paper is a laughing stock. In pop culture he’s portrayed as the nerd of comic books. If you take one look at Momoa in costume you won’t dare laugh at him. Physically Momoa is a machine. I can’t think of any other superheroes who are anywhere near as intimidating. During the film I felt like Momoa was channelling Kurt Russell. The bad ass character who drops one liner after one liner feels taken straight from a Russell movie, Momoa delivers lines which would normally make me furious with a type of swagger unlike any other actor. Aquaman also has a few emotional scenes which allows Momoa to delve deeper into his skills catalogue. Thankfully he doesn’t follow the DC trend of being miserable. Arthur cracks jokes and is having a good time even when sh!t hits the fan. I’ve come up with a pitch for a film. Take notes Hollywood. A They Live remake starring Momoa in place of the late Roddy Piper. I haven’t felt an actor convince me he’s an out and out action star in a long time. Momoa has it all in his locker to turn a bad movie into an entertaining one. Without Momoa its likely that Aquaman would still be a character which triggers eye rolls.

The rest of the cast vary in their levels of success. Amber Herd as Mera is a standout. Mera is a badass who delivers in terms of character and action. Herd and Momoa’s chemistry are clear to see whenever they are on screen. Mera is one of the strongest characters in the DCEU to date. I am now an avid supporter of the give Mera and Wonder Woman team up film. Supporting acting veterans Willem Dafoe and Dolph Lundgren don’t have much to do but it’s always nice to see them on screen. Lundgren is also sporting a ridiculous ginger hairdo which gave me a giggle. The villains in Aquaman are a huge let-down. Patrick Wilson as King Orm is a big disappointment in the role. The actor is normally terrific when collaborating with Wan. King Orm falls into the bland one note bad guy which far too many villains fall into the bracket. It’s not awful but it does give a strong Marvel Phase One feeling. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Manta is a villain who is successful for half of his screen time. When not in costume Manta is let down by a weak script. The young actor gives it his best shot, but he falls flat as a character. When in costume Manta is a different story. Manta has a terrific costume with awesome powers which gifts the film with its best action sequence. Momoa and Herd are both terrific. They elevate the film to be an entertaining romp which deserves revisits.

James Wan is one of the most talented men working in Hollywood today. The director is best known for reinventing the horror genre with Saw, The Conjuring and Insidious. Without Wan it is unlikely that we would have ever seen a renaissance in horror movies. In Aquaman the director is on fine form. The city of Atlantis is beautiful with Wan bringing the underwater world to life. Every scene in the film is beautiful. Cinematographer Don Burges gives a lending hand in his second water-based film; the first being Cast Away. Wan uses his horror chops to elevate the action scenes. Aquaman feels different to most comic films. Wan has knocked it out of the park yet again. My main gripe with Aquaman is the script. Some of dialogue is straight from a bargain bin B movie. It’s not too noticeable when Momoa is on screen as he’s able to sell it. Some of the other characters feel flat due to the poor writing. The script was written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall. McGoldrick’s only other action film is the painfully bland Wrath of the Titans. Beall’s only other writing credit is on the forgotten Gangster Squad. I feel that to bring Aquaman up a level they should have hired writers who have more experience in blockbusters. The writing in this feels as if they were told to write a blockbuster for someone who’s never seen a blockbuster before. Cramming all the generic tropes into the script leads to daft moments in the film. Thankfully Wan's terrific direction along with brilliant cinematography makes up for the poor writing.

Aquaman is a step in the right direction for DC. This is the most fun I’ve had watching a DC film yet. There is no unnecessary darkness that drags down the tone of the film. Comic book movies are meant to be fun. No matter what faults you have with this movie you can’t deny that it is so much fun. Aquaman and Wonder Woman are the Iron Man and Captain America of this universe. Build your franchise around these two because they can make this universe work. It’s time for DC to abolish the extreme darkness in their films for the foreseeable future. DC needs to make upbeat films that no matter how silly they are you’ll have a great time. That’s what comic books are all about. Taking you away from the outside world into one where there are no rules. If more DC films are like Aquaman than I have high hopes for the future of this universe. Props to DC. They have suffered knockback after knockback. This is a big indicator that this franchise is not doomed but only getting started.

Liam’s Summary of Aquaman.

Best Moment: The Manta V Aquaman fight scene is a blast.

Worst Moment: A slow motion emergence from water with Pitbull’s version of Africa playing in the background.

Best Character: Momoa’s Aquaman hair flip won me over for life.

Worst Character: Pitbull.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5