Aquaman

     Aquaman is directed by James Wan and stars Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, and Patrick Wilson. It tells the story of Arthur Curry, a half-man and half-Atlantean hybrid who seeks to bring peace between his two worlds before the surface world is destroyed.

     The DCEU has had its fair share of misses without a critical hit. While Justice League is one of the most misguided entries into its filmography, Aquaman stood as one of the highlights in an otherwise terrible movie. So, the prospect of a solo film gave me some hope for the future of the extended universe, if it only be brief glimpse of it.

     The biggest compliment that I could give Aquaman is that it is the most like a Marvel movie that DC has made. From bright and vibrant colors to familial politics, Aquaman feels like a distant relative of Justice League in its color palette and that is for the best. Many of the action scenes are well lit and the camera fluidly moves throughout the space, rather than quickly cutting from one shot to the next. But even these action scenes rely on quite a bit of CGI, rather than stunt choreography. 

     Momoa brings grit and hardness to a character that had often been the punchline of jokes prior to this iteration of Aquaman. I believed he could take on any of the various villains he is put up against. But even the toughness of Momoa cannot cut through the absurdity and cringe of the dialogue in the script. I found myself laughing during some of the more serious moments of the movie because of the ridiculous nature of the lines. One example involves a particular character demanding to be called “Ocean Master” rather than king. While I understand the writers presumably wanted to distance themselves from the ultra-serious tones of Batman v Superman, Man of Steel, and Justice League, perhaps a slightly less campy take would have done the script some good.

     This movie has no business being almost two and a half hours long. Some films justify their length, but Aquaman begins to drag quite a bit. And some of the scenes and characters would be better suited for a sequel (looking at you Black Mantis). A tighter and slightly more serious runtime and script would have done this movie quite a bit of good.

     At the end of the day, Aquaman is far from the worse entry into the DCEU do to its visuals and Jason Momoa’s portrayal of the titular character. I never actively hated what I was watching but I did not quite love anything either. Aquaman is a campy and, ultimately, a forgettable entry into the DCEU.

When should you watch it?

Redbox