Aquaman: Flawed Spectacle Sails in the Right Direction
- Full Circle
- May 22, 2019
- 2 min read
by Lee Yong Jin
Malaysia-born director James Wan has created a fun, special-effects-laden blockbuster, adding something of a different tone, making a huge splash in the DC superhero movies lineup in them against their race against their Marvel counterparts.
After two cameo appearances in earlier film, Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa) finally gets his full-blown origin story, including the tale of how his mother (Nicole Kidman) -- a runaway Atlantean princess -- washed ashore and met his father, a lighthouse keeper (Temuera Morrison). Forced to return to Atlantis and its oceanic society, she leaves his son to grow up with his dad, a complicated youth trope has always manifested extraordinary abilities. When a war between the ocean realm of Atlantis and its ruler King Orm (Patrick Wilson) threatens the human world, a reluctant Curry must confront his subterranean past to save the day. He then learns value of courage and perseverance, as well as the importance of loyalty and responsibility.
The plot is honestly very cheesy and very predictable. What makes the film entertaining is that Wan threw astonishing amounts of action scenes into the movie, and it is entertaining watching over-the-top action scenes. The underwater scenes are dominant in this movie; they’re the same as on land, except with a wavy blue filter, floaty hair and slight audio distortion. It’s not too distracting to me.
Jason Momoa is very likable, even if his acting doesn’t reach his full potential in this movie. When delivering the corniest of lines, he does it with a roguish, mischievous smirk, seemingly in on the joke with the audience. His redhead love interest, Princess Mera (Amber Heard) is fun and sassy, together they have great chemistry.
By the time the third act arrives, the film descends into a crazy, Lord of the Rings-esque, CGI-fest, with many overwhelming action scenes to take in. Praises go to the creature design team, as their creations stand out in this movie, I am almost certain we have never gotten a superhero movie that takes place under the sea.
What hurts Aquaman in its presentation is the artistic inconsistencies and retroactive continuity. James Wan has altered Curry’s eye colour from white to natural brown, changing costumes, effectively removing Justice League director Zack Snyder’s angsty characterisation, the screenwriters even refocused Curry’s hatred for his mother’s abandonment in the previous movie and turning it into a sense of loss. Wan, known for creating the body horror Saw franchise and Fast & Furious 7, does not utilize his talent of suspense in this film.
The inclusion of the supervillain Black Manta intrudes on the central conflict between Aquaman and Orm. It feels forced and squeezed in; it is one of those annoying “we’ll just wait for the sequel” villains that does little but establish himself as a threat for next instalment of the franchise. Many times the characters were interrupted by an explosion mid-conversation, and to be frank, it will annoy you once you noticed the trope.
Nevertheless, Aquaman is firmly established as one of DC’s superior movies. His story might not be complicated, but it seems to know its place. It is held together by a decent performance, likable, charismatic characters of an otherwise forgettable adventure into the trenches.
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