Taking a Look at DC’s Newest Superhero: Aquaman

On December 7, 2018, Aquaman, the newest installment in the DCEU franchise, was released in China. The movie was a commercial success, making its way onto the highest-grossing movies of all time list, at number 46. The film has a 65% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.5/10 stars on IMDb. Overall, Aquaman was a fun movie to watch. It wasn’t perfect by a long shot, but it was much more enjoyable than many previous DCEU movies.

WARNING – Spoilers Below!

Aquaman follows Arthur Curry (played by Jason Momoa) as he tries to navigate his newfound life as the titular Aquaman, fight a war that the Atlanteans are going to declare on the surface, and find the lost Trident of Atlan. Along for the ride is Mera (Amber Heard), the princess of one of the kingdoms; Vulko (Willem Dafoe), Aquaman’s mentor; and Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), his mother, who was presumed to be dead.

The plot of Aquaman was an origin story, though it actually takes place after 2017’s Justice League. While the story was somewhat interesting, it seemed to be one predictable cliché after the other, and ending slo-mo reunion was the cherry on top. Of course, his mother wasn’t really dead. Of course he would be able to pick up the trident. Of course, he was the chosen one to end the war. However, the plot was still interesting enough to keep the movie going.

The special effects and cinematography were amazing, as usual, and one can even argue that it is the DCEU’s strong suit. It was a relief to get away from Zack Snyder’s overuse of slow-motion, though the constant explosions interrupting everything got old after the first two times. However, the special effects were one of the saving graces of the movie. I absolutely loved seeing director James Wan’s underwater world come to life and there were parts where I even felt a smile on my face due to it.

Perhaps the best part of the movie was Aquaman himself. While Zack Snyder’s dark take on Batman, Superman, and the Justice League generally didn’t fare well with audiences or critics, Wan’s Aquaman was a lighthearted, funny, relatable character whom I was not hesitant to like. I truly enjoyed Jason Momoa’s portrayal of the character (whom I also believed to be the second-best part of Justice League), and I can say with confidence that he definitely helped carry the movie. However, Amber Heard’s Mera was somewhat boring, as she played what essentially was an underwater version of Black Widow, from the bright red hair, the similar fighting styles in the choreography, and even the personality at times (being the badass female sidekick who is the serious counterpart to the goofier male). However, it isn’t entirely fair to say that Aquaman is a ripoff of Marvel movies, because it’s not. While a darker take on Aquaman isn’t entirely comic-accurate, it is still its own movie. Unfortunately, Willem Dafoe’s character was criminally underused. There was so much potential in the mentor working for the enemy, but he ended spending most of the movie in flashbacks or being arrested. The villain in the movie, Orm, was forgettable, and the ending was a bit anticlimactic, with Queen Atlanna emerging from the water inexplicably to tell them to stop in a Deus Ex-Machina moment, and it somehow works, and Aquaman becomes king.

Spoilers are Over!

Overall, the movie was far from great, but it was still an enjoyable way to spend 2 and 1/2 hours. Jason Momoa and the beautiful effects managed to save this movie from just being okay to being good, despite the obvious shortcomings. I would give this movie 7/10 stars. This movie manages to be the second best movie out of the DCEU (after Wonder Woman). Through sheer cinematography and humor, this movie turns what would have been a clichéd story with forgettable acting into something enjoyable.