Aquaman (2018) Movie Review

My relationship with the DC Extended Universe films is complicated. First of all, I was extremely hyped for each of these movies (except for Justice League and Aquaman, for reasons I will elaborate on shortly). I loved Man of Steel, liked-then-disliked Batman V Superman, liked-then-disliked Suicide Squad, loved Wonder Woman, and loved-then-barely-liked Justice League. Most of these films did not ultimately live up to my expectations or to most fans' expectations as good movies. Even Man of Steel is controversial amongst comic book movie fans, and I find that one mostly great. With me, I do not truly loathe any of these films, and I so desperately wanted to love them all. I'm not a Marvel or DC guy...I'm a comic book guy, a film guy. I'm rooting for them all, and I just love great movies. I was out-of-my-mind hyped for Batman V Superman, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, and Justice League. To me, Batman V Superman is largely dull and the script is an overly long, overly dreary mess, Suicide Squad is a tonally inconsistent mess with a great Harley Quinn, and Justice League was nowhere near as awful as I thought it would be, but ultimately mediocre. Not knowing much about James Wan, my Aquaman expectations were low, despite being a huge fan of Geoff Johns' comic book run. The first trailer did nothing to change my feelings. However, better trailers followed and word of mouth was pretty strong. As of this review, I've seen Aquaman twice. Overall, I definitely loved this movie. I probably shouldn't, but I do.

The story is very basic and very very very predictable, and I'm no genius at guessing plots. But I guessed every single twist and major plot point in Aquaman correctly. No, I don't want a cookie. Anyway, that isn't really a drawback for me. What I really love about Aquaman is that Wan and the actors embrace the inherent cheesiness of this (awesome) character. It's about a guy who can talk to fish! While Aquaman in the Geoff Johns comics and in this movie is very cool, the movie still recognizes the humor in the character. And while Aquaman contains a plethora of cheesy moments and some that are just outright stupid (Pitbull, anyone? I love that scene, though), the cheesiness is deliberate, much like with Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films. Because of that, for the most part the humor and silliness really worked for me. As I just alluded to, there's a moment where Arthur and Mera emerge from the sea in slow-motion to Pitbull's cover of Africa by Toto. That scene should not by any means work and doesn't work for many people, but to me it is cinematic gold (in its cheesiness). I can't stop chuckling (cackling, more like) when I hear that song cover or see the scene. As for the acting, again, the actors all embrace the campiness. Even moreso, they do a good job with what they're given. Jason Mamoa is a great Arthur Curry/Aquaman, portraying him as a sort of "dude bro" with a heart. It's not hard to imagine him enjoying drinks with Thor after a battle of egos. Amber Heard is also very good as Mera. In the Aquaman comics and in this film, Mera is my favorite and she can control water. While the CGI wasn't always seamless, I still squealed like a little girl when I saw Mera using her powers. Nicole Kidman as Queen Atlanna is great also, and I particularly liked Temuera Morrison as Arthur's father. Dolph Lungren and Willem Dafoe make refreshing turns as non-villainous characters for once, and Patrick Wilson's Orm is delightfully hammy and serious as the antagonist. Another antagonist is Black Manta, played by Yahya Adul-Mateen II with a similar hamminess that works. He feels something like Aquaman's Boba Fett, just with more over-the-top acting.

Referencing the CGI again, it is mostly very good, although shaky here and there. That said, Aquaman's CGI benefits from it being an underwater world full of exotic underwater creatures and locales. The actual art design in fantastic and interesting. Atlantis truly comes to life in a way beyond my wildest expectations here. The musical score has some nice riffs and serves the film, but is otherwise unremarkable. Where Aquaman truly stands apart is its action sequences. The action is superbly storyboarded, and there is a sense of tension in them unlike any previous DCEU film. The film's best scene is perhaps when Arthur and Mera enter the trench and face its terrifying creatures.

While the majority of Aquaman's campiness works immensely for me, there are a few moments that don't (namely, an octopus playing drums and a scoreboard labeling Arthur as "half-breed"). Honestly...the Pitbull moment is so stupid that I can't help but love it, though, even though I shouldn't. Where a lot of the dialogue would fall flat or not work, the actors' committed delivery of it makes it work for me. Since most of the camp works, what truly doesn't at moments are some sequences (not all) that are meant to be emotional. James Wan hasn't quite nailed personally intimate/emotional moments yet. And early-midway in the film, the pacing hits a snag.  Still, when it's all said and done, I loved Aquaman. Just from a sheer entertainment standpoint, it is my favorite DCEU film. For overall quality, it falls just below Wonder Woman and Man of Steel, but far ahead of the rest. I give Aquaman an 8/10, or B-. 

The King of the Seven Seas awaits! Go see Aquaman, you may be surprised!