Aquaman

I find that writing movies about DC films that exist in the DCEU are pretty quick to put together. 

There's a lot to say about the DCEU and it remains an insanely interesting case study for a variety of reasons. It has some obvious competition with the consistently evolving MCU, and every time the DCEU seems like it may be turning around, it gives us something like Justice League to sour our pallets once more (a movie which I substantially overrated at the time...in hindsight it's more of a 5.5 or 6 out of 10). 

Now with rumors-a-plenty about Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill leaving the universe all together, you begin to wonder how Warner Brothers will begin to salvage what they rushed to build. Sure, you have a ton of good will with Wonder Woman and it's likely that WW84 won't be anything less than awesome, but one begins to ponder if the execs of the DCEU have finally realized that they need to let these directors make films first and foremost and adhere to a formula as a second or even third priority. 

It's a small part of what made a film like Suicide Squad such a disaster that it was all so calculated and lacked a distinct voice (not to mention some of the WORST comic book action ever) that someone like David Ayer couldn't make the film he wanted.

With Aquaman, we're treated to director James Wan's vision of this world and there is essentially no ties to other films or a larger DC agenda; something that Marvel seems to manage well but DC lets slowly eat away at other films. For all that you could critique Aquaman for, lacking ambition and swinging for the fences certainly isn't one of them. As a result we're left with a superhero movie that feels grand and worthwhile, and quite different from previous films in this universe. 

Aquaman doesn't have any outright faults, but instead finds itself at its most mediocre when it's simply an "origin" story of sorts. After seeing so many of these types of tales, it's hard to bring something really new to the table, but Aquaman follows many cliched lines of plot and consists of a lot of dialogue around being a hero, a king, what a true hero looks like, etc. etc. etc. Personally, I would have liked a surprise or two somewhere along the way that could have differentiated the story from others, but at the same time, there was enough pressure on this one that perhaps straying from the norm wasn't the best call. There's a handful of other small hindrances or creative decisions I didn't like - some wonky CGI here and there and some questionable soundtrack choices to be "hip" - but otherwise Aquaman's biggest strike is being derivative from a plot perspective. 

Patrick Wilson with the worlds smallest man bun? I'll take it

"Sharks with fricken laser
beams attached to their heads!"

Otherwise, this is one hell of an entertaining superhero film and it does differentiate itself in the sense that it almost feels like a combination of a superhero film and Lord of the Rings. Wan has not held back in creating his vision of what creatures live in the depths of the ocean and there are several different kingdoms, creatures, weapons, and technological advancements. You almost begin to forget that this is all on planet Earth which is a testament to how big Wan used his imagination. Certain elements of Aquaman are ones that completely do not gel with the DCEU as we've known it before (i.e. a drumming octopus) but that work fine here and almost(?) make sense. It's refreshing, much as Wonder Woman was, to see a film where Warner Brothers finally decided to just let the director make the damn movie and Aquaman exists as a standalone film perfectly fine. 

There's also some superb casting here despite me having some reservations before. Clearly Momoa was the perfect choice for Aquaman and he continues to prove that here. He's not quite as snarky and "dude bro" as he was portrayed in Justice League so they need to work on solidifying his personality, but in general I can't quite think of anyone better than the long-haired, shredded, tatted-up star in this role. All of those attributes help the audience take this hero a little more seriously too; one who was once mocked in nerd circles is now a total badass. Amber Heard, who I've often found seeming not happy to be in any film, actually does perfectly fine as Mera and her and Momoa have solid chemistry, plus she's a badass herself. They probably used a shade too bright of red on her hair as it's semi-distracting, but that's neither here nor there. Patrick Wilson also makes a strong impression as King Orm and where I initially felt he'd be a flat villain, turns out to be a worthy opponent against Aquaman. Others, including Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, and Dolph Lundgreen all seem excited to be in this film which makes me think that Wan is a wonderful director/person behind the camera too that can inspire his cast with his vision. 

Wonderfully, and almost surprisingly at this point in the DCEU, Aquaman has some awesome action beats too. I'm not sure anything quite matches the "No Man's Land" scene from Wonder Woman last year (though to be fair that won Best Scene in the Rath Awards) but there's some fantastic, fast, and hard-hitting choreography in almost every hand-to-hand scene. Most of these scenes are also done in talented long takes which add to the spectacle. It's insane to me to think that an action sequence with Nicole Kidman is better than anything we got in Suicide Squad, but hey, that's the DCEU for ya. Aquaman also features some large battles among sea creatures and kingdoms that are grand, and other than being slightly over-edited, really entertaining. The creatures are big, the battles can be violent, and they're definitely unique to this film. 

Oh you thought I'd forget a shirtless Momoa pic for you ladies?
I'm not new here

I'm really happy to see that Aquaman (of all DC's heroes) turned out to be a success. It sits proudly behind Wonder Woman in terms of DCEU rankings and does more than enough to justify another film. Perhaps one that he can invite a friend along next time *cough Wonder Woman cough cough*? It's only really hindered by a cliched story that you know how it will end from a mile away, but behind that is a world rich with vision and direction and possibility. Something that this universe hasn't had for a while.

CONS

• The story is nothing special and really the only true detriment to the film. It's predictable and cliched
• Some wonky CGI here and there
• Mera's hair be way too red!
• Super odd soundtrack decisions. Felt like it was trying hard to be hip

PROS

• Warner Brothers let Wan make the film he wanted and it's all the better for it. This is an established underwater universe with a lot of room to breathe and tell more stories
• Jason Momoa is perfect casting for Aquaman and almost forces you to take him seriously
• The rest of the cast looks like they're genuinely having fun and are all well-fitted for their roles
• 90% of the time the special effects are mightily impressive. Would be interesting to research the technology of many of the underwater scenes
• Some sweet action segments throughout and the ones with long takes are icing on the cake
• Big battles with lots of creatures, weapons, and fighting bring back memories of LotR
• Consistently entertaining and eager to "go big or go home", Aquaman can be filed on the side of "success" within the DCEU

Rath's Review Score | 8/10