Warning: There are mild spoilers ahead for “Aquaman.” Here we go again. Warner Bros. is making another go around with its DC Comics characters. This…
Warning: There are mild spoilers ahead for “Aquaman.”
Here we go again.
Warner Bros. is making another go around with its DC Comics characters. This time around, Aquaman gets his time center stage in a standalone origin story.
Taking place after the events of “Justice League,” Arthur Curry/Aquaman finds himself tasked with begrudgingly heading to Atlantis to stop his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) from declaring war upon the humans of Earth. Why? Because the people of Atlantis and beyond have essentially had it with wasteful humans polluting their waters. (When you watch the film, it seems rooted a bit more deeply in family conflict, but it’s mostly centered around the pollution problem.)
Early buzz surrounding the film has been immensely positive and “Aquaman” debuted to $94 million in China .
Does it live up to the hype? Yes and no.
Director James Wan brings a fresh eye to the DC universe with some great and intense visual moments on screen, Jason Momoa is an excellent Aquaman, and the underwater sea world of Atlantis looks like something out of “Avatar.” But there are some things that feel too cartoonish, some jokes don’t quite land, and the film continues to make some mistakes of past Warner Bros.’ DC entries.
For better or worse, the film is parts “Splash,” “The Lion King,” “National Treasure,” and an original Wan horror flick.
At the least, it should be a crowd pleaser. Why you should see it: Warner Bros.’ top horror director and Jason Momoa’s performance as the man of land and sea, Aquaman
If you don’t recognize director James Wan by name, you definitely know his work. He’s responsible for horror movies “Saw,” “The Conjuring,” and “Insidious.” He also directed a little movie called “Furious 7,” which grossed over $1 billion at theaters. Wan brings a fresh take to the action scenes in “Aquaman” and his flair for horror gets a nod late in the film as well. “Aquaman” may not be the best DCEU entry in the franchise, but there’s no denying Wan knows how to make a popcorn flick.
The main reason to see “Aquaman” is for Jason Momoa (but more on him in a minute). What you may not realize is that Aquaman was turned into something of a joke for the longest time. A guy with the ability to speak with fish? He became the butt of a lot of jokes in comics, TV shows, and even the LEGO video games. Momoa has really turned around people’s impressions of him to make Aquaman feel like a force to be reckoned with in the DC universe.
Amber Heard, who plays Princess Mera, is also a standout and you’ll get to see Willem Dafoe in a role that’s a bit outside his usual default villain status. What’s hot: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard’s Mera, the ocean visuals, and Nicole Kidman
Have you ever wanted to see “Avatar,” but underwater? That’s how it looks just about every time you’re taken underwater in “Aquaman.” The world of Atlantis is lit up in a gorgeous palette of soft blues, purples, and greens.
If you’ve visited Pandora at night in Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park, it feels just like that. It’s not just the ocean scenes that look beautiful, there are just some very, very gorgeous scenes in this superhero movie.
