AQUAMAN Movie Review

Born of both the land and sea, AQUAMAN is a somewhat polarizing superhero property thanks in part to the depiction of the character in those old school “Superfriends” cartoons and at the hands of constant ribbing in HBO’s “Entourage.” Of course, the powers that be were probably wise to cast bigger-than-life alpha male Jason Momoa in the role, because at the very least, his over-the-top, charismatic, and an all together loose take on the character keep this movie from drowning in a sea of self-importance. AQUAMAN has no interest in being serious but at the same time, it has more upstairs than Marvel’s equally goofy but inferior misfire, VENOM.

As AQUAMAN opens we learn of this hero’s origin as his alter ego Arthur Curry is born of a forbidden love between a woman of the sea Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) and man of the Earth Tom Curry (Temuera Morrison).  As Arthur grows into adulthood, he is essentially stuck between two worlds but opts to live the majority of his life as a mainlander. Of course, he gains a little notoriety thanks to his part in a handful of seabound heroics as well as having had a hand in helping save the world in a very sub-par JUSTICE LEAGUE movie.

When contention arises between he and his estranged Atlantis dwelling brother, King Orm (Patrick Wilson), a reluctant Arthur joins forces with water warrior Mera (Amber Heard) in an undersea adventure that will find him fighting for both mankind and a crown he isn’t all together interested in wearing. 

AQUAMAN was directed by James Wan, and you have to give the lively CONJURING director this: He’s got energy to spare! AQUAMAN is a massive, campy, comic-booky epic that refuses to take itself too seriously. It has a flavor more akin to the 80s take on FLASH GORDON than it does something like the more serious masterwork that is THE DARK KNIGHT. It also has a few elements that are reminiscent of TRON: LEGACY and George Lucas‘ STAR WARS prequels. Not that any of this is necessarily meant to be taken as a negative. The dopey theatrics and offbeat nature of AQUAMAN actually compliment the colorful world Wan has created here. Furthermore, you’ll see every cent of the budget right there on the screen, particularly if you go to see this film in the Imax format.

But for all its visual bravado (some of the effects are good and some not-so-good) and skillfully executed set pieces (none more exciting than a high octane rooftop chase) there are times when the cheesy dialogue and Momoa’s alpha male surfer dude demeanor do wear thin. Furthermore, despite her beauty and sense of humor, Amber Heard is a bit of a blank and the fact that her warrior and Momoa’s reluctant hero fail to generate chemistry doesn’t help matters. Even a silly European courtship sequence fails at attempting to showcase sparks that aren’t really there. 

From a story standpoint, AQUAMAN throws in everything but the kitchen sink. Again, this movie is loose and fun but there are things that simply don’t work, high among them an under-cooked subplot involving Black Manta (sporting a costume that resembles that creepy robot in ROCKY IV–ironic given that AQUAMAN also co-stars Ivan Drago, himself!) To call this plot thread secondary would be a gross understatement. Clearly, this character has been groomed to have a more pivotal role in future AQUAMAN adventures, but he’s virtually wasted in this picture. The primary conflict here is the Shakespearean-like contention between estranged brothers and truth be told, that was a wise choice.

Also lacking in AQUAMAN is any sort of real drama with the notable exception of Nicole Kidman who brings a level of class and emotional weight that the rest of the movie isn’t really interested in. Kidman has a couple of moments with both Morrison and Momoa that bristle with a surprising amount of heart.

Beyond Momoa, Heard, Wilson, Morrison, and Kidman, AQUAMAN is peppered with a supporting cast that includes mentor Willem Dafoe, king Dolph Lundgren, and villainous Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

From a technical standpoint, there’s plenty of production value to speak of in AQUAMAN including wonderfully colorful costume design and a barrage of eye-popping effects that are best when they’re used to showcase the kind of spectacular underwater landscapes that would make the makers of FINDING NEMO and THE ABYSS proud. So it’s a bit surprising that with all the money spent on this picture, it’s incredibly disappointing that very little was spent to make characters sound cool when they’re talking underwater. Instead, everyone sounds like they were ADR’d in someone’s garage. Likewise, the score by Rupert Gregson-Williams (clearly no relation to John) is a crushing disappointment failing to give AQUAMAN a properly rousing theme.

AQUAMAN is a mixed bag, overall. Yes, it’s stronger than BATMAN V SUPERMAN, JUSTICE LEAGUE, and SUICIDE SQUAD but even with its numerous flaws, WONDER WOMAN emerges as the stronger film. Yes,
AQUAMAN has a much welcome (and goofy) sense of humor. Yes, it’s batshit insane. And yes, it moves at a brisk pace. But the fact remains that there isn’t a performance in this picture that measures up to Gal Gadot‘s and there isn’t a single sequence here that’s as rousing as Wonder Woman’s charge on the World War II battlefield. Still, you could do much worse than the bombastic underwater spectacle that is AQUAMAN. There’s little doubt that DC and Warner Brothers have taken a step in the right direction with this silly, over-the-top, comic book come to life.