Success for a very hard to pull off hero

Rating: 7/10 (24 December 2018)

My expectations for Aquaman were kept pretty low. To me, as a DC fan, he's barely considered second string hero and the idea of bringing him to the big screen seemed like an insurmountable task. There are a few things they did very right with this film. It's pure science fiction-fantasy so they use that to their advantage. They did similarly with this what they did with the second and third Thor movies where there is very little realism here so they can take liberties with nearly anything. The CGI is extravagant and well done. The film is a visual sight to behold which helps a lot. James Wan as director is a talented, solid director with great vision and this is a bit different for him but he knows how to tell a story and the fantasy visuals needs a story and it works. There were scenes throughout this that I kept thinking should have been nearly completely laughable, it was so cheesy but it worked within the confines of the fantasy of the film.

Jason Momoa is a great choice for Arthur (Aquaman) because he's a far cry from the comic book version. Momoa has great charisma on screen and I'm really starting to enjoy him as an actor. He's massive and larger than life and yet there is something very down to earth about it. Amber Heard is the eye candy in the movie and the romantic interest though that is mostly played down. Heard does decently, she's not an amazing actress by any means but she serves her purpose and her and Momoa are okay together. Patrick Wilson is a nice addition to the cast although I found his character very cheesy at times. Even his line delivery is not exactly "serious" enough to take seriously. But he is a decent villain to the story. Nicole Kidman is also a nice addition to the cast as Aquaman's mother. She looks amazing and she definitely adds a certain gravitas to the film. Dolph Lundgren, Willem Dafoe, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Graham McTavish and Temuera Morrison all have strong supporting roles. You can tell by the big names they signed to this that on screen charisma helped carry the film a lot.

James Wan created a fantasy epic and that's an important distinction to your typical "superhero" flick. It's very watchable, it's light and fluffy and it's non-stop action. The action scenes will literally have you on the edge of your seat and that helps you ignore the silliness or the one-liners or the cheesy moments and dialog. It ends up working quite well. I don't think this is the best DC Universe film by any means and I don't think it comes even close to Wonder Woman but I think it does well given that it's Aquaman. I'd be surprised to see them pull this off again but if they follow the same recipe and have the same amount of experience behind the camera and in front then maybe. It is clear now that being without Zack Snyder is still the best for the DC Universe. 7.5/10