Spectacle Over Story

Rating: 7/10 (28 December 2018)

The most used word to describe "Aquaman" is FUN, and it most certainly delivers in this regard. From the beginning of the movie until the end the movie throws BRILLIANT action scenes at audiences that are directed masterfully and overall paced great to keep audiences "glued to the screen". These range from one-on-one fights to GIANT army-on-army battles against the visually diverse settings of the seven seas and the surface world. These different settings for the narrative and spectacle allow for audiences to distinguish the different cultures across the seven seas and allow the film to maintain colourful and vibrant, unlike some DCEU movies. Like stated, though, the directing is truly where the film shines. James Wan brings great impact, scale and intricacy to the way the action and other moments of the film are shot, with a memorable example being a chase scene, unfortunately revealed in trailers for those who have seen them. However, where the directing adds a layer of great spectacle which carries audiences' enjoyment from beginning to end, those critical with story will surely find faults. The narrative's biggest issue, after watching the film, is its underdeveloped and simplistic nature. Characters from the protagonists to the villains lack deep and complex motivation for their actions throughout the film, making some "confused" as to why the characters are so persistent in their goals. Also, the film, for some with perhaps lesser knowledge of the character and the world, appears incoherent when "jumping" around to different Atlantic civilisation, inter-woven with flashbacks which simply distract from the plot at hand. As for its simplistic nature, it follows a clichÃ©d formula of a "road trip" of sorts, accompanied with "fish out of water" humour which varies in quality. Finally, there is a revelation in the final act which is predictable and irrelevant. That being said, the film does occasionally hit emotional beats and manages to encapsulate much of the character's heavy law in its run time, though it doesn't balance screen time for some characters as well as most would like. Overall, despite the MANY story problems which may frustrate critical audience members, the pure spectacle alone is a master to behold and the thin plot is overshadowed by the "fun" and enjoyable nature of the film which embraces its absurd routes, similar to James Wan's work on "Fast & Furious 7".