Giant sea battles, parkour with laser blasts and one "fish-man" caught in the middle

Rating: 7/10 (16 December 2018)

Is Aquaman the savior of DC or merely that fish-boy from the TV? Well, it's not perfect but it's actually better than expected. It seems the character has gotten some justice now with a grand scale movie that's solely about his story. Jason Momoa still goes around with his "surf" attitude but he ends up growing by regretting some mistakes and assuming responsibility. However, there are cliches and storytelling tropes which can't be escaped. Luckily it doesn't bring everything down as the action is fun and the visuals are a feast to the eye. It's a movie that will entertain to the max. An element I was happy to see was the usage of mythology (especially Greek mythology in this case). I've always been endlessly fascinated by what legendary mystic stories could be explored in the profoundness of the sea. And that tone was transmitted nicely to the screen. I loved the depth in the cinematography. You'll see the sunlight reach the corals while the characters swim across. It's vibrant, warm and full of life. So the visuals were big standouts. The story was decent yet formulaic. I could have gone with less explaining and skipped of some of the obvious jokes. But most surprisingly it finds moments where clear human purity is brought out. The tale about Arthur's parents, his training with Willem Dafoe's Vulko, even his relationship with Mera doesn't come across as annoying (considering it's super obvious that they're gonna be together). It somehow works on plain simplicity. It's nothing too much, just clear and simple enough that you can see the sincerity there.
It's bloated given how grand James Wan wants to go with the story. You better stay awake for two hours because this thing moves like sharks chasing their pray. The action is always energetic, except for when they decide to throw a character into a wall. The parkour set-piece was a lot of fun. Partly with how well thought out the shots were and where the next part of the sequence would lead to. And this is coming from someone who thought it looked stupid in the trailers. Loved the look of the bad guys. Manta has been one of my favorites and it's amazing to see him adapted properly on the big screen. I wanted his part in the plot to be even more integral. Ocean Master is OK at best. His costume and helmet are great but the guy's a bit of a Shakespearean villain cliche. I will give him credit for at least having a motivation I understood and agreed with. His solution to his problem however... That's where the villain aspect comes to play. I would also have trimmed out some levity that felt pandering. Some of the characters didn't get enough development to make you undertand their place in the story. I was kind of confused as to who Mera was and what she was up to during the first act. But to be fair, that may have been because she looks so otherworldly it drew me away. Anyway, it is a fun movie and a lot more decent than I thought it would be. Just be ready for some stupid bits here and there, or very convenient plot points. But the visual spectacle delivers with some imaginative underwater worlds and creatures. Better than "Justice League" which doesn't say too much, but I see this being very enjoyable on repeat viewings.