Not bad, DC. Not bad.

Rating: 7/10 (23 December 2018)

The DCEU, or Worlds of DC as they are now calling it, have released another standalone movie, this time with the character of Aquaman. Now, DC has been pretty good with their standalone films; the only films that I have major problems with are Batman V Superman, Suicide Squad, and Justice League. Justice League wasn't even that bad of a movie. It just felt rushed. One of the best parts about that movie was the character of Aquaman, a character that everyone thought of as weak and stupid before that movie was released. What Justice League did, however, was turn Aquaman into badass, so I was really excited to see how they would expand on his story in his standalone film. Luckily, he is still a badass.
Aquaman is not the best film in the DCEU, but it is definitely not the worst. I don't think this is James Wan's best work, either. However, I still think that is is a very enjoyable movie with a lot of stuff to love. It's weird to think that this movie belongs to the same universe as Batman V Superman, Man of Steel, and the like. It's so much brighter; so much more colorful. It is beautiful to look at. All of the CGI, makeup effects, and costumes look amazing. It is the most colorful film in the DCEU by far.
Aquaman is an awesome character, and Jason Momoa brings a lot of character and comedy to him. Mera was a very likable partner for Aquaman to have, and she also knew how to kick butt. Willem Defoe's character Vulko was fine; nothing great about him, but also nothing bad. The villains were actually quite good, and you could really reason with almost everything they were doing. Orm, played by Patrick Wilson, bounced off of Aquaman very well. The seriousness of Orm and the goofiness of Aquaman meshed together very well. Black Manta was a fun villain, too. I liked every scene he was in, and his on-screen suit didn't look half bad. I just feel that for being Aquaman's most iconic foe, he wasn't in the movie enough.
Now, this movie had some very cringy dialogue that took me out of the movie at times. There were also some shots in the film that made it seem like the movie was trying to be too mainstream. At one point in the film, Aquaman and Mera walk out of the ocean onto a beach in slow motion, like something you'd see during a swimsuit ad. While this is happening, a horrible - and I mean HORRIBLE - cover of Africa by Toto, being performed by Pitbull, was playing in the background. It was such a ridiculous shot, and it took me out of the movie. The film also had a lot going on, and I feel with a little more cutting, it could have been shortened without ruining the plot.
Overall, I think this is a very entertaining movie. It adds a lot more color and character to the DCEU, which is something it much needed. It's not better than Wonder Woman, but it definitely is better and more well put together than the other films in the DCEU. I'm excited to see where they go next with the character. If you are skeptical about seeing this movie, just give it a try. It's very entertaining, whether you like the DC films or not.