Spectacular

Rating: Null/10 (23 December 2018)

I usually don't compare films but with Aquaman, comparison with both Wonder Woman and Thor yields interesting thoughts. First, however, is a recap of the plotline.
The story of our half-human, half-Atlantean protagonist is introduced through first-person VO, starting with the story of his parents, and bookended in the same way for full closure. The tale is familiar. Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), to-be queen of one of the seven kingdoms of Atlantis, fell in love with lighthouse keeper Tom Curry (Temuera Morrison) and gave birth to Arthur (Jason Momoa, when grown up). Domesticity bliss, alas, was short-lived as she was soon found and commanded to return to consummate the marriage. To save the life of her husband and son, she did, and bore the king a son Orm (Patrick Wilson, when grown up). Atlanna, the audience is made to understand, was put to death after fulfilling her mission of bringing an heir to the kingdom. In the meantime, good guy the councilor Vulko (Willem Dafoe), with first loyalty to the queen, secretly mentored Arthur, developing everything he needed to be an Atlantis royalty.
Brought up on land (but with the other half of his identity secretly nurtured by Vulko), Arthur has a personality that is nowhere near to royalty. As "Aquaman", he occasionally performs some heroic deeds such as rescuing the crew of a pirated Soviet submarine. But on the whole, he is just an average fun-loving muscular guy, until a dazzling redhead appears in his life. She is Mera (Amber Heard), a princess in one of the Atlantis kingdoms. A crisis is brewing underwater as the various monarchs and leaders vie for control of all the kingdoms, as a prelude to taking on the world on the land surface. It seems that Arthur, similar to his namesake in Camelot, is the one who is truly capable of this supreme leadership, for peace, not war. There is even an Excalibur-look-alike scene towards the end of the movie.
Arthur, needless to say, wants nothing to do with this nonsense. But when circumstances make him owe Mera for saving his father's life, he has to humor her. Then, meeting Vulko upon arriving at Atlantis, he begins to see the situation more clearly. Following tradition, he challenges his younger half-brother, now King Orm, and losses. Wielding their father's (the deceased king) trident, Orm break's Arthur's trident inherited from their mother Atlanna. Mera saves Arthur's life, but at a cost of losing everything herself, because she is in fact betrothed to Orm.
The next sequence is also very familiar: hero and heroine on a quest in search of the legendary Trident that only a true king can lay claim on. The parallel trajectory is also familiar - consistent bickering blossoms into romance. The rest is paint by number, with a twist that you will not see coming only if you have watch less than five movies your entire life.
There is a sub-plot. In the aforementioned rescue mission, Aquaman leaves a father-and-son pair of pirates to die in a sinking submarine. The father's self-sacrifice saves the son, who becomes "Black Manta" (Yahya Abdul-mateen II), the secondary villain in this movie. He is vanquished by Aquaman midway through the movie but survives and appears again in the post-credit teaser, likely to become one of the villains, maybe even the lead villain, in the sequel.
Now, to the comparisons. While Atlantis is underwater and the islands of Themyscira are not, both Aquaman and Wonder Woman have a heritage of an "alien" world that is, however, still on Earth. The marked difference is that while Aquaman is brought up on "our" world, Wonder Woman is not. Cultural difference, whether in real world or in fantasies, has always been good fodder for levity in movies. In Wonder Woman's case, she is herself the direct object, as in her shopping scenes when she first set foot on London. With Aquaman, this role of being the subject of levity is given to Mera, while he has the role of an Earthman enlightening her. Good examples are aplenty, such as using "6 o'clock" to indicate direction, a concept which is entirely alien to Mera. Another example is the reference to Pinocchio when they hide in the belly of a whale. The significance only comes to light to Mera in a later scene when she stumbles across a copy the children's novel.
With Thor, the comparison is obviously sibling rivalry but with marked differences. Thor is true blue royalty while Loki is not even blood sibling. Aquaman, on the other hand, is only half Atlantis. Purely from a logical angle, Orm has a more legitimate claim. Another interesting thing is that the persona of the two younger brothers are widely different. Loki is the God of Mischief and that says it all. Orm, on the other hand, is not only all seriousness, but also projects a classic and composed image. Neither, of course, is the stereotype villain we usually encounter in this genre.
"Aquaman" is arguably the most spectacular rendition of a superhero story on screen. The set pieces take full advantage of unique underwater environ. But then, one scene may make you for a second think that you are watching planet Tatooine (Star Wars) or the trailer of "Dune" (filming, as a matter of fact, wouldn't be started until 2019). The best set piece, however, is on land, in a picturesque Sicilian seaside village: marriage of best action and best scenery.
Momoa, with cool posing and jaw-dropping moves, is a credit to the comic character he is recreating ("recreating" because the original DC Aquaman in the comic book looks very different). Heard complements him well. Kidman elevates the otherwise run-of-the-mill scenes to fitting emotional levels. Defoe handles with professional ease his "paycheck role" (as opposed to his role in "Florida Project" last year that was Oscar caliber).