AQUAMAN & WONDER WOMAN SAVE THE DCEU!

Rating: 9/10 (4 January 2019)

It looks as though the DCEU has some hope! Between the success Wonder Woman had and now Aquaman, there is some light at the end of the tunnel after all. The DCEU now has room to restructure their semi folly flicks/runs via the Justice League & Suicide Squad. Or does it? The reason why I say this is that it looks as though the DCEU movieverse does better with their standalone character driven films than it does when they're relayed as a team. Perhaps it was a matter of bad timing. I humbly think they should have introduced their primary standalone character films first before rushing in team collaborated feature films. Trying to catch up with marvel seemed to have been the plan, the folly there was marvel has been good at their movieverse craft for quite some time now. DC should have just paced themselves one character at a time.
But enough of the loom and gloom, this was supposed to be a positive review and thus it shall be. To be frank I didn't expect the film to be as good as it was. And admittedly had my doubts and reservations. Don't get me wrong I thought it was going to be fun but fun in a goofy way (not that I was expecting the whole thing to be goofy, just more so than not). But to my surprise there was less goofiness and more straight up fun. Not only that, but there were dark yet mystical elements to the film as well, supplemented with a dash of wittiness and character. Albeit the style that was presented in this film wasn't over the top, nor was it lowly either, but in my humble opinion, done just right (from a comic book world perspective). From the telling tale of Arthur Curry (Aquaman) to the general creation and lore of the world around him, I really didn't want it to end and yearned for more. And it made me feel like that slightly more so than when I watched Wonder Woman (as much as I also greatly appreciated that film).
Now it's no secret that to portray Atlantis properly, there would have to be some heavy CGI. And I will say it was done just right - considering current CGI technologies (plus budget allowance). The architecture presented both modern Atlantis and old sectors as well. To describe the way it was done would be harder said than seen. The rich textures and lush colors at so many turns, let alone the style of structures utilized created a mythical magic about Atlantis unlike seen before, part of which included Atlantean technological advancements. Of course I did see some areas that I thought needed more attention to detail, but my overall admiration of what was presented far outweighed my nitpickiness. The only real way to describe what Atlantis is like in this movie is to go see it yourself.
The actors did an admirable job! As someone who reads Aquaman comics, I had a tough time seeing Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry/Aquaman. Let's face it, Arthur from the comics and Arthur in this film look very different. And although I've been a fan of Jason Momoa's roles in both Stargate Atlantis (no pun intended) and Game of Thrones - I just couldn't visualize Jason hitting the mark as Aquaman. And to my surprise he did just that, especially as a DCEU extension of the character, he did a fantastic job! Just as Arthur, Jason delivered a bold, conflicted and sometimes misunderstood Aquaman, whilst showing us a prideful 'not easy to uncover' loving side as well.
The supporting cast was solid enough to do what they had to do & quite the impressive cast it was. Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master, Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko, Amber Heard as Mera, and even Dolph Lungren as King Nereus and more... Sometimes it's not the actors alone who make or break a film no matter who the actor/actress is, oftentimes it's the synergy of how the characters coalesce to one another that's an integral part of the process. Hence is why I reiterate this supporting cast was solid enough to do what they had to do and delivered a successful Aquaman film.
I must admit, when I see non comic book readers critique a comic book film, it makes me cringe (not always but a fair amount of times). Which is why in my humble opinion when seeing a Superhero film, don't rely on such critics too much, and sometimes this includes comic book reader critics too. Go in with an open mind and judge for yourself the world that's being presented to you. A comic book movieverse is one of those rare exceptions where relying on your own critiquing is a much better way of validating your liking or disliking of any one of these films over other critics themselves.
As for me, I really relished this film. It had all the elements required to portray Aquaman and the world around him. From the storytelling and the lore presented to the characters themselves and the laid out visuals. Go see it, and lean on your own genuine open minded critiquing when you do see it.