A True Underwater pleasure

Rating: 7/10 (22 December 2018)

So the best Aqua-version doesn't come from James Cameron and Vinnie Chase anymore but from James Wan and Jason Mamoa.
Mamoa is Arthur, the son of a love affair between a human and the fish queen of Atlantis. A grown-up Arthur wants nothing to do with his mother's kingdom but is called upon to stop his half-brother from starting a war with the surface world.
And Mamoa's got this, turning what is a silly looking character into a true Son of Anarchy. He checks off all the boxes, the physique, the brood, the macho rough-necking, and the funny.
Really the whole cast is excellent here. He's got good chemistry with Amber Heard, who trades comic barbs and personal lessons with him, and fights well, but will be remembered most for this.
Willem Dafoe shows up sporting a man bun as Arthur's former mentor, Nicole Kidman plays Arthur's mom.
Patrick Wilson plays the half-brother, he does a fine job, but runs into the problem that usually plagues Marvel villains of having nothing to do after a while.
I much preferred Manta, a villain with a legit reason for wanting revenge on Arthur.
Most of these fish people talk perfectly underwater, which is silly, but the way they're able to see underwater is a gorgeous effect that rivals Avatar.
Really everything from the action sequences, sets, costumes is a fantastical visual. Is it going for realism? Well at one point we see an octopus playing bongo drums so you tell me.
Point is- it's pretty zany mix of things you might see in a Thor film and Pixar film and it's fun.
Much of this focuses on a magical trident and fish people angry over pollution. Do we care? To a point. 2 hours and 20 minutes of this is a little much though and there should have been more of an effort to curb that.
Overall this is fun, thrilling, and a visual pleasure with a real star turn from Mamoa. You'll want to see it on a big screen.
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