A Brief Review

Rating: 10/10 (16 December 2018)

Typical hero journey where the hero must face hardships and go through a trial to achieve the one thing he doesn't want-to become king. Right?
Not exactly. And it isn't quite so simple. Don't worry, I don't drop spoilers.
I mean, yes, we're definitely following the hero journey story line because it's a superhero movie, but there isn't much typical about this movie, much like there isn't anything typical about Jason Momoa. "Aquaman" is filled with comedy and drama, love, exceptional action and horror that throws some fantastic jump-scare at its audience. The backstory is well done and touching. The comedy is timed perfectly, in my opinion, and quite hilarious. We're faced with more than one bad guy but also shown consequences of our actions. And by "our" I mean 'we the audience' as well as the characters.
We've already seen Momoa in this role in "Justice League," but this film, this movie, expands on that, and he is outstanding and was meant to play Arthur Curry. Of that, I have no doubt. Kinda like Ryan Reynolds is Deadpool. Nicole Kidman as Atlanna kicks ass, Amber Heard as Mera gives a great performance, and Willem Dafoe...what can I say? The man playing Vulko has been in both Marvel and DC movies, and his acting is stellar as always. Patrick Wilson gives a fabulous performance as the entitled King Orm, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II shows us a glimpse of Manta's humanity, albeit brief, and what one will do to exact revenge. James Wan ("Insidious," "Furious 7"), director, gives us visuals-holy sh!t the visuals-that are stunningly beautiful, and storytelling that is spot on and retains the momentum from Jenkins' "Wonder Woman," keeping the DCU's heart beating strong.
I don't know about you, but I think DC has finally figured out how to make movies. I will definitely be watching this again, and buying it.
"I dig it."