Aquaman

Rating: 6/10 (20 December 2018)

We first saw the popular DC Comics character when he joined the team in Justice League, this was the first full-length centred around him, and the sixth entry in the DC Extended Universe, which has been a mixed bag, I hoped for some improvement, directed by James Wan (Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring). Basically in Maine, lighthouse keeper Thomas "Tom" Curry (Temuera Morrison) rescues princess Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) from the underwater nation of Atlantis during a storm. She stays on land, they fall in love and have a son, Arthur (Kaan Guldur and Otis Dhanji), who is born with the power to communicate with marine lifeforms. Atlanna is forced to abandon her family and return to Atlantis, she gives her loyal advisor Nuidis Vulko (Willem Dafoe) the mission to train Arthur. With his guidance, Arthur becomes a skilled warrior but is rejected by the Atlanteans for being a half-breed and ultimately leaves Atlantis behind. One year after Steppenwolf's invasion, Arthur (Jason Momoa) confronts a group of pirates attempting to hijack a nuclear submarine. Their leader, Jesse Kane (Michael Beach), is trapped under rubble during the confrontation, he forces his son David (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) to leave him behind to drown, David vows revenge against Arthur. David later targets Atlantis at the behest of King Orm (Patrick Wilson), Arthur's younger half-brother and ruler of Atlantis who plans to declare war on the surface. King Nereus of Xebel (Dolph Lundgren) swears allegiance to Orm's cause, but his daughter Mera (Amber Heard), who is betrothed to Orm, refuses to aide them and journeys to the surface to ask Arthur for help, she earns his trust by saving Thomas from a tidal wave sent by Orm. Arthur reluctantly accompanies Mera to a rendezvous with Vulko, he says if he can find the Trident of Atlan, a magic artifact that once belonged to Atlantis' first ruler, he will reclaim his rightful place as king. They are ambushed by Orm's men and Mera and Vulko escape, while Arthur is captured, Orm visits Arthur in captivity and tells him Atlanna was executed for the crime of having a half-breed son, he blames Arthur and the surface for her death. Orm offers Arthur an opportunity to leave forever, but Arthur instead challenges him to a duel in a ring of underwater lava, Orm has the upper hand, but Arthur is rescued by Mera. Together, Arthur and Mera journey to the Sahara Desert to find information about the trident, a holographic message found in a chamber beneath the desert leads them to Sicily, where they retrieve the trident's coordinates. Meanwhile, Orm provides David with Atlantean armour and weaponry and sends him to stop them, he imprisons Vulko after learning of his betrayal, and coerces the remaining kingdoms of Atlantis to pledge allegiance to him and his campaign against the surface. In Sicily, David, now calling himself Black Manta, ambushes Arthur and Mera and injures Arthur before falling off a cliff to his apparent death. Mera nurses Arthur's wounds as they journey to find the trident, she encourages him to embrace his destiny as a hero. Arriving at their destination, Arthur and Mera are attacked by amphibious monsters known as The Trench, they manage to fend them off and enter a wormhole that transports them to an uncharted sea located at the centre of the Earth. They Arthur is shocked to be reunited with Atlanna, she was sacrificed to the Trench for her crimes, but she escaped them and reached the uncharted sea, where she has been stranded ever since. Arthur must face mythical leviathan Karathen (Dame Julie Andrews), who guards the trident, he voices his determination to protect both Atlantis and the surface, proves his worth and is able to reclaim the trident, which grants him control over the seven seas. Arthur, Mera, and Atlanna lead an army of marine creatures in battle against Orm and his followers, it is after learning that Arthur wields the trident and is the true king that the followers renounce their obedience to Orm. Arthur defeats Orm in combat but chooses to spare his half-brother's life, Orm accepts his fate after seeing that Arthur has found and rescued their mother. Atlanna returns to the surface to reunite with Thomas while Arthur ascends to the throne with Mera by his side. During the credits, Black Manta is rescued by Dr. Stephen Shin (Randall Park), he agrees to take the scientist obsessed with finding Atlantis to the underwater kingdom in exchange for his help in his revenge on Arthur. Also starring Ludi Lin as Captain Murk, Graham McTavish as King Atlan, Leigh Whannell as Cargo Pilot, John Rhys-Davies as the voice of the Brine King and Djimon Hounsou as the voice of King Ricou. Momoa does a great job as the charismatic Atlantean prince who has a destiny, Heard is compelling as his sexy red-head sidekick, Wilson is rather stiff as the villain, Kidman is really likeable, and Lundgren does alright as well. I will admit most of the dialogue is cheesy, it is ridiculous at times, and it is perhaps a little too long, but the special effects going underwater and on land are brilliant, and the fast-paced fight and explosive sequences are engaging, it is fun to watch, a worthwhile superhero action adventure. Good!