Enjoyable Enough

Rating: 7/10 (21 January 2019)

Full disclosure, the only other DCEU film I have seen is Suicide Squad. I am not emotionally invested in this franchise. I went to see Aquaman because it involves one of my favourite actor/director combos; Patrick Wilson and James Wan. (And the fact that Jason Momoa plays the lead didn't hurt.) Wan's horror films are elevated above the genre because of the character drama and I was hoping that would be the case with Aquaman too. The story is fairly predictable, but that's forgivable, and the characters do have some quirks outside the general tropes for this type of film. Maybe unrealistically, I wanted a little less action and a few more quieter, character driven moments. Patrick Wilson was the standout for me, a nuanced and captivating performance. Temuera Morrison was great too. (The opening sequence telling Tom and Atlanna's story was one of my favorite parts of the film.) The difficulty I had was getting on board with Arthur's journey, not because he wasn't likeable, he was, Jason Momoa does a fine job, it's the fact that Arthur's motivation is weak and selfish at times, and that I kind of agree with Orm. Humanity is destroying the world's oceans, and should be held accountable for it. I also found the final battle scene disturbing if I'm honest. The way the sea creatures were used as weapons with no regard for the fact that they are living beings. It didn't feel like the way a king, or hero, should treat them. The visuals are undoubtedly spectacular, the special effects are beautifully crafted and a pleasure to watch. Overall, Aquaman isn't the best film you'll ever see, but it certainly isn't the worst.