It looks like DC/WB got off their micro-management control box and let director James Wan do what he does best, and that's make fun, action-filled movies with a bit of story, a few plots and a film that is well worth the price of admission, no matter where you sit.
-
I love when a TV/film star you've enjoyed for years finally hits it big at the box office, and damn, did Jason Momoa hit it big indeed, playing the film's titular character of Aquaman.
It's a fun film where the ultra-professional critics, like at the NY Times will call it out as mediocre, but as far as I'm concerned, WB/DC just did one of their comic book franchise films justice by lettig James Wan do his thing and he did it well.
Some of the Atlantean's are played by Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson (as Arthur's half-brother), Dolph Lundgren, and Amber Heard as Mera. (And to be honest, I had to look hard at first to recognize Wilson, didn't catch that it was Kidman right off the bat, and Dolph Lundgren, totally evaded me, but looks good in his role!
We then meet one of Aquaman's more common, long running foes from the comics, Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) in an early adult-hood scene where Arthur defends a submarine crew from pirates.
Arthur Curry, AKA, The Aquaman, has his issues, dealing with being abandoned by his mother, then putting the blame on himself for what happens to her later after his birth, his "half-breed" birth of Atlantean and human. But as we learn, this is oe of those destined events in the cosmos.
-
The three acts of the film are broken up nicely into act one, with origins, act two, quests and challenges and act three where the ass-kicking action takes place. The film has a two-hour and twenty-three minute run time and is rated PG-13, but neither of these items works against the film. The pacing of story/action/story does not let you get bored or work against the film, and the pacing is such that you forget that you just sat down to a PG-13 film!
Each group faces their own challenges and the impetus behind the conflicts overall...
The Atlanteans, or some of them, are tired of the land dwellers polluting their oceans and what not, and we are privy to the political power struggles to bring the different realms of the oceans together to attack the surface dwellers. Seems like a reasonable perspective...
We have Arthur's own demons... because of him, things happened to his mother when she returned to Atlantis, he's a man with no real home, except for the love of his father, and to a point, does not feel like he owes anyone anything. Plus he has real issues with his being needed to bridge the gap between humans and Atlanteans. Why him? He wants to be left alone.
But he's convinced he needs to challenge for the throne to prevent the decimation of humanity and this leads to a quest through the different worlds or realms of what Atlantis represents, under the oceans.
-
The film was a fun ride thanks to Momoa. It's full of energy, character explanation and growth. The story does not let you get bored.
I was a bit confused about how the Atlantean women looked, where their outfits or armor gave them a weird look to their hips and legs, but that could have been the theater screen I was at. But the Atlantean armor does look pretty cool on the soldiers!
The conflicts of brotherly love, or lack thereof, family unity, the responsibilities of heritage and tackling the big challenges is an ongoing theme but not overdone or it's welcome worn out.
Oh, and yes, we get to see the full Aquaman look/costume by film's end. And yes, there's a mid-credit's scene.
-
Like I said, it's well worth the price of admission. IMDb users have rated it at 7.7 out of 10, but I'd go so far as to give it an easy popcorn 8! As one funny micro-review on Twitter put it, WB/DC finally made a good Marvel film! LOL...
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Follow Cinema Static on: 
Comments
Post a Comment
Apologies for the moderation mode. I presume you understand...