Aquaman follows the archetypal “man without a country”, that man in this film being Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), a super-powered half human, half Atlantean also known to the world as the superhero Aquaman. Arthur’s genetic homeland of Atlantis is an underwater kingdom once ruled by his mother Queen Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), who temporarily fled an arranged marriage in her homeland for Earth’s surface where she met Arthur’s father Thomas (Temuera Morrison) and fell in love before being forced to return home. This tortured conception for Arthur now follows his life, with the hero never truly feeling as if he belongs to one world or the other. Now an adult, Arthur is pressured by Princess Mera (Amber Heard) to claim his birthright to Atlantis’ throne by challenging his half brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) and putting a stop to Orm’s plan to invade Earth’s surface in revenge for its pollution of the oceans. With assistance from royal counselor Vulko (Willem Dafoe), Arthur must retrieve the legendary Trident of Atlan and become King while coming to terms with his identity.
Arthur’s half man, half Atlantean background and storyline serve as the basis of his character arc, with Arthur finally accepting what makes him unique allowing him to truly reach the heights that he is capable of. While Arthur’s origins include being half imbued with amazing superpowers, his journey and struggles do mirror and call to mind those of people in our reality who come from mixed backgrounds and experience the uncertainty and mistreatment that comes with having each foot in a different world. Jason Momoa himself is half white, half Pacific Islander and he has said the decision by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder to meld those experiences into the canonically blonde hair, blue eyed character of Aquaman meant a lot to him and gave his participation in the project added importance for what it could offer to viewers, particularly younger ones. And Aquaman does succeed in not only successfully using a biracial, Pacific Islander superhero to turn an oft-mocked superhero into a cool one, but displaying some of that struggle to gather a sense of belonging and the resulting isolation through the character. The choice of not only a brown, biracial Aquaman but a litany of diverse castmembers gives the movie an international feel, most likely aided by Australian-Malaysian director James Wan and his previous experience of the global hit franchise Fast and Furious. Aquaman includes a lot of contemporary, high BPM music by artists like Pitbull and Depeche Mode in its non-score playlist which did throw me for a loop in the beginning and I initially thought to be a befuddling, terrible choice. But as I considered the film’s cast, director, and the director’s previous works, Aquaman utilizing music superstars with huge international fanbases made more sense and therefore became a little more forgivable. The movie is unique in the genre of superhero movies with its cast and lead and it feels like the genre’s first international superhero. And Wan’s previous experience with Fast and Furious would of course bleed through here, with the director bringing that international style and flavor on his big budget work to his next big budget project. Why then, wouldn’t its soundtrack match these elements? Sure, we’re used to superhero movies and their orchestral scores, but unique films should fully embrace what makes them unique and different, even if it will take some getting used to.
Director James Wan unveils his full mastery of technical camera work and cinematography in Aquaman alongside director of photography Don Burgess. The film’s fight sequences are shot in a mesmerizing way, full of 360 degree camera rotation one-shots. The technique makes the fight scenes standout from anything else you’ve seen in the genre before adding intensity, some artistic flash, and supplying the usual superhero movie confrontations with a little more edge and flair. In addition to the eye-popping fight scene camera work, Wan employs breathtaking scene transitions that flow so naturally and tightly from one to the other, at times you cannot tell when one scene ends and the next begins. As a film set in the depths of Earth’s oceans, Aquaman is heavily reliant on CGI and the famed visual effects studio Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) hit a home run with its effects work here, crafting a dreamland of the sea full of vibrantly illuminated technology and environments that seem real and free of any tells of computer assistance. The way the characters and creatures of the deep move underwater conveys all the feeling of true aquatic movements which is incredible to achieve with only green screen and harnesses as a starting point. All of the technical wizardry combines to give Aquaman a unique feel that, just ten years ago, would have been the talk of the film world. That the film didn’t even make the final contenders list for visual effects at the Academy Awards is a testament to how the steady flow of superhero films, and CGI blockbusters in general, post-Avengers and post-Star Wars prequel trilogy has created a certain jadedness in audiences and critics alike when it comes to expectations surrounding these types of films.
In addition to its stunning visuals, Aquaman’s other clear win is the chemistry and performances of its cast. Jason Momoa and Amber Heard are dynamite together as Arthur and Mera, working capably as a team and believably developing a friendship that blossoms into romance by movie’s end. Much of the movie is dependent on them coming across as a likable duo that plays well off of each other and Momoa and Heard knock it out of the park. Both are charming and confident when in their respective elements of land for Arthur and sea for Mera, and awed fish out of water when in foreign environments. In my showing of the movie, the crowd had a notable reaction to nearly every line or action from Momoa when he appeared onscreen. Aquaman will make him a movie star. Heard is both strong and capable as a love interest with her capabilities and strengths, coming across as a partner and at times superior to Arthur rather than a damsel to be saved. Patrick Wilson also plays the duplicitous, conniving Orm well, portraying exactly what you’d believe an entitled heir to be. His villainous motivations make sense and like any decent villain, contain a tinge of truth. Nicole Kidman is extremely good as Queen Atlanna, with her ability as an actress taking a small pivotal role and acting so well in it she elevates it to a level that makes it feel as big as the main characters. She and Temuera Morrison’s chemistry supplies the film with its other romantic plot line that also works well. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II does well as second villain Black Manta but only has a small supporting role with obvious setup for future films. He has potential to be a really compelling main nemesis for Aquaman if he is allowed to be as gritty and dark onscreen as the character has the potential to be.
Aquaman is a complete visual spectacle in the most complementary sense of the word. The visual effects work is remarkable and in a different time, would probably be lauded in a way more worthy of what the team at ILM accomplished. The film does seem a bit overstuffed at times due to the sheer volume of ground and world-building that director James Wan must cover in introducing the audience to the vast world and history of Atlantis. Despite how much content is packed into the movie, you never feel overwhelmed or bored and the movie still flows well. The story is a little basic as well and Orm’s environmental motivations could have been explored more deeply, making him a more compelling villain in that regard. Still, Wan’s execution of Arthur’s identity crisis and the family drama behind the throne make the story one viewers remain invested in. Tonally, the movie combines camp and seriousness that can take you zipping from one end to the next in jarring ways. Comic book movies are pressured to be as light and comedic as possible in modern times and toeing the line between the serious and funny can be treacherous and Aquaman missteps in a couple moments. A good example slight tonal misstep of this is the scene where the historic blood feud between Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and Aquaman is established. Wan masterfully depicts why their feud is so personal and intense onscreen for the first time but the conclusion of their first encounter ends extremely mellow-dramatically almost to the point of undercutting everything that came before. With all that being said, the tonal shifts aren’t enough to tank the movie and are completely forgiven by a third act that is probably in the top four ever filmed in the genre alongside The Dark Knight, Man of Steel, and Avengers: Infinity War. Aquaman’s third act combines the CGI action expected from these movies in a fresh way through an underwater war sequence that has to be seen on the big screen to be believed, emotional character and story beats that emphasize the relationships built throughout the movie, and a one-on-one fight that avoids the staleness we’ve become accustomed to in comic book movie climaxes. It ensured that both the movie and audiences’ minds ended on a high note. Only time will tell what Aquaman’s staying power as a movie will be. In terms of its story, the movie does not have quite the feel of timelessness that the genre’s highs like The Dark Knight, Wonder Woman, or Man of Steel and upon my first and only viewing feels like yet another comic book entry many may forget they watched in three months time. On the other hand, Man of Steel was not an instant classic and instead built up a legion of admirers that came to view it as such through constant repeat airings and viewings on weekend cable TV showings, something that I could also see happening here with Aquaman as well over time as people get the chance to see it multiple times. Visually, it is a stunner that may provide a blueprint for any marine based films to come in the future, opening up an entire new world to be explored to the fullest cinematically. Whatever its fate, if you’re looking for an entertaining popcorn movie this holiday season, Aquaman should top your list.
Image: Warner Bros.
