Aquaman (2018) - Review

It's hard to imagine that James Wan's 'Aquaman' would've arrived as fully-formed and utterly bonkers as it is prior to Marvel Studios' world takeover. Prior to the juggernaut successes of the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, Warner Bros Pictures would have more than likely favoured a down-to-earth, serious version of the story - why else did they cast Jason Momoa for Zack Snyder's ultra-serious 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'? Thankfully, Momoa has some comedy chops, and James Wan went ahead and made the first Aquaman film a hell of a ride.

'Aquaman' is a very busy film at the end of the day, trying to remain a standalone entry whilst also following on from last year's 'Justice League' in a "we don't know if 'Justice League' was successful yet so we'll mention it and then carry on like normal" sort of way. In part because the character was left so underdeveloped in his team-up movie though, Jason Momoa actually gets something of a character arc across this film, but it all feels a little muddled from the off. The usual superhero exposition is more intense in 'Aquaman', mainly because they actually need to explain everything to the audience, and also that they want the audience to get on board with it all. An extended prologue feels somewhat superfluous, and one has to question whether or not the film could have emphasised it's two protagonists earlier on as opposed to Nicole Kidman staring at things.

It takes quite a while for the film to really find it's footing, but when it does 'Aquaman' turns into a big Saturday morning cartoon, with cheesy dialogue, O.T.T. action set-pieces and an overall sense of fun. Earlier on, the film suffers from not quite settling on a tone. Our secondary antagonist Black Manta is set-up as a sympathetic villain, but his arc is so painfully obvious that his big emotional moments just feel a bit silly. In fact, the entire plot is very predictable, and the film has very little in the way of twists to keep you truly engaged in an otherwise thin story. As much as 'Aquaman' keeps jumping from location-to-location and showing off the incredible talent of the production team, I did start to wonder if the story could've used some trimming here and there. Probably would've lowered the budget too, which from the looks of it all must have been insane.

Saying all that, the film is big, bold and colourful, and whilst the visual effects do sometimes look a bit rubbery, there's so much creativity and imagination that I have to let them off somewhat. I'm amazed Warner Bros let James Wan go as far as he does with the visuals. The acting, however, is a bit mixed, and that's partly down to the writing. Amber Heard's Mera arrives fully-formed, and whilst she's a definite standout, she doesn't really go anywhere as a character. Jason Momoa's Arthur Curry / Aquaman is a lot of fun, but I do wonder if the crossover between Zack Snyder's vision for the character and James Wan clashes a bit too much. Momoa is unsurprisingly threatening in the role, but straddles the line between "too cool for school with a bottle of whisky" Aquaman we met in 'Justice League' and Wan's more goofy character. Willem Dafoe spouts endless exposition but feels ultimately wasted without a proper character to play, whilst everyone else feels like they're on autopilot. The thin characterisation doesn't help, but neither do some of the dialogue. Each character likes to very casually explain their alias to us, whether it be "call me...Ocean Master" or "I am...Aquaman" - and it gets a bit silly after a while, even if it does add to the film's Saturday Morning Cartoon vibe.

On the whole, I think 'Aquaman' is a pretty good film. It's bold and silly enough to keep you entertained, but the story has little to offer and the writing is a bit naff at points. It's a great technical achievement, but I imagine that with a better screenplay it could've been something genuinely special. As it is though, it's a win for DC, and a good time at the cinema.