I think most of you that read this blog know that I was excited about this movie. Jason Momoa was one of the best things about Justice League and he definitely shines in his own movie. I thought the movie itself was everything I wanted in an Aquaman movie.
Going into this movie, I never expected a deep movie, such as Black Panther. I was hoping for a fun time with some awesome action. And the movie delivered what I wanted. Look, it will not be up for any awards or anything like that, but it was fun. Exactly what it was supposed to be.
As far as DCEU movies go, I ranked it above Justice League and Suicide Squad, but below Wonder Woman. I like this new direction, instead of super serious and dark, there is fun and silliness (as there should be in comic book movies).
So to the movie…here are my stray thoughts (there will be SPOILERS):
-As I said, Jason Momoa was great as the titular character. They managed to keep him cool, but not as just the one-dimensional biker dude he was in JL (which was awesome, but probably not great for a full movie).
-The story was fairly straightforward. Arthur is half-human, half-Atlantean. He is the first-born son of the queen and rightful heir to Atlantis. HIs half-brother wants to unite the underwater kingdoms and then start a war with the surface.
-I thought Patrick Wilson was great as Orm. Also, they were able to turn Ocean Master into a title instead of a cheesy villain name. I have always liked Wilson as an actor and I was surprised by the amount of depth he brought the character. Like Michael B. Jordan in Black Panther, this villain is not wrong. The humans have made a mess of the oceans. The Atlanteans have a right to be angry. Orm loves his mother and by the end of the movie, he seems to accept that Arthur is king (not just because he defeated him, but also because of his abilities). If there is a sequel, will we see Orm as maybe an adviser to the king?
-Amber Heard was great as Mera. I loved the scene where she eats the flowers. Her abilities were a little fuzzy, she can control some water? She can turn wine into spears? Actually, I could complain that most Atlanteans seem to have vague abilities and powers. Only Arthur can commune with marine animals, Mera controls water, etc. I think they tried to explain it at some point, but it was vague (I wonder if there is a deleted somewhere that expounds upon the people).
-The movie was long. There was tons of action and they did a great job of mixing in two villains. Black Manta does not play a huge role (probably a set-up for the a sequel), but when he is on screen, they do a good job of using him. However, the movie felt like it got to the end and just needed to wrap up and the writers went “how about a massive underwater war, where Arthur shows up as king and defeats Orm.”
-One of the sillier things about the movie is the explanations of how Atlantis exists. They were technologically advanced people who used their science to find ways to survive underwater. I mean, it sounds good, but if the kingdom sank all of a sudden, I highly doubt someone would be able to whip up some cool tech to keep everyone alive. Especially if their tech was not created to work underwater. Do not take this is as a complaint, just something I had to ignore. I would have almost preferred they go with some gods explanation. Such as Poseidon punished them for having such great power, but Zeus felt bad for them, so he gave them the ability to survive underwater. We already accepted the Greek gods as real in Wonder Woman.
-The humor was great throughout the movie. I loved when Mera kisses Arthur and afterwards he is like “what is the plan again?” Their entire adventure in the desert and then in Sicily was hilarious. “I could have peed on it.” Or Arthur not remembering the message.
Anyways, if you want to see an enjoyable movie then I definitely recommend seeing Aquaman. Or if you think Jason Momoa is super hot, then go see it for that. Either way, go check it out.
