Aquaman

Score:  B-

Directed by James Wan
Starring Jason Mamoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, et. al.
Running time: 143 minutes
Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  The famous yet often belittled superhero Aquaman finally gets his own movie, led by Jason Mamoa and as part of the DC Extended Universe franchise.  Mamoa is a strong lead, with more attitude and humor than most of his DC kin, but despite some big names, the rest of the cast doesn't quite shine like those from a certain *other* superhero studio.  James Wan guides this fairly standard superhero vessel steadily, but often cliched sentiments and extended action overshadow the good elements.  Go see it for a popcorn adventure ride, otherwise save it for Netflix.


In 1980s Maine, a lighthouse keeper rescues an underwater princess, Atlanna (Kidman), who he finds injured on the shore.  The two become close, but eventually Atlanna returns to Atlantis, her underwater kingdom, knowing that her people will never allow her to stay.  Thirty years later, their son, Arthur (Mamoa), patrols the high seas, yet lives on land among humans.  Another Atlantean princess - Mera (Heard) - comes to find him, warning him that his half-brother, Prince Orm (Wilson), is planning an attack on the "surface world".  Although he has long ago rejected the half of his heritage that dwells in the sea, he grudgingly joins Mera in an attempt to protect the other half.  Still, while Arthur's strength and abilities are formidable, he soon finds that he can't afford to remain ignorant to the ways of - and his role in - the incredible world beneath the waves.

Aquaman boasts an impressive cast, although the extent to which its talent is utilized varies.  Jason Mamoa, introduced in the role of Arthur (aka Aquaman) in Justice League, takes on the lead here.  A big, burly guy who's a bit thick but also funny, Mamoa and his character somewhat resemble Marvel's Chris Hemsworth/Thor.  His swaggering, devil may care attitude sets him apart from even his Marvel cousin, and as it tends to get him in trouble, the self-effacing humor that results is fun.  Sadly, rote plot requirements mean this gets downplayed as the film goes on, but as a primary mode it serves him well as an entertaining lead.  Amber Heard plays Mera, and to the film's credit she gets a significant role and one that is only minimally the "love interest".  Unfortunately, what she gets to work with is not all that interesting, and it doesn't help that Heard isn't able to come up with a distinctive angle to play it so Mera ends up as little more than a faithful sidekick.  Veteran actors Nicole Kidman and Willem Dafoe both get considerable roles as Queen Atlanna and her advisor Vulko, respectively, and both show up for more than just the paycheck.  Kidman is a natural underwater royal and is also invested in her familial roles, while Dafoe is a steady, no-nonsense presence that you're still not one hundred-percent trusting (after all his other roles, probably not even fifty).  Rounding it up, Patrick Wilson does a solid job toeing the line as the bad yet not villainous Prince Orm, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen hams it up a bit too much in a superfluous fanboy role as "Black Manta".

Aquaman is a solidly entertaining superhero movie, but its adherence to formula and overreliance on more (of everything) waters down the genuine quality bits that can be found.  The structure is quite familiar; this is really an origin film, even if we've seen the character before (similar to Wonder Woman).  As that other DC film showed, a certain lack of originality in this is not necessarily bad, but the prologue illustrates how it fails here.  Kidman does her best, but the circumstance is somehow both ridiculous and dull, and the CGI youth-ification of the actors doesn't help.  Even the irreverent Mamoa gets dragged eventually into the heavy and tired harping on his outsider ("half-breed") status and what he was "born to be".  For a decent portion early on - after the prologue - Mamoa's smirking attitude rights the ship, such as at a seaside bar scene and in little asides during fights or as Mera guides him to Atlantis.  Once we get there, by the way, it is a pretty impressive sight: the sheer scale and detail of this underwater world are absorbingly colorful and alive.  It's all fantastical of course, but this frees the designers to be more creative, from bucking and roaring shark "steeds" to a 360-degree labyrinth of floating structures.  It's also easy to buy into the nature of underwater interactions, with gently bobbing bodies and floating hair.  On the other hand, unfortunately, the action scenes are generally too big, long, and similar, from a chase scene on land in Sicily (which had promise) to the gigantic final battle.  There are some highlights, certainly, such as close quarters combat on a sub and a creepy nighttime encounter with sea bug-like drones, and those somewhere in between like the Arthur-Orm duels.  They show the potential here for something better, something with a more intimate focus on the innovative strengths present rather than another blown up spectacle.

***

Aquaman is another solid superhero film for DC Comics, but it also shows that they are still definitively second class, compared to Marvel.  Aquaman entered with a lot of advantages: it's the character's first solo film yet already fairly well-known; the lead is a charismatic rising star; and the underwater setting is different from others in the genre.  While the film does use each of those well to varying degrees, it's difficult not to think "Marvel would've done it better."  DC might have all the ingredients for success, but Marvel clearly holds the gold standard recipe.  Still, Aquaman can be worth a trip to the theater, if you're a fan of the genre or just want some high production value, escapist entertainment.




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