'Aquaman' A Review

Aquaman is a superhero movie, the latest in DC's attempt to compete with Marvel, this time with some actual success. The movie opens in 1985 at a lighthouse and the meeting of Aquaman aka Arthur's parents one human(Temuera Morrison) and one Atlantian(Nicole Kidman). Flashfoward to a year after the events of Justice League and Aquaman(Jason Momoa) is being the superhero he is saving a Russian submarine from a group of hijackers. Uh-oh! Turns out those hijackers are in league with Aquaman's half-brother, war-hungry Atlantian King Orm(Patrick Wilson). Aquaman must confront his past and perhaps reclaim his birthright in order to save the land dwelling humans.

Momoa brings his everyman-fratboy charm to bare to relative success and anchors the light almost campy tone of the movie. Balance out by the more sincere portrayls of his onscreen parents Kidman and Morrison. Wilson goes full-on teeth-nashing mustache-twirling villain which is pleasing for what it is. Heard as Mera Aquaman's defacto partner and love interesting is given the relatively thankless role of babysitter and near constant expositional conduit. With Willem Dafoe as Aquaman's teacher, in flashbacks, and current kings adviser he gives one of the most flat and lifeless performances of his career. The story doesn't necessarily require the cast to go beyond the minimal so the wild variance in tone from performance to performance doesn't particularly matter but it is odd.

Rich visuals and compelling action sequences are clearly the focus and as such succeed significantly beyond that of the character arcs. Director James Wan is adept at large scale, with two set piece sequences, Aquaman and Mera fleeing the rift creatures and the concluding battle, having a sense of scale, chaos, but also coherence. Humor, broadness, and a goofy sincerity run through the movie, differentiating it from DC's previous propensity for bleak nihilism.

Mild popcorn entertainment, impressive only in context to DC's recent litany of failures.

Stream It.