'Aquaman' Rights the DCEU Ship

The DCEU is in a bad shape.  After receiving lukewarm receptions for its first three installments (for the record, I mostly enjoyed all three, despite all their glaring problems), it finally scored its first big win with Wonder Woman.  Unfortunately, the follow-up Justice League failed to continue the momentum, and seemingly negated most of the goodwill Wonder Woman earned.  Later, the state of the DCEU only became bleaker as reports began to spread that Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill had bowed out of further continuing in their respective roles as Batman and Superman.  Thus, everyone’s eyes were on Aquaman, whether it would provide a spark of hope for the DCEU or it would drive the final nail in the coffin.  Fortunately, it turns out being as good as Wonder Woman – even maybe better.

Aquaman is the solo film of the Jason Momoa-portrayed superhero that was first introduced in Justice League.  It explores his origin via flashbacks – from being born from the forbidden love of a lighthouse keeper (Temuera Wilson) and an Atlantean queen (Nicole Kidman) to him discovering he can command sea creatures to his training period under Nuidis Vulko (Willem Dafoe), his mother’s trusted advisor – but it’s not necessarily another superhero origin narrative.  It’s set a year after the events of Justice League, and the main storyline starts off with the fact that Arthur Curry a.k.a. Aquaman has been operating as the guardian of the seas for a long time already (something that was actually first established as far back as Batman v Superman).

However, none of what he’s ever experienced is the same as his next challenge: saving the surface world from an impending Atlantean invasion led by his half-brother Orm a.k.a. Ocean Master (Patrick Wilson), who has assumed the throne of Atlantis.  To stop Orm, Arthur must prove that he’s the rightful king.  However, in order to do so, he must first recover the long-lost Trident of Atlan, the first ruler of Atlantis.  With the help of the Atlantean princess Mera (Amber Heard), he must travel the globe and search for clues to its location.  Meanwhile, Orm tasks a vengeful mercenary by the name of Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) to hunt them down.

Aquaman is familiar yet imaginative.  There are elements that are reminiscent of the MCU films Thor and Black Panther.  There are tropes of Shakesperean storytelling and Arthurian legend that pop out here and there in its narrative.  However, as a whole, it doesn’t come off as a hodge-podge of clichés.  Rather, by having a little bit of everything from various genres – superhero, comedy, drama, science fiction, fantasy, and even horror – it somehow projects itself as the type of comic book movie that no one has ever seen before.

In relation to this, the plot seems to have enough material for two movies.  As a result, amid its lengthy but still limited runtime (143 minutes), there are plot threads that are never drawn out as they should, information not given time to gel, and questions left unanswered in the end.  Strangely, in spite of this, this film never feels cluttered at all.  Director James Wan astoundingly kept the film from getting derailed at any point.

Wan does this by bombarding the audience with fun and spectacle, which prevents anyone from dwelling too much on any noticed flaws.  And in generating entertainment value, he manages to go for the maximum amount of being bombastic without crossing the line toward being obnoxious or cringe-worthy.  It also definitely helps that there’s an apparent self-awareness involved.  Wan clearly has the intention to appeal to the kind of sensibilities that have loved cheesy, over-the-top stuff like those inherent in cartoons or 80’s pop culture.  Thus, by having a vision and knowing his boundaries, he successfully creates a generally pleasing product.

Kudos also to the visual artists, fight choreographers, production designers, and others that worked with Wan to craft the film’s abundance of gorgeously rendered sceneries, epic set pieces, and riveting fight scenes.  If nothing else, Aquaman is a supremely delightful treat for the eyes.

As for the humor, it serves its purpose.  Though there are a few times the jokes fall flat, the presence of comedy as a whole effectively enhances the film’s entertainment value.  There’s, however, this one hilarious scene involving Mera and flowers where I involuntarily let out a loud burst of laughter in the theater.

Speaking of humor, Jason Momoa is one funny dude.  He seems to be the type you would love to hang out with in real life.  And this endearing personality strongly manifests in his portrayal of his character.  He’s like the Robert Downey, Jr. of the DCEU.  Moreover, he’s also oozing with masculinity, and his physicality in bringing Arthur Curry to life makes him a believable badass.  For a long time, Aquaman was a comic book punchline, and it was only in the recent New 52 incarnation where he was treated seriously again.  But now, thanks to Jason Momoa’s version, the character has gained tremendous value – maybe even an iconic status.

Meanwhile, Momoa’s leading lady Amber Head is steaming hot as Mera.  Honestly, I never really knew who she is prior this movie.  Googling her, I realized I had already seen her before in several movies.  But it’s only after Aquaman that her name is finally etched in my mind.

As of writing, Aquaman is just barely over the “fresh” mark in Rotten Tomatoes at 63%.  I have to shake my head because, for what I understand James Wan was going for (see five paragraphs earlier), it’s kind of genius.  It’s rough around the edges, true, but all in all, it’s a refreshing change of pace for the comic book movie genre.  Thus, it’s easily one of my most favorite films of the year.

In fact, between Oscar-buzzy Black Panther and Aquaman – two 2018 superhero movies that have an almost identical fighting-for-the-throne plotline – I actually enjoyed the latter more despite being less tight and thoughtful.