Rewind Review – Aquaman (2018) – “All Hail…King Arthur!”
Who says talking to fish ain’t cool?
Starting off clunky, but picking up and finishing strong, Aquaman does what was long-thought impossible: It made the character cool.
Jason Momoa’s charisma shines through in his performance. His character of Arthur Curry is a smart-ass, first and foremost—a big kid in a world of growly, grumpy adults. He’s never not absolutely astounded by everything he sees around him…that inborne curiosity of being the product of two very different—yet ultimately eerily-similar worlds. He’s cocky, but his abilities and the way he carries himself in both the surface world and down in Atlantis speak loudly for him. Funny and fierce, Momoa’s Aquaman beams likability—I could not see anyone else being cast in the role, at this juncture. Not a fan of the long-running Game of Thrones series, and only ever seeing him in this role—in BvS and the ill-fated Justice League of 2017—I had my expectations pretty much set. If there was one thing I’d take away from this movie, it’s that he would steal the show. He did.
Amber Heard is cool, as well, as the powerful, if sometimes marginalized Mera. Their inevitable romance is a bit shoehorned in, but the actors play off each other well. Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring films, Watchmen) returns with his long-time movie partner Wan for one of, if not the best antagonist role in the DCEU. King Orm isn’t complicated in his mission or motivations, but he believes he is right in them, and that is the deadliest aspect of a great antagonist: Believing they are the protagonist in their own story. Willem Dafoe, Randall Park (Ant-Man & the Wasp, Fresh Off the Boat), Nicole Kidman, Dolph Lundgren, John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Julie Andrews, herself—voicing the mighty Kraken—Djimon Hounsou, and Temuera Morrison (Once Were Warriors, the Star Wars prequel trilogy) all make great appearances in the film, too—some more in-depth than others, but nonetheless entertaining to watch. This is a dynamic film, and it needed dynamic performers to fill it out.
Wan and company did the multiple villain thing well, too. Other comic book movies have tripped over the amount of villains they’ve tried to include, whether we’re rooting for them or against them. Black Manta, especially, and the foil relationship he has with his father, in relation to Arthur and his dad, is cool to see, from a storytelling point-of-view. He’s a compelling villain, and Filmento on YouTube poses a great argument for, like with Orm, Manta being the avenging Batman to Arthur’s assumed Superman mentality—I’ll link the video below. I take my villains like I take my ocean trenches: Deep and dark and brimming with mystery.
Hats off to James Wan. The effervescent visuals of Atlantis, itself, and the way Wan shoots stuff—both on dry land and “in the water” is fantastic. Found myself going—on multiple occasions—“Ah… Oh… My God, this man knows how to shoot a film!” The angles he chooses to shoot from in some sequences, framing of certain shots so the characters are center, but also not all that we’re meant to focus on, how all the action is so well-choreographed…it’s all great. I could go over this thing a hundred times with a fine-toothed comb, and still not be able to pick out every last visual tid-bit. I was able to pick out all the inspirations behind the many sea creatures in this, though—neat to see an artist’s rendition on them all, making every one visually individual. Costume- and set-design are also well-done, making even the slower scenes feel alive and corporeal, even if the set isn’t, exactly, in the real world.
Full of meta-humor, pop culture references, a sweet score and killer soundtrack, and an end-credits scroll that not only is entertaining, but also hints at the sequel, Aquaman—like Shazam! that followed it—is the way Warner should keep doing their DC movies: With visionary directors that take a chance to make even the darkest of stories…just a little bit more breezy and audience-minded. Nearly every aspect of this film floored me. Put off by some of the de-aging effects, I have very few qualms with Aquaman.
From the characters and their oft-complicated relationships, to the visuals and the pure comic book feel, James Wan has done it again.
Final ‘Risk Assessment: *****/.
LINK: “Aquaman – The Choice That Saved A Movie” by Filmento
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