REVIEW | Aquaman (2018)

A son of the land. A king of the seas.
And a marine-monument of a movie.

That’s right folks — talking to fish is cool again.

Born of Atlantean royalty and human heritage, Arthur Curry uses his subaquatic superhuman abilities to protect those in nautical danger as the ‘secret sentry of the seas’ — Aquaman. But after the surface world is threatened with all-out war by King Orm and the kingdoms of the Atlantis. Arthur has to retrace his royal oceanic roots and unite both worlds as a worthy ruler, and the king of the seas — before they destroy each other.

*Minor spoilers for Aquaman ahead*

So the last time we saw ‘the dweller of the depths’ on screen, he was tangling with earth’s colourful enforcers of justice as a badass beach-bro in Justice League (2017). This time — instead of derailing his cinematic debut, Aquaman dials-up the surfer-dude superhero and takes you on a truly awesome journey across land and sea.

But if you’re somehow unaware of the legends behind Atlantis, unfamiliar with the comic book character, and have yet to watch DC’s recent cinematic efforts. Then you’ll find that this film actually makes for an excellent standalone movie as a self-contained undersea adventure.

With the amazing and frightening mysteries of the ocean, James Wan & Co. has created a living, water-breathing world away from boring ol’ dry-land that properly absorbs you to great depths. Raising Atlantis from its mythology with attention to detail that could not be overstated.

And I mean elaborate props, immersive environment design, carefully scripted dialogue, a huge range of costumes — you need it, they’ve caught it.

No other movie offers (or has had any reason to have) such levels of submerged thrills, throwdowns, and technicality — think Asgard and the Nine Realms from Thor (2011) but underwater, or [loosely] like Star Wars of the sea.

It takes so much from so many places and submerges them in an awesome aquatic epic with excellent design, amazing visuals, and well-crafted characters. And by well-crafted — I mean characters that are written as impressively balanced personas for the film.

There’s relatable motives, humanised villains, and appreciable character depth to match the surface-level story.

I know I know — the story of Aquaman may seem shallower than you would like. But honestly, it goes swimmingly well with this film because it has so much more happening alongside the familiar reluctant-royalty narrative. And once you look past the surface — it transports you to a whole ‘nother world of water-filled wonder, curious cultures, and stunning sea-bound species.

Let’s just say, there’s a superhero-pearl unlike you’ve ever seen under its plain-looking shell.

It seriously makes up for all the conventional cues of the ‘zero-to-hero’ plot.

For every predictable pause, you get a remarkable set-piece as a backdrop. For every overused plot device, you get outstanding over-the-top action sequences. And for every cringe-worthy cliché, there’s always a pleasant surprise just around the corals.

Which reminds me — let’s talk about the superstar of the seven seas.

You might call me a film/comic book heretic for this, but Jason Momoa’s tatted-up rockstar Aquaman is translated on screen almost as harmonious as Robert Downey Jr.’s charismatic Iron Man. He absolutely owns the role of Arthur Curry with a portrayal unlike any comic book iteration of the character — which (I can say) you won’t be able to get enough of.

Almost like a modern-day version of the Hugh Jackman/Wolverine pairing — and you can only get these so often, y’know?

Also, if we’ve learned anything about great heroes — it’s that they’re only ever as good as their nemesis. And Aquaman already has a hammer-head start against most MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) entries in the bad-guy department.

Without spoiling anything, this film has prepared a dynamic diabolical-duo that delivers villainous variety, refreshing rivalry, and badass fight sequences. I mean, compared to losing a dance-off (looking at you, Guardians of the Galaxy) — these dudes make evildoers look really good.

Of course, I don’t have to tell you that director James Wan has an eye for action (just check out how outrageous the trailer for 2017's Furious 7 is). And without a doubt, he has blasted this movie out of the water with outstanding choreography, spectacular cinematography, and unimaginable scale.

From the angles of every sequence to the colour and composition of every frame. Aquaman goes beyond its action-packed ambition, with the efforts of a well-seasoned horror and blockbuster director and his team.

Despite being a huge fan of the great Zack Snyder’s early DC films (up until 2016's Dawn of Justice). I gotta say that even if the comic book titan has decided to stray away from the dark and gritty approach to their cinematic characters — Aquaman is a pretty great step out of the [alleged] MCU shadow.

Hauling the biggest catch of the day when it comes to movies focused on the sovereign power-struggle story, comprehensive world-building, and character depth where it counts.

To put it simply — this film definitely puts the ‘A’ in Action, Adventure, and downright Awesome.