Erupt: Aquaman - Movie Review
A Dive into the Bizarre
It’s safe to say that the DC Extended Universe has been going through a bit of a rough patch of late. Its most anticipated film, Justice League, was a critical and commercial failure. Reports indicate that Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill are not likely to reprise their roles in the upcoming DC films.
The DCEU is going through some major tectonic shifts and is clearly lagging behind its Marvel counterpart at the moment.
Aquaman, the latest installment of the franchise, has been released worldwide against this backdrop of turmoil and indecision. The film is directed by James Wan, known for box office hits such as The Conjuring and Furious 7. Under his direction, Aquaman seems to have learned from the mistakes of its predecessors and has managed to portray a decent, albeit a tad unconventional, origin story of its titular hero.
Jason Momoa plays Arthur Curry/Aquaman, a product of a forbidden romance between a “surface-dweller” and an Atlantean queen, Atlanna (Nicole Kidman). From a young age, Arthur begins exhibiting his Atlantean parentage, such as his ability to communicate with fish through telepathic rings.
Eventually, he dons the role of Aquaman and takes up the responsibility of stopping a massive attack on the surface world by the underwater Atlanteans manipulated by his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson). He receives some help from an underwater princess, Mera (Amber Heard), who realises that the half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur is the only person capable of uniting the two warring worlds.
Aquaman cleverly explores the themes of self-identity and family through the eyes of its protagonist.
Momoa undoubtedly dominates every scene he’s in, and is successful in adding much-needed layers of depth to the brutish-looking man shown in Justice League. He is ably supported by Heard, who provides a refreshing retreat from the damsel-in-distress trope, and portrays Mera as a powerful superhero in her own right. Kidman’s role as a conflicted mother and queen along with Wilson’s portrayal of a misunderstood egomaniac adds to the all-round impressive performance of the cast.
Unfortunately, the film doesn’t really fulfill its full potential. It is plagued by a mediocre plot and an over-reliance on CGI. The storytelling is erratic and is replete with clichéd dialogues and corny one-liners. The setting up of the antagonist Black Manta could’ve been executed differently.
However, the stunning imagery, brilliant soundtrack and exhilarating action sequences do a fine job of trying to make up for its flaws. Credit must be given to James Wan for steering the franchise from the Zach Snyder-era of overt darkness and plot holes into something that is unapologetic enough to embrace its comic book roots.
Aquaman may not be the revolutionary Black Panther-esque film that DCEU needs, but it is a welcome respite for a franchise that seemed to prioritize forced superhero team-ups over individual character development.
With international earnings already set to cross the $200 million mark, Aquaman has turned out to be a rare commercial success for the DCEU. Despite its obvious shortcomings, the film manages to captivate the moviegoer for the most part, and is definitely a fun popcorn flick to watch.
This article was written in collaboration with Antony Terence and Abhishek Ramachandran.
