Writer: David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick
Director: James Wan
Cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, and Yahya Abdul Mateen II
After the Justice League’s defeat of Steppenwolf, Aquaman is back to living the loner life saving the occasional ship at sea. His solitude is interrupted by the beautiful Princess Mera. She needs him to come to Atlantis at once, his mother’s homeland is in danger and only the true king may save it. Atlantis is being ruled by Aquaman’s power-hungry brother King Orm, who has decided to unite the kingdoms of the sea and wage war on the land. His zeal for war threatens the peace and safety of all of Atlantis. Mera must convince Aquaman that he is more than just a hero, he is the rightful heir to the throne, the king Atlantis needs. Though doubtful of his birthright, Aquaman lends his support and vows to vanquish the threats to Atlantis while discovering the truth about himself.
In the DCEU timeline, the events of this movie occur just after the end of 2017’s Justice League. It begins with a flashback to Aquaman’s origins, starting with the fateful meeting of his parents and his eventual conception. Nicole Kidman is transformed into a young Queen Atlanna, who goes against her royal blood and falls in love with a kindhearted lighthouse keeper. She’s a stoic kick-ass queen who deftly fights off armed guards, who threaten the safety of her young son. To protect the young prince she decides to return to the depths of the seas leaving behind young Arthur Curry and his loving father. Upon her return to Atlantis, she is forced to marry her betrothed and sires another son, King Orm, Aquaman’s half-brother. While Arthur grew up on land with little knowledge of Atlantis, his brother grew up as the prince of Atlantis fueling his drive to be king. King Orm’s political ambitions are what forces Aquaman under the sea to challenge the throne. The story is as old as time itself, one brother against the other with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Though predictable, the story is a good one and moves at an enjoyable pace, without a single dull moment. Most of the film takes place underwater and the underwater scenes are absolutely breathtaking, especially in IMAX. As the characters float freely and zoom through underwater cities, it as though you are on their coattails riding the same waves through Atlantis. The sea is surprisingly filled with light and glowing creatures, similar to the world of James Cameron’s Avatar, except under the sea.
Hawaiian heartthrob Jason Momoa is the one and only Aquaman. He was born to play this role. He is larger than life in both personality and physique with a unique sense of humor. We got our first glimpse of Momoa as the aquatic hero in 2017’s Justice League film. Though the film was universally panned by critics, Momoa’s light-hearted often comedic approach to Aquaman was a hit with all audiences. His performance created a significant buzz which was enhanced by numerous appearances, trailers, and teasers. This new adaptation of Aquaman is a far cry from any version we’ve experienced. Many comic book fans regard Aquaman as the least respected member of the Justice League, a gang of crime fighters which includes heavy hitters, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. With this franchise, Aquaman is slowly carving out his own little niche with a growing following of avid fans. This is the first Aquaman movie and features no mention of the Justice League. There are no cameos from any of the team members, the rest of the crew is noticeably absent and honestly not missed. Momoa holds his own, carrying the film with his trademark humor and icy glare. Director James Wan took full advantage in exploiting Momoa’s infamous gaze using it in nearly every scene. Every few minutes there is either a closeup of him glaring or a reason for him to turn and look over his shoulder with a sneer. This is clearly a tongue in cheek reference to the star’s growing popularity and notoriety as a heartthrob. The constant hair flips and turns are like a running joke that gets funnier with every scene.
Speaking of hair flips, Amber Heard does her fair share of hair-raising flips as Princess Mera, Aquaman’s partner, and love interest. Though her appearance is eerily similar to a certain little mermaid, we assure you she will not burst into song. She does eat a rose though, which was a cute way to display her lack of surface world knowledge. Comic book fans will note the movie version of Mera is a much softer gentler adaptation of the character who in the comics evolves from a supporting character into a fearsome hero. In the comics, Mera eventually becomes Queen of Atlantis, the wife of Aquaman. If granted a sequel we are sure they will allow this love story to play out, Heard and Momoa have amazing chemistry.
In addition to Aquaman, this film also gives us the origins of Aquaman’s arch-nemesis Black Manta. Comic enthusiasts will recall Manta’s story as one of abuse and neglect. In the comics, he has two origin stories. One as a kidnapped youngster abused by captors and the other as an autistic young man held captive in Gotham’s Arkham Asylum. Neither is depicted in the film. In the film, he is a pirate who has a fateful run-in with Aquaman resulting in a death which Aquaman could have prevented but did not. This slight fuels a rivalry and will at the very least set the framework for the next Aquaman feature. Yahya Abdul Mateen II is good as the dastardly Black Manta. His origin story is similar to many DC villains, in that his villainy is borne of revenge and slowly descends into madness. We look forward to seeing how this character evolves.
Aquaman is a campy thrill ride into a newer lighter DC universe. The films preceding this origin story, have been dark and grisly by comparison. Fans of Justice League will recall the notable shift with the introduction of Flash and Aquaman. Their presence provided a much-needed dose of humor to the franchise. This film capitalizes on that momentum and the well-documented playfulness of star Jason Momoa to create a genuinely fun movie. After a year of digressive campaigning and a month of appearances and teasers, Aquaman finally hits theaters this weekend (December 21, 2018). Flawed and all Aquaman may struggle to live up to the hype but for us, it was well worth the wait.