Aquaman
Fantasy adventure. With Jason Momoa, Amber Heard and Willem Defoe. Director: James Wan. 13DLPV. The son of a lighthouse keeper (Temuera Morrison) and a queen (Nicole Kidman) of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, the superhuman Arthur Curry (Momoa) is contacted by Atlantean princess Mera (Heard), who warns that his half-brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson), wants to unite the people of the sea against those on the surface. It’s up to Arthur to stop Orm by taking his rightful place as king of Atlantis.
Following the massive success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, competitor DC hastily scrambled to create its own, but these films felt rushed and ill-conceived. Then Wonder Woman (2017) – a standalone movie not focused on setting up other films – became a critical and commercial hit. DC seems to have learnt its lesson and follows suit with Aquaman.
In many ways this fantasy adventure resembles Marvel’s Thor. Set in an operatic, mythology-based world and centred on a brash royal heir who must first mature before earning the right to rule, the film could easily have turned into a cheesy, bloated mess. But like Thor director Kenneth Branagh, Wan avoids all the potential pitfalls.
The film is built on the strong foundation of a traditional quest plot, which allows Wan to add elaborate set pieces without losing track of the story. These sequences are truly striking, bringing to life dazzling creatures and settings previously only seen on the covers of fantasy novels.
But whenever the film threatens to get too pompous, Wan throws in some knowing humour to lighten the mood, a lot of which comes from his refreshingly unusual leading man. Casting an actor who looks nothing like the comic book character he plays immediately sets Aquaman apart, and the charismatic Momoa is just as good at comedy as he is at action. He also capably portrays Arthur’s growth from a lunkheaded loner to a hero worth rooting for.
It’s great that Mera isn’t just a love interest but a strong, heroic figure who drives much of the action, while Kidman and Morrison manage to make their characters’ love story unexpectedly moving.
There are too many explosions while an unnecessary subplot featuring another villain slows down the pace, but there hasn’t been a blockbuster this epic and visually vibrant since Avatar (2009).