Superhero film a wild, campy ride
You have to give credit to James Wan that “Aquaman” is as good as it is.
The “Saw” and “Conjuring” filmmaker doesn’t do anything halfway. He took a character from the hit-or-miss DC Comics Extended Universe — one best known from the HBO show “Entourage” and a brief “Justice League” appearance — and made the biggest, goofiest, craziest aquatic superhero action movie he could.
“Aquaman” is pure camp, wildly entertaining and an eye-popping spectacle. You have to admire the effort, scope and sheer audacity of everyone involved — especially Wan, who throws it all at the screen.
And, to his credit, most of it sticks, especially if you’re willing to dive right into the wacky ocean adventure.
Nicole Kidman sets the tone as a quirky mermaid who washes ashore and is rescued by a kindly lighthouse keeper, Tom (Temuera Morrison). She’s Queen Atlanna of the underwater kingdom Atlantis.
The fruit of their union is the hunky, long-haired Arthur (Jason Momoa), halfhuman, half-atlantean and bestowed with his mother’s unique oceangoing gifts — underwater breathing, super-strength, extremely good fighting skills — which
he applies to taking down high-tech pirates.
Wan assembled an esteemed cast to support Momoa and populate the fantastical undersea world, including Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundren, Amber Heard and frequent collaborator Patrick Wilson.