AQUAMAN review - Dragon Ball Sea
(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
Aquaman is a 2018 superhero adventure film directed by James Wan. Featuring Jason Mamoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, it naturally follows the iconic DC hero in his first solo film. Despite receiving a mixed critical reception, it appears audiences were happy to have this as a pallette cleanser after the disastrous Justice League, as it dominated the box office. I came into this with an open mind, despite loathing Man of Steel so much I actively avoided everything Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan touched in the DCEU for years--after all, I fucking loved Shazam!, so DC has some good live-action films finally. And you know what? I dug this one well enough.
I am not a groupie for James Wan's work, as I typically avoid horror films. But I am well aware of his work and his reputation, which I know to be generally positive. With Aquaman, Wan brings his directorial talents to my kinda trash--delivering what is easily DC's most visually stunning (in a good way (*glares at Man of Steel*)) movie yet. This thing oozes color and verve, which is what you'd want from Aquaman--not dreary bullshit.
The fight scenes in this are pretty ridiculous, basically turning into a Dragon Ball Z style game of who has more power than who. It's goofy, but also fun. There aren't enough underwater stories in general, and Aquaman makes an effective argument for there to be more with some neat environments--even if the cyberpunk influences do make it feel a tad too Black Panther-ish. And then there is the hedonistic aeshetic pleasure for people who are into dudes or girls, which I don't think I'm supposed to talk about because "such and such decorum"... but I will anyway, because I'm a proud hedonist. These two leads are extremely attractive, and that's cool, even if our beauty standards are ridiculous and we could do with more body type diversity in media.
This is a big dumb action movie, and I can give those a certain amount of leeway in areas such as story, etc. if they're fun at the end of the day. Aquaman gets away with what is on paper a drab, predictable hero's journey by being wacky, charming, and adventurous. This ain't Indiana Jones, but it does succeed in constantly having cool new locales to see which make it feel more sprawling than it is. No moment in particular is iconic necessarily--save for perhaps its momentary venture into almost horror territory--but it's overall solid.
The characters may not be the most richly detailed and literary out there, but Mamoa and Heard do a good job keeping things interesting. Heard, I would say, steals the show though, and I would prefer a Mera film as she is a lot, lot, lot cooler. Mamoa is an affable lughead and a neat presence, but does a decent job selling his character's arc. While the two leads have a fair amount of chemistry on-screen, the relationship between them feels like it lacks that spark. Which is a shame, as Arthur and Mera are a top-notch couple in the comics. Here, I don't buy that they have gone from hating each other to lovers. Maybe friends. It's one of those movies where two really attractive people get it on and that's supposed to be interesting. There are jokes, and they're good, even if they don't have me cackling like the best something... say Guardians, would have to offer.
Aquaman is a sign of good things for this still fledgling DCEU. It's a goober of a movie, yeah, but it's fun. And I prefer fun that has no pretenses about itself to the glum, pretense-drenched nonsense this studio was pumping out prior to Wonder Woman (which I still haven't finished). I could legit see myself enjoying an Aquaman 2. The only pre-WW DCEU movie I'm interested in seeing the follow-up to at this point is The Suicide Squad (and that's only because of James Gunn). Aquaman gets an 8.5/10.
Great
Summary:
Brainless: yes. Enjoyable: yes. Aquaman: sure.
Aquaman is a 2018 superhero adventure film directed by James Wan. Featuring Jason Mamoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, it naturally follows the iconic DC hero in his first solo film. Despite receiving a mixed critical reception, it appears audiences were happy to have this as a pallette cleanser after the disastrous Justice League, as it dominated the box office. I came into this with an open mind, despite loathing Man of Steel so much I actively avoided everything Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan touched in the DCEU for years--after all, I fucking loved Shazam!, so DC has some good live-action films finally. And you know what? I dug this one well enough.
(poster by Yutthaphong Kaewsuk)
I am not a groupie for James Wan's work, as I typically avoid horror films. But I am well aware of his work and his reputation, which I know to be generally positive. With Aquaman, Wan brings his directorial talents to my kinda trash--delivering what is easily DC's most visually stunning (in a good way (*glares at Man of Steel*)) movie yet. This thing oozes color and verve, which is what you'd want from Aquaman--not dreary bullshit.
The fight scenes in this are pretty ridiculous, basically turning into a Dragon Ball Z style game of who has more power than who. It's goofy, but also fun. There aren't enough underwater stories in general, and Aquaman makes an effective argument for there to be more with some neat environments--even if the cyberpunk influences do make it feel a tad too Black Panther-ish. And then there is the hedonistic aeshetic pleasure for people who are into dudes or girls, which I don't think I'm supposed to talk about because "such and such decorum"... but I will anyway, because I'm a proud hedonist. These two leads are extremely attractive, and that's cool, even if our beauty standards are ridiculous and we could do with more body type diversity in media.
This is a big dumb action movie, and I can give those a certain amount of leeway in areas such as story, etc. if they're fun at the end of the day. Aquaman gets away with what is on paper a drab, predictable hero's journey by being wacky, charming, and adventurous. This ain't Indiana Jones, but it does succeed in constantly having cool new locales to see which make it feel more sprawling than it is. No moment in particular is iconic necessarily--save for perhaps its momentary venture into almost horror territory--but it's overall solid.
The characters may not be the most richly detailed and literary out there, but Mamoa and Heard do a good job keeping things interesting. Heard, I would say, steals the show though, and I would prefer a Mera film as she is a lot, lot, lot cooler. Mamoa is an affable lughead and a neat presence, but does a decent job selling his character's arc. While the two leads have a fair amount of chemistry on-screen, the relationship between them feels like it lacks that spark. Which is a shame, as Arthur and Mera are a top-notch couple in the comics. Here, I don't buy that they have gone from hating each other to lovers. Maybe friends. It's one of those movies where two really attractive people get it on and that's supposed to be interesting. There are jokes, and they're good, even if they don't have me cackling like the best something... say Guardians, would have to offer.
Aquaman is a sign of good things for this still fledgling DCEU. It's a goober of a movie, yeah, but it's fun. And I prefer fun that has no pretenses about itself to the glum, pretense-drenched nonsense this studio was pumping out prior to Wonder Woman (which I still haven't finished). I could legit see myself enjoying an Aquaman 2. The only pre-WW DCEU movie I'm interested in seeing the follow-up to at this point is The Suicide Squad (and that's only because of James Gunn). Aquaman gets an 8.5/10.
Great
Summary:
Brainless: yes. Enjoyable: yes. Aquaman: sure.
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