Aquaman (2018 Film) Review
In his first movie, set one year after "Justice League," Arthur Curry/Aquaman sets out with a hydrokinetic named Mera to find a long-lost trident. The duo hope that this trident will help Arthur stop his half-brother named Orm from launching a war between Atlantis and the land-dwellers. Will they find the trident? Should I have picked a better poster? I don't care, I love this poster!
Jason Momoa reprises his role as Arthur Curry/Aquaman. Joining him, there's Amber Heard playing Mera, Patrick Wilson as Orm/Ocean Master, Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as David Kane/Black Manta, Temuera Morrison as Thomas Curry, and Nicole Kidman as Atlanna.
"Aquaman" was directed by James Wan, who you may know as the director of "Furious 7" and "The Conjuring 2." The film was written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall. Geoff Johns, Wan, and Beall produced the film. "Aquaman" was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Introduction
"Justice League" was many things. It thought too small for a large team-up adventure, had too many cooks in the kitchen to tell a cohesive story, and introduced new heroes to varying degrees of disappointment. Among the heroes introduced was Aquaman. Jason Momoa didn't make a terrible first impression, but the way he portrayed the character, while funny at first, got old fast and the writing didn't give him much personality beyond what Momoa was offering. This made me fear for the character's fast-approaching solo film, but in the year between the two films, I've become much more excited for "Aquaman" thanks to the trailers.
The trailers for "Aquaman" got me hyped for the film it was teasing. Maybe not immediately, but as more marketing came and I saw what director James Wan was offering up, my hopes for "Aquaman" were rising by the day. Not too high expectations, but I believed that the film would be one of the better DC films with the more promotional material I saw. Were my hopes for "Aquaman" justified, or too pie in the sky?
Overall Thoughts
No, they were not. "Aquaman" can now join "Man of Steel" and "Wonder Woman" as the very best that the DCEU has to offer. The performances are great, the story has more focus than previous DCEU films, and the action, CGI, and cinematography add a new angle to ever-growing field of superhero films. There are a few parts that are less impressive, but they do not overtly affect on the film and it's worth.The plotting is a bit sporadic. It doesn't always move at a great pace, but it's "find the MacGuffin" plot does feel fresh given the characters and world it's attached to. The clichés of the film's premise would bog the movie down if it didn't provide a whole new spin on it, which "Aquaman" does successfully. "Aquaman" is yet another "protagonist being destined for greater things," but it contains many of the qualities that made the story so timeless to begin with. It supports the drama of some of the main characters and even adds a small commentary on man's pollution of the ocean. It's not forbearing, but within the crux of the villain's motivation, it's a clever addition. Now, to make the distinction, "Aquaman" has commentary that isn't beaten over your head a dozen times. It's introduced and is always in the background where it should be. It plays second to the main story and characters who lead this movie to good fortune.
The Cast
They say that you only have one chance to make a first impression, but in the case of Aquaman that is not the case. To make up for lost time, Jason Momoa and the writers make Arthur Curry/Aquaman one of the greatest DC characters portrayed on the silver screen, and it's Aquaman! Any filmmaker can make Aquaman cool, but it takes the perfect team of filmmakers to make him an interesting character who you care deeply about and they do it.
He's better in this film than in "Justice League" because, apart from being given the lead role, the character is handled with better writing, a clearer sense of direction, and Momoa himself is allowed to exercise some untapped dramatic talent. The funny thing about "Aquaman" is that Momoa doesn't transform himself to fit this character. Aquaman is Momoa. Just watch the actor's interviews for this film and you'll realize that the wit and charisma in this film is exactly alike his real-life persona. Things aren't always dramatic. In actually, Momoa's dramatic scenes are few and far between him exercising his above-average comedic talent. When those scenes do show up though, the actor, motivated by a clear sense of love for his role, produces scenes full of heart and that heart spreads across to his co-stars.
It's downright refreshing to see both parents alive in a superhero film. Normally, either one parent dies, but it's often both and they're subsequently replaced by step-parents, uncles and aunts, or grandparents. "Aquaman" is a superhero film where you finally see the father and mother both parenting with their kid who's destined to be a superhero. It's wonderful, isn't it? I didn't see the resemblance before, but Jason Momoa does look like the probable offspring of Temuera Morrison and Nicole Kidman, so kudos to the casting director. Despite not having many scenes together, Momoa, Morrison, and Kidman share a camaraderie that make them feel like a real family on-screen. Morrison and Kidman open the film and their shared scenes are genuinely entertaining though they don't use many words. Their shared screen time is small and though not insanely interesting characters, you're delighted to know more about them and the pair throughout the film. Willem Dafoe's inclusion fares a similar way where you love to know more about him because he shares a strong connection to the main character. Dafoe manages to be so entertaining that he puts a simile on my face when he shows up. It's also great to see the actor in another superhero film. As it happens, now Dafoe can say that he's stared both in Marvel and DC film.
The character of Mera is a mixed bag for me. This is the one area where the writing was a little sketchy. While they supply the character with interesting views and opinions, the minute that the film highlights it, it's swiftly interrupted because the film has to make sure that the plot continues to progress, so either the location will change or an action sequence will ensue. They slowly come back to it, but it's interrupted once again for the same reason. It's a never-ending cycle that plays throughout the film. The character would have benefited if the film would have taken a few more minutes to fully expand on the character's ideals to make her more compelling. As for Amber Heard's performance, she's fine. Her acting is okay, it's not great like her co-stars, but she does justice to her character's thought-provoking perspective. The romance is your standard superhero fare. It's there, it's not required by the story, but having it doesn't detract from the main focus of the film.
Patrick Wilson's Orm is hardly the best part of the movie, but the actor's ability to deliver on his character's inner conflict justifies the fact that he's not in the movie a whole lot. Yes, while the actor puts effort into the scenes he's in, those scenes are few. It's a role that should have been more present in the narrative. Between his character's introduction and the final battle, we check in on how his masterplan is faring, but outside of a few creative water-based hologram appearances, he's barely involved with stopping the protagonists' mission. Instead, that's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's job as David Kane/Black Manta whose half-baked revenge plot isn't concealed by the fact that the filmmakers were able to make a character like Black Manta cool. He excels in the Sicily action sequence and disappears from the rest of the film after that. You reflect on the film and think about how great he was in that sequence, but then are disappointed by the swift reminder of his absence from the rest of the film. Without a doubt, he was the one character where the film got ahead of itself by trying to leave a plot thread open for a sequel.
Action/CGI/Score
In the action sequences department, while full of energy, the past DCEU film have had an unfortunate penchant for having action sequences take place in dark environments. Not only has it grown tiresome, but it hinders one's ability to actually see what happens in the fight. Luckily, "Aquaman" changes things.
Director James Wan inputs bright colors into "Aquaman" and the action sequences benefit from its inclusion because of the diversity it brings. Ergo, the new visual style provides newfound energy to the sequences themselves. Wan's cinematographer, Don Burgess, amplifies the immersive qualities of this world, resulting in fight sequences that feel real. For me, the Sicily sequence was the highlight of the action. The mix of colors, the tracking, cinematography, and added character investment created a fight that outshined the rest. Luckily, Aquaman didn't go against any Sicilians while death was on the line. Sure, the third-act battle was pretty to look at, but it wasn't as energized and went by too fast for me to soak up everything that was happening.
There was a time when an underwater world such as this could only be portrayed either in animation or using CGI that, while achieving its goal, still had its limitations. In comes "Aquaman" and we have a film that moves technology to the next level, fitting in live-action humans in an underwater environment unlike any other. The trailers are small potatoes. Only seeing the movie will allow you to believe all the technological wizardry merely being teased in those trailers.
Lately, superhero filmmaking has been a vehicle for CGI evolution. Take "Doctor Strange" for an example. The main takeaway from that film was how it utilized CGI to create environments that were considered psychedelic. Unlike that film, "Aquaman" has more than just impressive effects keeping it afloat, but still, the CGI work is remarkable. How they mix actors into this underwater world is puzzles me. I guess others more well-versed in their CGI might know, but I follow CGI techniques somewhat and even I didn't know how this was done. Atlantis itself looks amazing. You never question its presence, which has been a problem with past DCEU films, even the best ones. It's all rendered to perfection, not one frame looks like it wasn't rendered properly. The only downside of this work is that it's not on the shortlist for this year's Oscar for Best Visual Effects? For shame.
Within the film, the score for "Aquaman" impresses. It's got an aquatic feel to it, similar to the "Finding Nemo" films. Out of all the scores that have utilized it lately, it's the best use of the synthesizer, creating a mystique and sense of awe around Atlantis. Choir is featured to play throughout the film's more epic moments. Pardon the pun, but it all blends swimmingly together.
However, while I can tell you what techniques it had, I couldn't hum to you any of the music. Even after listening to it on its own, I can't remember the musical beats exactly. Compare that to Rupert Gregson-Williams's own score for "Wonder Woman." I can easily remember and hum the music he made for that film. Not so much this film.
The score has all the makings for one of the greatest superhero films scores of all time. It tries to be grand and epic, but it just isn't. Aquaman's theme tries to capture that sense of heroism, a theme that bolsters how brave and courageous it is, but it falls short. While I applaud the work done by Rupert Gregson-Williams, I believe that the music needed something special to elevate the rest of the soundtrack.
Grade: A-
Successfully introducing a whole new hero, "Aquaman" overcomes some rough waters with strong writing, wondrous CGI and cinematography, and appealing performances, making it one of the strongest films in the DCEU library.
For all the missteps they've made lately, this is one DC film you should see and in theaters. "Aquaman" demands that you see the film in the best format you can find, be it IMAX, 3D, or IMAX 3D. The underwater world is a treat for the eyes and seeing the film in one of the aforementioned formats would be the best course of action.
Conclusion
This has been my review for "Aquaman." I look forward to hearing your thoughts, both on my review and the film itself, if you've seen it that is. Feel free to suggest a film for me to review next. Thanks for reading, I'm Dallin, your resident Film Fanatic, and I'll be back soon with another editorial.
Comments
Post a Comment