Director James Wan and actor Jason Mamoa have done what many
considered impossible. They’ve taken the comic book character of Aquaman, long
considered to be the lamest of comic book heroes, and turned him into one of
the coolest action stars on film. Not an easy task and yet together they make
it appear easy.
The film opens in the past when a wounded Queen Atlanna
(Nicole Kidman) washes ashore near a lighthouse in Maine in 1985. Thomas Curry
(Temuera Morrison), the lighthouse keeper, finds her and takes her to his home,
nursing her back to health. The pair fall in love and soon have a child
together they name Arthur. But the forces of Atlantis, searching for Atlanna,
have found her and come to take her back failing to do so when she battles them
off. Realizing the only way to keep Arthur safe is to return she does so.
Years later a group of tech pirates led by Jesse Kane
(Michael Beach) along with his son David (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) attempt to
steal a Russian sub killing those on board they encounter. But their plans are
foiled when the now grown Arthur (Mamoa) lifts the sub to the surface, boards
it and takes out the pirates. When a hand to hand battle finds David fall
Arthur is shot by Jesse only to rise again. As he attempts to leave, Jesse
shoots at him dislodging a missile that pins him. Unable to lift the missile
David pleads for help and Arthur refuses leaving them behind. David is forced
to leave his father behind to die and swears revenge.
Once more time passes and now we move on to the undersea
world of Atlantis where King Orm (Patrick Wilson) is trying to unite the
undersea kingdoms to attack the surface world in retaliation for the constant
damage they do to the seas. By his side is advisor Nuidis Vulko (Willem Defoe) who
has secretly been training Arthur at the request of the now dead queen. Before
Orm can unite the various underwater tribes Mera (Amber Heard), the daughter of
King Nereus (Dolph Lundgren) king of one of these tribes, seeks Arthur for his
help in stopping Orm.
Arthur refuses saying he wants nothing to do with the
undersea kingdom. Mera warns him that this won’t stop Orm from attacking the
surface world. As Arthur drives his father home a tidal wave hits the shore and
only the assistance of Mera can help him save him. This is the first launch of
Orm’s attack and causes Arthur to reconsider.
Traveling to Atlantis he learns about a long lost trident
that only someone worthy is supposed to be able to wield. He just needs to find
it. Before he and Mera can set about their quest they are found by Orm’s men
and a face-off between the two step-brothers must take place. All of this and
we’re not even half way through the movie! But it sets in motion the search for
the trident, Arthur’s change from super-powered mortal to potential ruler of
the sea and the possible salvation of Atlantis and the world. Not bad for a
first solo outing for the character.
So what makes it exceptional? I’m slowly becoming a movie
goer who is tired of the overuse of special effects in films. But at the same
time I’m aware that movies about superheroes lend themselves to special effects
just to present them properly. And this film does exactly that, using them to
surround the action and not take over. The undersea world of Atlantis is a view
to behold, a combination of light and texture fueled by color that delights the
eyes. Wan’s experience with effects in previous films lends itself well on that
count. The entire team behind the film has done an amazing job.
But if the character comes off too corny or too serious the
film would fall flat as well. Mamoa does a fantastic job here combining the
right amount of humor with the muscle bound super heroics needed to bring the
character to life. He does so with ease making the character not only
believable but actually cool in the process. He even makes the much mocked
orange and green outfit associated with Aquaman look great.
DC films haven’t fared as well as the Marvel films in the
past and the main reason I’ve always felt was their compulsion to portray their
comic universe as dark and gritty. Even the bright colored costume of Superman
somehow turned dark. With WONDER WOMAN and now this film they’re taking a new
direction and the box office has shown it’s working. Hopefully they’ll continue
down this path. AQUAMAN is an adventure, a love story, a comic book hero tale
and a movie that doesn’t overdo the message about pollution so much that it
damages the rest of the film. Kids will love the character, moms will drool
over Mamoa and dads will enjoy the action. It’s a movie that the entire family
can and should enjoy more than once. I know it will take a place on my shelf.
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