PG-13, 2h 23m – Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Expectations are a funny thing. The best thing to do when preparing to view or listen to a piece of art – theater, music, film – is to leave expectations at the door and let the creation wash over you.
Unfortunately that didn’t happen while I watched DC’s newest attempt to steer the Cinematic Universe ship back on course with “Aquaman,” after losing their bearings with average fare like “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” “Suicide Squad,” and the dismal “Justice League.”
The main problem “Aquaman” has is that it’s star – “Game of Thrones” alum, Jason Momoa – is not nearly leading material that, say, Gal Gadot was while giving us the fresh and exciting “Wonder Woman.” Momoa is in on the joke and is game to give it his all to make the film entertaining, but he is treading water in a sea of atrocious dialogue and boring interwoven stories that put the different kingdoms up against each other for who will become “Ocean Master.” This movie much more in common with the Star Wars prequels than the Princess from Themyscira, and that’s not a compliment.
Director James Wan (“The Conjuring 1 & 2”) throws everything he can at this film to see what will stick, and therein lies the problem; it’s a mess in story and tone. The film starts off well with a bit of background on how Aquaman’s parents (Nicole Kidman and Temuera Morrison who are cast highlights, respectively) came to meet and parent Momoa’s Arthur Curry, and this section works well. It’s human, takes its time and has heart. Once we meet the fish-man though, the film struggles with what it wants to be. Contrast this with other second tier comic characters like Marvel’s “Ant-Man” or “Guardians of the Galaxy,” two films that didn’t have the strong brand recognition, of say Spider-Man or Captain America, working for them, but knew what they were. You can see where the issue lies. Deep down, the Marvel films represent the joy of being a comic book film. Particularly “Guardians,” which took a small idea of the music the main character listens to and practically made the songs characters in the film.
Speaking of music, if “Justice League” (2017) had one redeeming quality it was the introduction of the new characters, notably Momoa’s Aquaman and Ezra Miller’s The Flash. That film set up Curry as the hard rock hero of the DC universe, complete with long hair, tattoos and dialog like “Hell yeah!” and “My Man!” This was the guy in the DC universe you would want to have a beer and listen to AC/DC with, so color me surprised when the music selection of the film wasn’t Metallica, Black Sabbath, or Van Halen (who was on Warner Bros. record label for years), but hits from the likes of Depeche Mode, Roy Orbison, Skylar Grey, and Pitbull in what I can only assume was an effort to appeal to the widest possible audience. These selections and their awful placement in the edit completely took me out of the movie.
The film centers around Aquaman being recruited by Amber Heard’s “Mara,” (who seems like Scarlett Johansson’s “Black Widow” doppelganger in this movie) who pushes Curry to win the throne and save Atlantis. After Aquaman hesitates, Heard comments on how he could judge a place he’s never been to. The same goes for the audience, who never sees why Atlantis is worth saving, other than large crowds of CGI citizens, the city’s politics, and breathtaking special effects that reminded me of an underwater “Blade Runner.”
DC and Warner Bros. found critical and box office momentum once in their last six attempts with 2017’s smash hit “Wonder Woman,” a film with a ton of heart, pitch-perfect casting and a strong sense of what a hero, and specifically what a comic book hero, should be. “Aquaman” never found this, even when it embraced the absurdity of the character. Being a badass does not make a great character.
Here’s hoping DC gets back on track with “Shazam” in April and “Wonder Woman 1984” in 2020. If they decide to take another shot at getting Superman or Batman right they would be wise to keep an old quote by William Shakespeare in mind:
“To Thine Own Self Be True.”
Aquaman is out now. You can follow this movie on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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