Aquaman, mini movie review

 

 Rating: C+/B-

I've been struggling with this review for some time, to the point where I meant to write this a few weeks ago, but couldn't bring myself to the keyboard.  My family loved Aquaman, the DC comic origin story based off the character we met in Justice League.  What I faced was the conundrum I feel while watching many movies.  The battle between pure entertainment vs technical struggles covered up by a shiny veneer.

Aquaman is, at its surface, above the water if you will, a really fun movie.  A Summer flick released during the Winter.  A good ol' fashioned popcorn movie.  Don't think, be dazzled. There's a lot of dazzling.

Jason Momoa plays Arthur, Aquaman, a man trapped between two Worlds: land and ocean.  Part human/part Atlantean.  He's connected to the sea.  Is sensitive to marine life, as displayed during a flashback while he was a child visiting an aquarium.  He blames himself for his Mother's death, a woman of Atlantis royal birth.  He blames himself for quite a lot.

As the movie plays out we see Arthur find himself as he grows to become Aquaman.  No spoilers, as this is expected.  We've already met Aquaman in Justice League, which takes a great deal of edge off any mystery if Arthur will make it, as we already know he will.  We've already seen him in action, and because we know his future, a certain level of suspense is suspended.

The plot of Aquaman is crowded.  There's underwater wonder.  A dash of Indiana Jones.  War. Family clash.  Self discovery.  Flashbacks sprinkled here and there.  Hero's  Journey.  So many spliced together functioning parts that aspects of this story don't feel fully realized or explored.  Throw in there some corny lines and stilted dialogue.  And DC really needs to learn how to do proper facial CGI (I was a little distracted by the faces of some characters when they were made to look younger). 

But the special effects!  The scenery.  There's a lot of eye candy.

Overall Aquaman is a fun movie, and worth the watch, especially if you're into super hero movies.  One of the better DC movies.  I'm glad they're taking the time to make origin stories.  Justice League felt overcrowded simply because so many character had to be introduced before the story could really get going, dragging the movie down.  If you want a good escapist movie, Aquaman is a good detour out of reality.

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language.