Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Aquaman’

Written by Mike Cervantes

There’s an interesting dynamic going on within the Snyder-originated DC cinematic universe at this time. The want to mirror the success of Marvel’s highly successful universe has led there to be a movie where Batman battles Superman, and several superheroes collaborate to do battle with a single threat, but the most popular movies of the bunch have remained the ones where we are seeing the origins of these characters for the very first time. Seeing the mythic origins of Wonder Woman in her 2017 film, and seeing Aquaman in this film, have made for the most rejuvenating films of the Snyder-verse, but then, I suppose, they then have to take a break from that so they can help BATMAN do something...and then we have to take another break from THAT to watch Batman’s presumed villains form another SUICIDE SQUAD….What a drag.

The side-effect that the Snyderverse has on this film is fundamental to the character of Arthur Curry/Aquaman, played here once again by Jason Momoa. This Aquaman has already effectively saved the world once, in 2017’s Justice League, and has accomplished that while still being a land-dwelling Atlantean without an eighth of the power he has in the comics or any other media. After an introductory detour where we learn about Aquaman’s parents, Thomas Curry (Temuera Morrison) and Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), a conflict immediately rises when Aquaman’s full-blood half-brother Orm Marius, or Ocean Master, as the movie immediately reminds you, dumps all the ocean’s garbage on the land as a preemptive strike in a war he wishes to have against land dwellers.

While Ocean Master scrambles to place every sentient form of ocean life under his dictatorial heel, Aquaman is slowly convinced by King Nereus’ daughter Mera (Amber Heard, also reprising her role from Justice League) to seek the Trident of Atlan, a magical weapon once owned by Atlantis’ most benign ruler. Aquaman is, of course, reluctant to go out of his way to procure something that seems like it’s just a token of royalty, and at first takes the fight directly to Orm, who predictably wipes the floor with him. Meanwhile, Aquaman is being hunted by an oddly nationless pirate named David Kane (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who is seeking revenge, as Aquaman left his father to die on a sub they were pirating.

The film unfolds in a completely predictable manner. There are scenes where Mera helps the wayward Aquaman appreciate the Atleantean way of life, followed by detours where Arthur does the same for her as she first visits the land. There are flashbacks to Aquaman’s upbringing, peppered by moments where he’s given limited-run Atlantean training by Vizier Nuidis Vulko (Willem Dafoe), and of course the mystic trials that reveal that the Trident they are seeking is more than just an undersea insignia ring. Of course, the nadir of Aquaman’s ability to surpass Orm’s iron-fisted rule is that he is not just a king, he is a hero…

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It is all pretty paper-doll, cookie cutter, peanut butter and jelly superhero subtext, but still much appreciated because we all know…it could have been Justice League. There are a few moments that breach even the flimsy path of realism the film provides, like the fact every subtle romantic moment is interrupted by a literal explosion. Did Arthur and Mera almost kiss? Oh well. KABOOM! Then there’s the moment when Mateen’s Kane puts on the oversized helmet of his comic counterpart, Black Manta, and he loses all semblance of the urbane, angry, Earth-dwelling pirate he plays though the movie to become a wholly CG, Darth Vader-esque…mirror to his comic counterpart.
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More than anything, I have to applaud this movie for its pacing. I’ve always believed that these superhero flicks live and die based on their ability to cover their often universally heady ground without making the audience squirm in their seats cringing, and Aquaman accomplishes this fluidly. It’s the ability of this film, and Wonder Woman, once again, to make the viewer a part of its fantastical setting, which makes this the highlight of the overall DC cinematic universe so far. We’re not just stitching together quilts made partially out of The Dark Knight Returns and Death of Superman here. We are taking the time to build a foundation using the lore to tell stories of DC superheroes who up until this point haven’t had the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of their more popular contemporaries.

So, this is a very good film. Highly recommended, and definitely worth a watch in the theaters. The future of this series of films is still up in the air, or rather, awash in a sea of directors’ different Joker vanity projects, but once again this proves to be a solid first entry into what will hopefully lead to a future of a particular superhero’s cinematic adventures. 

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