It’s become way
too easy to poo-poo the DC films that have come out in the last six
years. They’re not very good and pretty hard to defend. Of course
there have been some bright spots and her name is Diana. “Wonder Woman” is easily the best entry but finally a film has come along
that is just as entertaining and visually stunning: “Aquaman.”
It’s not nearly the dreadful experience as the other DC films. And
to be frank, I didn’t absolutely hate any of them except for
“Suicide Squad” and even that trainwreck had a few bright spots
(or at least one; thank you Margot Robbie). Thankfully, this latest
entry, about the water-dwelling metahuman Arthur Curry is an absolute
delight from start to finish. Filled with colorful, fantastic
cinematography, moments of campy humor, ridiculous drama, a fun
retro-infused film score, and well-choreographed action scenes,
“Aquaman” easily stands out as one of the best DC films. While
it’s not quite as good, this is easily the “Thor: Ragnarok” of
the DC extended universe.
Yes, “Aquaman”
is kind of silly and that’s because the character Aquaman is kind
of silly. But director James Wan makes it all work somehow. The man,
who began his career making solid horror films has recently extending
into bigger budget action films (like the incredible Furious Seven)
proving that even with a huge budget you can make a fun, CGI-filled
adventure that isn’t overwrought and stupid. Wan brings a much
needed sense of color and wonder to this usually drab DC universe.
While the film still has its serious moments of Shakespearean drama,
the film relies more on fun visuals, humor, thrilling fight sequences
and breathtaking action. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will
Bealls generally hokey and bloated script is simply an excuse to film awesome
fights and action. And at this point in the world of DC I’m ok with
that. And it’s mostly because it’s all staged rather well; and
the actors are good enough that we somewhat care about them.
There are so many
positives here that this movie sort of feels like the “Citizen
Kane” of the recent DC films. It’s visually wonderful – the
colors, the computer generated environments are beautifully realized.
The film makes me excited to see what James Cameron has in store for
his underwater world in the next “Avatar” film. The computer
works is actually quite remarkable. Sure some shots of characters
darting across the screen like bullets are a bit silly, but generally
this stuff works. Hair flows realistically underwater and the
characters actually sound like they’re underwater. And considering
a majority of the time they’re riding around on sharks and other
sea monsters, I pretty much bought into it.
In the role of
Aquaman, Jason Mamoa - for all his exotic good looks - is actually
quite a charming screen presence much in the same way Gal Gadot was
in total control of “Wonder Woman.” Whether his sort of
sidekick/love interest Amber Heard has the same presence is debatable
(She doesn’t). Half the time I kept thinking Scarlett Johansson had
wandered into the film from the MCU. Patrick Wilson is fine as
Aquaman’s villainous half brother. And if you ever wanted to see
Willem Dafoe or Dolph Lundgren ride around on sea creatures here you
go. The script doesn’t quite know what to do with a secondary Power
Rangers-like villain that eventually shows up named Manta (Yahya
Abdul-Mateen II) but the entire Sicily sequence, most of which
doesn’t take place in water, is impressively well-staged and
directed. These playful side adventures were right out of Indiana
Jones and were a welcomed treat in a series of film known more for
doom and gloom that sheer fun. And I can’t say enough great things
about Nicole Kidman who kicks utter as as Arthur’s Atlantean
mother.
“Aquaman” is a
surprisingly fun adventure – maybe it goes on a bit too long –
but the film is a massive improvement on everything that came before
it. This and “Wonder Woman” are fantastic pieces of popcorn
entertainment. The movie is beautifully realized but the supremely
talented James Wan – I can’t wait see what adventures await him.
He’s the rare director who made the jump from smaller films to big
budget extravaganzas with impressive ease. GRADE: B+
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