THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED,
For years, there were viewers that had disliked Aquaman based on his comic book appearance and abilities, but I was one of few that liked him for being different from the rest. Development for a film of his own had been on the board since 2004, but that didn’t pick up any steam for a while. After the character appeared throughout the DC Extended Universe in a cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and a supporting role in Justice League, his popularity grew and his film became a reality in 2018.
PLOT
The film explores the orgin of Arthur Curry. His father Thomas Curry (Temuera Morrison), a lighthouse keeper, encountered his mother Atlanna, finding her unconscious at shore. After letting her recover at his lighthouse, they eventually fall in love and conceive Arthur. When he was a toddler, Atlantean soldiers attempted to retrieve because she fled from an arranged marriage. After defending herself, she chooses to go back to Atlantis, in order to protect her family. After she married King Orvax and conceived their child Orm. Arthur grew up the ability to communicate the creatures of the sea (talk to fish). He was trained by his mother’s advisor Vulko to become a skilled warrior. He would then resent Atlantis when discovering that Orvax sacrificed Atlanna to the Trench because of the discovery of him. Forwarding after Steppenwolf’s defeat, Curry continued to be a protector on the surface as Aquaman. He saves a Russian submarine from being hijacked by pirates. He fights the leader Jesse Kane (Michael Beach) and his son David. After withstanding the blast of a rocket, he stabs Jesse with a pipe from the sub. He leaves them behind as the submarine sinks after the pirate shoots at him, hitting the hull. When pinned under a torpedo, David attempts to save him but his father stays behind, making his son vow to kill Aquaman. In Atlantis, Orm Marius vows to attack the surface in order to end the ocean’s pollution. He is able to get King Nereus of Xebel (Dolph Lundgren) on his side after a submarine, secretly piloted by David (hired by Orm), attacks them. Nereus’ daughter, Y’Mera Xebella Challa aka Mera, warns Arthur that his half brother is planning his attack but he refuses to take a stand, continuing to hate the lost city for his mother’s death. He changes his mind when Orm summons a tsunami, almost killing Thomas. When meeting up with Vulko under the sea, they explain that once he gets four of Atlantis’ seven kingdoms, he will gain the mantle of Oceanmaster and will be allowed to legally attack the surface. The only way is to stop him is if Arthur dethrones him with the lost trident of King Atlan (Graham McTavish), the one weapon that can command the sea. When Atlantis used to live in the surface, their drive of power through technological advancements caused their downfall. However, the tech helped the city evolve, helping Atlanteans breathe but other kingdoms would be mutated. This downfall led to Atlan putting himself into exile. Before beginning the quest, Arthur gets arrested by officer Murk (Ludi Lin). Arthur meets Orm for the first time and challenges him to a duel. If Curry wins, Orms stops the invasion but if Marius wins, he kills his brother. This upsets Vulko and Mera because they know that Curry is inexperienced in fighting underwater. He predictably loses but Mera delays Orm’s killing blow in order for her and Curry to escape Atlantis and begin the quest. Their first stop is Sahara where Atlan’s trident was forged. They unlock a holographic message from the deceased king that they will find the coordinates of his trident at Sicily, Italy. Orm promises Nereus not to harm Mera when retrieving her, but again secretly hires David to go after her and Curry. He also gives him Atlantean weapons to give him an advantage, inspiring him to tweak it to his liking. Orm attempts to convince the Fisherman King (Djimon Hounsou) to join him but he turns him down. He then kills him in front of his family, forcing his heir to join him. He also imprisons Vulko, aware that he was aiding his brother. When Curry and Mera find the coordinates, David now named the ‘Black Manta’ attacks them both, accompanied by Atlantean commandos. Mera is able to take down the commandos with her hydrokinetic abilities. Arthur is able overcome Manta by damaging his suit, malfunctioning it and and throwing a pair of chain stone balls at him, causing him to fall off a cliff. Afterwards, the two Atlanteans follow the coordinates but encounter the carnivorous Trench. Both jump into a wormhole and enter an uncharted sea in the center of the Earth. They then discover the survived Atlanna, who was able to escape her demise through the wormhole as well. The only way to escape is with Atlan's trident, but it's protected by a Karathen. Arthur encounters it and is able to tame it as he communicates with it. He is then able to retrieve the trident, gaining him the power to command the sea, along with Trident's armor. He escapes the wormhole with Mera and his mother, planning to stop his brother from defeating the Brine Kingdom and officially become the Oceanmaster. When Mera tells her father that he has Atlan's trident, he stands down. She is also able to free Vulko from imprisonment as the battle concludes underwater. Arthur battles Orm on the surface and it benefits him as he defeats him. He demands his brother to yield but he prefers death. Atlanna appears to stop the bloodshed. Orm is then taken into custody and Arthur becomes the new king of Atlantis. As he continues to protect the lost city, his parents reunite. The film ends with a post credit scene showing Black Manta survive the fall, found by conspiracy theorist Stephen Shin (Randall Park), who is obsessed with Atlantis; Manta agrees to show Shin how his tech works as long as he finds Aquaman.
THOUGHTS
Looking back at this film in 2018, I gotta admit that it's another film where I had absolute blast then as much as I do now. Like Wonder Woman, this was a long overdue film and it paid off significantly. James Wan succeeds in handling one of the most unique superheroes from DC Comics. Because the director had done Furious 7, the action pays off due to really good visual effects. Everything that takes place underwater pays off but for some reason, I am more blown away with the practical action scenes. From Atlanna's opening fight, to the submarine fight and the Black Manta fight in Sicily, I'm not exaggerating that those were just as good as the underwater fights, if not better. That is mainly because of it being the best use of Don Burgess' cinematography. The only time I didn't like the visuals were the de aging on the actors but other than that, the rest of the visuals will definitely be aging well. Considering that he’s known for directing horror films, the Trench scene had a clever jump scare. I definitely enjoyed the score from Rupert Gregson Williams because it is just goddamn epic. Epic is the key for blockbuster scores and this was no exception for this film. Everytime I hear the track 'Permission to Come Aboard', it just gives me chills throughout. This movie can be pretty funny too. Seeing the octopus Topo on the drums, Arthur take selfies with the bikers, or his bickering with Mera, that gave me some giggles. Before I go any further with the praise, even though I really love this movie, there are still some flaws where I itch my head about. First off, how did it take so long for Atlanna to be found? Considering that Orm put a tracker on Mera, it blows my mind that Orvax didn't do the same for his bride to be. It is cool when young Arthur reveals his powers at a public aquarium, but how did the government not find and study him? I know that must've been an era where cellphones didn't exist but it is weird how that scene doesn't get explained completely. Also, why did it take so long for Thomas to find out his son was becoming a supehero, considering that this is after Justice League, it seems like he should've known already. Orm's plan to frame the surface world by having David use the submarine against him sounds smart but it's reckless because he could've died and I'm not sure if Nereus would've continued with his plan to attack. And how did David get the submarine to work since it's the same one he hijacked from the Russians? That thing got damaged when Aquaman intervened so I wonder how he got it to work enough to attack. It is pretty crazy that they didn't pay the airplane pilot upfront but it's unrealistic that they likely got to the airport in their Atlantean clothing. I mean where did the spare clothes from if they didn't have money? It shouldn't be that hard to explain but it sadly is. I even find it ironic how the background tourists quickly left the Greek statues before the action continued. It would've been realistic if we saw them run from Manta. Lastly, if the Karathen has defeated everyone who attempts to take the trident besides Atlanna, how did those know where to go? Were there spare bottles for the coordinates? Once you ignore all of this, you'll still be enjoying yourself with this. Getting back to the goods, you really can't go wrong with a solid ensemble for this superhero ensemble. Jason Momoa succeeds in finally making Aquaman the badass he is known for when kicking ass. But besides that, he pulls off the character's depth that not many expected. He is someone that is in pain over the absence of his mother but shows that he is also compassionate, humble and has bravado. When you see that, you understand why he was meant to be king. And through his journey, we learn to fight for the right cause and never forget your roots. When he comes out of the waterfall with the iconic costume, I couldn't be anymore satisfied as a comic book fan as it was a moment I'd never thought would ever happen, but I'm so glad it did. Putting controversy aside, I thought Amber Heard was good as Mera for not only looking the part, but also reflects that she is not a damsel in distress. She is a woman that holds her own and has judgement not based on emotion. I think the reason that she and Aquaman fall for each other is because how during their quest, they were finding their place in the world and that is how they click. Patrick Wilson is bound to be great when working with Wan and the role of Orm is no exception. He is man holding much more anger compared to his brother. Although Arthur blames Atlantis for his mother's absence, Orm blames his brother's existence. And on top of that, the pollution that the surface world is causing isn't just affecting one part of the ocean, it's affecting the whole ocean and that clearly includes Atlantis. That is where his sympathy is created because he just wants to save his kingdom. If you were in his shoes, you would want to save whatever family you have from being polluted. He may be teaching us to care for nature, but his villainy is intact because he approaches it maniacally. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is the breakout here as Black Manta. Like Orm, he has hate towards Aquaman for the death of a parent. For someone who is cruel and ruthless as him, you know he won't stop until he gets what he wants and Mateen does great showing off the character's cold nature. I really hope that the sequel gets deeper on the rivalry between these two because I think it'll get more interesting from there. Willem Dafoe is good as Aquaman's mentor Vulko, reflecting that he sees the potential of the half breed. I didn't recognize Julie Andrews at all as the voice of the Karathen, which makes the performance pay off for being so damn creepy. Lastly, Nicole Kidman surprised me here as Atlanna. I didn't think she would do another superhero film after Batman Forever, but this is a step up here. She does great showing how this character is fearless, strong-willed and caring. She wasn't afraid to avoid a marriage but she was bold to go back in order to protect her family. She had such a biggest sacrifice and it became worth it because she does get to reunite with her loved ones. In short, Aquaman is another good entry in the DC Extended Universe that deserves as much recognition as any other successor. If you love superhero movies, than you'll enjoy this one too.
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