Viewing Review: Aquaman 2018

Starring Jason Mamoa and Amber Heard with James Wan directing, Aquaman brings to life characters from DC Comics to the big screen.  The movie is part of DC’s extended universe and connects with earlier movies.  To those who hate Zack Snyder, the connection is minimal.  To those who love him, the connection is still significant.  In both cases, the movie can stand on its own merits and that is a welcome sight to behold.

The first word that comes to mind when I watched the movie is ‘spectacle’.  That is exactly what the movie is about.  It presents the underseas and its kingdoms as this grand civilization shrouded from the rest of the outside world in mystery.  This mystery is unveiled throughout the film.  The scale is epic, and you get the feel that from the onset.  The story builds on the hero’s quest and rags to riches tropes to its benefit.  There is no illusion that this is a story of discovery and redemption; and the movie wears it boldly on its sleeve. Though the scenes oftentimes drown you in its scale, it still allows the audience to catch up to appreciate the sights and sounds.  And there truly are many to dive into and enjoy.

The plot itself reminds me of Arthurian legends of which the main character is so aptly named, ‘Arthur’.  It also has elements of the animated feature, ‘How to Train your Draon 2’.  It uses elements from these two sources to come up with an elaborate Atlantean mythology yet to be seen in a comic book movie.  In this, it succeeds in providing the audience something new to experience.  This is largely one of the movie’s strong points.

Not to be discounted is the onscreen chemistry of the two protagonists portrayed by Jason Mamoa and Amber Heard.  Their developing romance provides a welcome respite from the frequent fisticuffs during most of the story.  Also of equal highlight is the character of Vulko portrayed by Willem Defoe.  He provides Arthur the much-needed metor throughout the film.

As to the villains,  Orim and Black Manta provide decent protagonists considering the scale of the film. Of the two, Manta is more of a relatable character to the highborn bred Orim who really has everything laid out for him from birth.  The movie could have benefited from a more convincing depiction of Orim’s  megalomania.  He lacks the connivance of a true threat though he is carried well by events in his favor, at least, till the end.

I also appreciate the environmental awareness theme set in the film.  It was enough to not be preachy, and provides an onside justification for the conflict that is impending.  It holds through with the overall theme of the movie: we are of one world regardless of where we live and who we are.

All in all, Aquaman is a welcome addition to the DC extended universe and has provided a much needed jolt to its survival. It steers the ship in the right direction without detaching from material presented before.  With this, the movie allows better navigation through the seas of future DC films.  Here’s hoping other DC films follow suit and join in the voyage.