It was with little to no expectations that I went to the theater. But what I saw pleasantly surprised me.
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Plot/Story-Related Stuff
It's been a year since Arthur Curry fought alongside the Justice League against Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons. Arthur--also known as Aquaman--hasn't stopped his heroic deeds. But if one thing's certain, it's that he wants absolutely nothing to do with Atlantis. Its denizens are why his mother is gone, and he won't forgive them for that.
One evening, as he and his father are leaving a bar, Princess Mera (briefly featured in Justice League) shows up, begging for him to come and fill his role as king. If he doesn't, then the current leader, Orm, will unleash hell upon the surface dwellers. Arthur has no interest in being king, and chooses to head back home.
On his way there, an unearthly tidal waves almost kills his father, and he realizes that this is only the beginning of the madness that Orm has planned. Thus, he reluctantly travels to Atlantis with Mera to put an end to those schemes. But he will have to prove his worth, and all of the underwater kingdoms are against him.
I'm gonna be completely honest here: the plot itself isn't anything completely new or revolutionary. If you boil it down to its basics, it's a quest for an item of power to take down the villain, and the hero grows and changes along the way. But even if we've seen this kind of story before, it's still one that I thoroughly enjoy. And besides, there's nothing new under the sun, right?
A complaint that critics had about the movie was the supposedly-convoluted plot, and here I'm going, "Did you somehow turn your brains off partway through the film?" I found it easy to follow along with the different characters, and every scene had a purpose. There was no fillers, nothing that made me question why I bought a ticket to see this movie. I thought it was a solid--albeit somewhat cliché--storyline.
Characters
Something that Justice League failed at was properly introducing the new characters--Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman. Those who were already known didn't get any good continuation on their character arcs. The villain was boring and incited no fear in me as a viewer. Aquaman was very different.
I enjoyed Arthur's character. He's one of those guys who has a big, tough exterior and a good heart beating below the surface. In his opening scene, he charged without a second thought into the thick of a band of dangerously-armed pirates to save the helpless crew . . . but he wasn't above mentioning that they were cutting into his drinking time. He was roguishly charming, and the way he evolved over the course of the film was excellent, I thought.
Mera was a great companion, one who believed in Arthur even when he didn't. She was what I consider to be one of the best types of female characters: a girl who has a tender heart, but who can also seriously kick butt and fend for herself. Her powers complemented Arthur's, and I could believe that their romantic relationship was possible. My only complaints about her are that her name sounds a lot like Ariel (the bright red hair doesn't help), and that her standard outfit reveals far too much cleavage.
What about the two villains? Well, Orm was certainly an interesting and complex villain, far better than Steppenwolf, or even Ares. Honestly, I could see why the Atlanteans adored him as their ruler. He seemed like he cared about them and wanted what was best for them, but in truth, he was manipulating things from the shadows to get what he wanted. I probably wouldn't classify him as one of my all-time favorite antagonists, and I'd have to see the movie again to fully analyze his character, but I thoroughly enjoyed his personality and demeanor.
I think the second villain, David Kane, kinda stole the show. Though he was a ruthless crook, he still had a bit of . . . I dunno, good? Maybe relatability? Whatever the case, Aquaman basically created this foe, and even though his motivation for revenge isn't totally unique, he was still great on screen. Maybe I'm just a sucker for epic battlesuits that involve lasers shooting out of the helmet's eyes. Speaking of which, that brings us to the next section. (I will quickly mention first that I also enjoyed the other characters in the film, but I won't bother talking about each and every one of them.)
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Costumes/CGI/Cinematography
The costumes in the film were epic. Seriously, I loved the armor that the Atlanteans wear, especially their water-filled helmets they have to don on land. Arthur's classic Aquaman outfit and Black Manta's suit looked like they were pulled straight from the comics.
What was even more epic was the CGI. Whoever did the special effects needs an award. From the typical ocean life to the war sharks and sea horse-like creatures, from the towering titan monsters to the Trench, everything was breath-taking. I was even blown away by the simple ripple effect that was used when the characters were underwater. And the final battle, man . . . I'd totally agree with the critic who compared it to The Lord of the Rings.
After I took my media class in college, I've become a lot more aware and appreciative of great camerawork, and this film has plenty of that. It's very evident that James Wan was a cinematographer before he became a director. One of my favorite scenes was the battle with Black Manta, and how the camera would smoothly transition from Aquaman and Manta duking it out on the foreground to Mera running from elite warriors in the background. Huge props to the camera crew for their amazing work.
Music
As I said in my review of Justice League, I believe music is one of the most key elements in a film. Danny Elfman composed a lackluster score for the previously mentioned movie, one that failed to do justice (pun intended) to Hans Zimmer's and Junkie XL's musical DC world thus far. Rupert Gregson-Williams's compositions, on the other hand, is a complete 180. He set a great tone for an underwater adventure, using a mixture of synths and orchestra to his advantage. I recall almost always being aware of the score when I watched the movie, something I hadn't done since The Death Cure. I was listening to it while I wrote up this post, and I'd have to say it's a great addition to my superhero soundtrack collection. I'll definitely be featuring it on my blog at some point.
One prominent theme was Orm's, which always consisted of a Zimmer-esque, synthetic WHOMP WHOMP, if you know what I mean. Black Manta's theme involves some nice dark and heavy synths, whereas Aquaman's theme is on the opposite end of the spectrum. I hope DC continues to have Rupert compose their film scores, because he's created a fantastic one for Aquaman.
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Conclusion
Never did I ever think a movie about a hero whose power is talking to fish would work.
The fact that James Wan made Arthur's powers feasible, realistic, and actually very cool is a testament to his dedication to the film. You can tell it was made by someone who loved what he was doing. Compare the movie to the one bland underwater scene in Justice League, and you'll spot the difference quite easily.
There are a lot of things working for this film, and I was thrilled the entire time. Some might argue that my seeing it in 3D and in D-BOX increased my enjoyment, and while I agree, those things can't disguise a bad movie. Watching Justice League (I'm still bitter with that movie, as you can tell) in the same fashion wouldn't have suddenly made it a great cinematic experience. And those things can't add heart, an element that Aquaman had. Seriously, I almost teared up once.
This depth of emotion is something that DC's been missing for quite some time. And in spite of the film's plot and characterization not being entirely unique and new, other aspects give it more creativity and originality. At the end of the day, I would say that Aquaman was better than Wonder Woman and just as good as Man of Steel. I would even say that it was leagues ahead (pun also intended) of the other DCEU installments.
Dare to dive into the world of Aquaman, and I think it might surprise you.
Those are my thoughts! Have you seen the movie yet? If not, why haven't you? If you have, what did you think? Did you agree or disagree with my points, or have anything else to add?
