‘Aquaman’ Movie Review: Deep Sea Redemption

Let’s be a hundred percent honest here. If you’ve been hooked on a healthy dose of DC Comics for your entire childhood or even for just quite some time recently, you may agree when I say that Aquaman was probably the least impressive superhero ever to be part of the Justice League. Indeed, the concept of this superhero had a ton of potential. The ability to live in both land and water and oh, power over the earth’s ocean? Sounds pretty neat. But unfortunately, not everybody can take a blonde guy in bright orange tights riding on fish seriously. He’s been the star of many memes and jokes, which was probably the only good thing going for him besides being part of an elite group of superheroes where he usually fades into the background and momentarily leads to a pitiful demise (Sorry, Aquaman fans).

But this new tweaked version of Aquaman definitely helped changed that.

The new and reformed Aquaman didn’t come as a surprise since the character made his debut in the new Justice League movie in 2017. Having split the screen time with other DC supers, that movie didn’t exactly leave room for audiences to judge whether or not the new Aquaman is worth raving about. But now that the solo film’s out, there’s a lot now we get to see behind Arthur Curry.

Character Shift: Appearance and Personality

Warner Bros. Pictures & DC Comics

This is probably the most noticeable change that has been made. Jason Momoa as Aquaman? It’s a massive risk in casting choice. But it was about time Arthur had a different persona. In the character’s first debut, he didn’t stand out as a hero and came off more of a thrill seeker (and a little bit immature). The solo movie kept this trait consistent and explained why. Aquaman Director James Wan probably wanted Momoa to inject his own personality to Arthur, because the character’s wit, charm, and badass vibes obviously stemmed naturally from the actor.

But no matter how much can change, some classic things still stay the same. Aquaman’s iconic orange suit with green accents appeared at the very ending of the film.

Strong Points: Cinematography and Animation 

DC has made great progress in improving their supernatural narratives with incredible graphics animation, Aquaman being no exception. The movie required a lot of it, considering that Atlantis was known to be an underwater marvel shrouded with the wonders of the deep blue. Each location was given much thought and work. Not only was the kingdom of Atlantis a structural luminescent visual experience, but the animation—down to the littlest details such as the movements of the undersea creatures—also contributed to the overall beauty of the film. That includes the armored seahorses, sharks, and undersea ships.

Visuals weren’t just limited to the ‘pretty’ aspect of the sea. The fiery and fierce Brine kingdom and the dark and ominous Trench will leave you in chills. The monstrous Karathen (shockingly voiced by Julie Andrews) was also skillfully animated when it made its appearance with Aquaman.

Warner Bros. Pictures & DC Comics

Special mention goes to the fight scenes that took place in both land and water. From explosive land battles with Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) to the brother vs. brother duels in the Ring of Fire, this movie will keep you at the edge of your seat.

Weak Points: Rushed Plot and Origin Overload

Admittedly, DC’s movie narratives haven’t always been their strength.

The problem with movie adaptations of a series of stories is that it has to be condensed into roughly two and a half hours of moving pictures. Aquaman was ambitious by condensing so much into this film that didn’t leave any breathers. The movie’s pacing was too quick and loaded with too much information that audiences, especially those who aren’t familiar with the entire Aquaman story, may not pick up the references.

Warner Bros. Pictures & DC Comics

One could look at it as impressive being able to jam pack Arthur’s (new) origin story, his (overly cheesy) romance with Mera (Amber Heard), the history of the fall of Atlantis and divide of the kingdoms, the search of King Atlan’s Trident, and Black Manta in two and a half hours. But one could also look at it as rushing it for the sake of hitting all the marks in one movie. The latter is how I see it.

Also, another change made in the movie that can’t be overlooked is the origin of Black Manta, which was probably changed in order to squeeze itself in. Black Manta was a kidnapped kid who was abused and forced to work on a ship. He cries for help from Aquaman, who was in the ocean at the time and doesn’t notice him. He then fends for himself and hunts Aquaman with the goal to conquer the ocean. In the movie adaptation, Aquaman leaves Black Manta and his father stranded in a sinking submarine. Black Manta was forced to abandon his father to survive. Sure, this new origin story of Black Manta is still heartbreaking. But what that did was take away the social relevance of the origin story that was based on racial discrimination.

Warner Bros. Pictures & DC Comics

‘Aquaman’ Overall Verdict

If DC thinks they can dupe us into liking Aquaman using a charismatic leading man and heightened surrealistic graphics of the underwater kingdoms, then they’re not quite right—but not wrong either. The essential success of a movie lies in its flow and plot, which this movie fell quite short in. But I will say this—after years of being overshadowed by his other Justice League colleagues, Aquaman has finally gotten his big break after being reinvented in a likeness far from the cheesy glorified Merman he once was.

Is he now the best superhero DC now has to offer? Nope. But the portrayal of the underwater superhero is an improvement for his character’s sake. It also showed how Aquaman’s most laughed at power, which is his ability to communicate with underwater creatures (“talk to fish”), is the skill that makes him special and powerful. Despite having so much to process, this movie is still somewhat digestible to those who are new to Arthur Curry’s narrative. This movie gave some justice to the potential of Aquaman‘s story, highlighting the strength of DC’s most underrated superhero.