Lets be real for a moment, Aquaman might be the most ridiculed superhero of them all. He is orange, green, can talk to fish, and slightly better than most humans. He is an easy target for a lot of geeks.
When it was announced that a live action film was going to come out, a lot of people grew skeptical that it would be passable, let alone good. This shade was also amplified because a majority of DC films have not been received well. Even with such epic set ups such as Justice League or Batman vs Superman, some of the films just missed the mark. In order to counteract the stigma about how lame Aquaman is, DC decided to go hard and cast some one extremely badass for the role: Jason Momoa!
It is hard to make Jason Momoa look lame. So, having him in the role of easily one of the most picked on superheroes helps even the odds! Despite this, Aquaman as a character is hard to get behind. He is so different from the others who take to the streets, and face crime lords, or giant robots in order to protect innocent civilians. Then you have Aquaman’s home: Atlantis is this foreign, underwater, away-from-everything land that disconnects it even more from the care of readers.
Needless to say, my expectations for the film were low.
And I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong! Aquaman was a great film. Not just as a superhero film, but overall!
Aesthetics
This film is beautiful; they guide the viewers through the vast, exotic underwater kingdoms and all of the creatures that inhabit it. Their armor and weapons resemble that of Trojan or Roman soldiers while they still wield advanced technology that has devastating power.
The various creatures of the film resembled something you’d find in a H.P. Lovecraft novel. They had such otherworldly features, colors, scales, tentacles, and more! This aspect alone would have made it a film worth watching, and yet this is not the only aspect that is great!
Combat
We’ve seen buildings topple, we’ve seen super powered beings fight in space, we have even seen guns wielded by violent criminals but we have never seen anything like what Aquaman brings to the table. When Aquaman and Ocean Master stand against one another and clad in Atlantian armor that looks similar to gladiators gear and they both wield tridents on a piece on ocean floor that is surrounded by lava, I completely forgot this was the DC Universe.
Then to swap to a climatic battle where various armies are fighting tooth and nail with laser rifles while giant warships cut through the sea beside them. It was such a great shake up from the normal street fighting we know and love from superhero films. Even space has gotten old for me but I never thought that I’d get a kick from oceanic battles.
Characters
In a single film we got to experience the unhealthy ambition of Orm, the Ocean Master, the ruthlessness of Black Manta, the courage of Mera, and on top of everything else, Aquaman himself! There were a lot of great heroes and villains but it may have been a bit too many.
We saw first hand why it is that Black Manta hates Aquaman and just how powerful Ocean Master truly is yet both of their journeys seemed abrupt and shallow to the point where it may have been a better move to simply focus all of the attention on a single antagonist. Despite the amount of screen time they had, the actors did a fantastic job in their portrayal of them which makes it so said that the time they had was limited.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jason Momoa had a wealth of screen time but this strained his acting quite a bi. Many know him for his ability be physically attractive and overly aggressive and with all due respect, he did great at those specific aspects of the film but any where even remotely off those two realms and his acting fell a part.
Specifically whenever he tried to be sentimental or romantic, it just felt cringe worthy and forced.Especially when everyone else in the film was so much better at their craft than him. It was not horrible but absolutely noticeable.
Overall
Aquaman is one of the best films DC has come out with since Wonder Woman. Even with the lack luster acting of Jason Momoa and the strained screen time of Mera, Black Manta, and Ocean Master, the visuals, lore, and monster designs greatly outweighed the flaws. It was colorful, fun, and badass!
I want more Aquaman and I am excited for what the DC Cinematic Universe has to offer because it feels like they are on the right track to making enjoyable films for their fans!
Chicano | Fighting/Writing for Diversity | DM since 08 | Anime Lover | Site: https://www.thegeeklyfe.com | info@thegeeklyfe.com | http://twitch.tv/that_deangelo | https://linktr.ee/deangelomurillo
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