James Wan, the director of “Saw,” “Insidious” and “Furious 7,” is facing an uphill battle when it comes to bringing Aquaman to a solo big screen adventure. After all, this is the character who talks to fish, and was famously the fake superhero film pitched in “Entourage,” specifically because of the inherent goofiness and silliness related to his origin and powers. Can the man who’s mastered horror bring this character from the briny depths and deliver a seaworthy adventure?
For anyone who’s seen “Justice League,” one thing is already apparent: Jason Momoa (“Stargate Atlantis,” “Game of Thrones”) plays an excellent Arthur Curry. His frat boy attitude and somewhat goofy demeanor are balanced here far better than they were in the previous hero ensemble flick, and Momoa keeps his smile and charm flowing throughout the movie’s runtime.
As for the rest of the cast, well, it’s a mixed bag. Nicole Kidman (“Days of Thunder,” “Moulin Rouge”) does a great job given her relatively low amount of screen time, as does Temuera Morrison (“Once Were Warriors,” “Star Wars: Attack of the Clones”) as Arthur’s father. William Dafoe (“The Last Temptation of Christ,” “Spider-Man”) plays essentially the same character he’s always played, but does so well.
Patrick Wilson (“The Conjuring,” “Angels in America”) completely commits to the overly cheesy dialogue and plot that he’s been given, and it allows him to deliver a weirdly intriguing villain, despite not being particularly interesting. He’s intense and focuses your gaze when he’s onscreen and completely forgettable when he isn’t. Amber Heard (“All the Boys Love Mandy Lane,” “London Fields”) is the same; a good performance when she’s onscreen and almost gone from memory when she isn’t.
Unfortunately, the one character who seems to be the most interesting and obvious foil to Aquaman is also the worst performance. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (“Baywatch (2017),” “The Get Down”) butchers almost every line he’s given as Black Manta. A cool suit alone doesn’t add up to create a compelling villain, and his hammy delivery also isn’t helped by the fact that the screenwriters seem to have thrown him in to this film purely to be sequel-bait.
Which leads to the film’s biggest problem: its script. Not the overall plot, which is mostly enjoyable, especially when it focuses on the well-worn adventure movie tropes it so clearly wants to play into. The script, and dialogue specifically, are the biggest flaw. Sometimes, everything is fine, and the action is playing out epically with not a care in the world.
However, there are a handful of moments that involve someone opening their mouths and delivering a line that is so out of nowhere bad that it takes audiences completely out of the moment. Not every line is like this, and some of the actors can deal with them. Momoa, Kidman, and Morrison can tackle just about anything the film throws with charm, meanwhile Wilson and Heard give as many terrible lines and they do cheesily enjoyable ones.
While the overall script may be flawed, one of the defining elements of the film, Arthur’s heritage, is actually handled quite well. It’s by no means subtle, but the themes of home, belonging, and familial worth do ring true, thanks to Momoa’s commitment to the role and respect for his hero’s backstory. It adds depth to him deep-sea hero and helps to balance out the script and plot’s more egregious flaws.
Was something like that inevitable? Is the basic concept of this character one that can’t help but deliver pure B-movie cheese? No, not necessarily, because the rest of the film’s aspects seem to be air-tight. For example, Rupert Gregson-Williams’s score is electric and pulse pounding, mixing guitar riffs and underwater melodies to create an epic score of both worlds.
The cinematography from Don Burgess (“42,” “Spider-Man (2002)”) maintains a wonderful divide; remaining unobtrusive during dialogue and getting weird during fights. In particular, the use of rotating camera angles and unbroken shots is the breath of fresh air that DC’s action has needed for quite a while. This naturally extends to the fight choreography itself, which is excellent. For the most part, the action is kept small and confined, allowing acrobatic techniques to be used that are just plain cool to watch.
If there’s one thing to laude “Aquaman” for, it’s the visual designs. The underwater cities teem with light and color, seeming closer to alien planets than liquid civilizations. A layer of blue from the water gives everything a cool sheen to it, and the simplistic nature of the submerged proceedings is an excellent counter to the overly-complicated bubble world Zack Snyder tries to deliver in “Justice League.”
Reverse diving suits, water transformation lasers, giant undersea creatures and physics and logic defying underwater abilities; with all of these, director James Wan has made sure to keep one thing in mind above all else, is it fun? And when it comes to the film’s visuals and designs, the answer is undoubtedly yes! Weird, but fun.
It’s just such a fun world to spend two hours in, with the technological designs contrasting the underwater escapades in such a wonderful way. This, coupled with Momoa’s charm and the excellent visuals and effects help to deliver a movie that seems like it could be on par with “Wonder Woman.” However, its poor script and hammy acting and melodrama drag it closer to the depths. It’s not bad, not close. It’s merely cheesy. Wet and cheesy, a surprisingly good combination. 3/5
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