Title – Aquaman (2018)

Director – James Wan (Saw)

Cast – Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Dolph Lundgren, Temuera Morrison, Leigh Whannell

Plot – Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Momoa) discovers he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis and must learn to defeat the nefarious King Orm (Wilson) if he is to lead his people to a peaceable existence.

“Atlantis has always had a king. Now it needs something more”

Review by Eddie on 08/01/2019

While it has a frequently cringe-worthy script (a staple of the mostly disappointing DC movie universe) and a plot line that leaves much to be desired, the playfulness and cinematic zest displayed in Aquaman means its a popcorn munching joy to behold on the big screen.

Now a world conquering box office heavyweight, this James Wan directed and Jason Momoa starring blockbuster had a lot riding on it after many a DC film had left a sour taste in the mouths of eager cinema-goers, making it great to see that Aquaman forgoes much of the solemn and tiresome film-making on display in the likes of Suicide Squad, Justice League and Batman v Superman.

Much of the success of this visual spectacle is down to the talents of Wan who has become one of the industry’s most reliable and consistent directors, with this film yet another example of his ability to be able to craft the type of cinematic experience that audiences will lap up en-masse.

Utilizing the fantastical underwater world at his disposal, Wan goes pedal to the floor in regards to letting his imagination run wild and its safe to say that Aquaman is one of the most visually dazzling and eye pleasingly colorful films to appear in some time, allowing it to overcome many of its narrative and dialogue shortcomings.

Proving once more that they can’t match it with Marvel in regards to providing the storytelling and screenwriting smarts to go along with the spectacle side of the equation, there are numerous and quite glaring problems with the way in which Aquaman deals with its tale of Momoa’s Arthur Curry on a quest to stop Patrick Wilson’s underwater King Orm from waging war against the dry land dwelling humans but it’s not enough to derail the fun times to be had with this watery adventure.

Led by it’s energetic and easy to like leading man, Aquaman has a blast going on an 80’s like quest across the various ocean kingdoms all over the globe and in these simplistic yet creatively designed aspects Wan’s film shines, with it easily becoming the most proficiently made DC film outside of Nolan’s holy Batman trilogy, even if some de-aging CGI at the start of the film and some downright icky training flashbacks make you wish you had closed your eyes and ears for a short time.

Also found within the film are some fun supporting turns with the likes of Wilson, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe and Dolph Lundgren, all having a good time with their respective roles, while Wan and his team take a leaf out of the Guardians of the Galaxy rule-book and embrace their bonkers universe and instill it with a hearty dose of zany humor; selfies with bikies anyone?

Final Say –

A visual feast and a fun offering for those of any age, Aquaman may not be high-brow stuff but this is crowd-pleasing film-making of a high level thanks to Wan’s creative direction and a strong sense if playfulness that outweighs the frequent daftness found within.

3 1/2 Octopus drummer’s out of 5