Aquaman Movie Review

China and some parts of the world (including the Philippines) for this time around got first dibs on the new Warner/DC Movie Aquaman. And so far, Aquaman has been killing it in the international film market on the first weekend of release. First weekend international projections are going as high as $200 Million Dollars or more, with pundits going as high as predicting a $1 Billion Dollars worldwide finish at the box office going by the strength of the international numbers and the strong word of mouth from audiences. So, has Aquaman finally saved the fate of the DC Movie Universe? Now before I make my review, allow me to refresh you guys with regards to where I stand when it comes to DC's Movie Universe. I staunchly defended Man of Steel when critics roasted it which can be read here. I enjoyed Batman V. Superman despite it's flaws. And I even gave the critics a piece of my thoughts (not that they care). But gave a huge pause on Justice League, which was a frankenstein of a movie that I did not even bothered to review but wrote an extensive article about the DCEU's course so far which can be read here. I skipped reviewing or writing about the Suicide Squad movie and the Wonder Woman movie because for one while Suicide Squad was an enjoyable movie, I just felt that something was definitely off about the chosen antagonists, and I was right when just recently it was revealed that Steppenwolf and the Parademons were supposed to be the villains of the movie before the people at Warner Brothers started meddling on the direction of the movie. Wonder Woman on the other hand was a total system shock for me, because it didn't felt like a DC movie to me. It was done in the manner of the "MCU" formula which explains why spoiled critics and general audiences gave it such a huge rating. But to give credit where credit is due, Wonder Woman totally proved to the Hollywood Execs that a female led Superhero movie can equally or even surpass the traditionally Male dominated superhero franchise. Something that MCU's Captain Marvel should be thankful for. To make the long story short, I was totally invested with the world building that Zack Snyder has initiated. And I was totally devastated when he had to leave the DC Extended Universe without getting the chance to finish what he had started. And now that I have gotten these things out of the way, here's what I think of Aquaman.        

Aquaman finally blew the lid on what Warner/DC's next big direction for their movie universe would be. Nabbing director James Wan (from the horror flick Conjuring and its ilk) to helm the movie, Aquaman was a total shock to those who were expecting the demise of the DC Superhero Movie Universe. Critics loved the movie because they crowed about DC finally coming to senses to borrow a page from the early "Marvel" movie making formula by not taking its heroes too seriously and just let them have some fun. Critics are even comparing it to Iron Man (while the achingly stupid ones are saying that Aquaman heavily copied from Black Panther, to which I could only rebut by saying that Black Panther plagiarized LION KING!). James Wan didn't pull any punches as he delivered high octane action from the get go, which I never really expected because I never saw his Fast and the Furious work (was more familiar with him through his horror movie). The lush cinematography of the world of Atlantis is a page taken right out of Zack Snyder's books when it comes to spoiling the audiences with grandiose set pieces and visually stunning worlds. Perhaps the biggest question on everyone's minds was how would a two hour and a half Aquaman movie work when the titular character is more popularly remembered as "that" superhero who talks to fish. A line that Batman from the Justice League movie kept on repeating. But James had a trick up on his sleeves, and the surprisingly charismatic Jason Momoa (Aquaman) and the equally stunning Amber Heard (Mera) along with a talented cast of veteran actors, were the right team to bring Aquaman to the big screen. Combining big action elements, romance, mystery, and some light thriller, Aquaman delivered the right set of emotions to entertain the audience. Momoa's portrayal of Aquaman was strong, loud, and rowdy, yet maintaining the right amount of gentleness when it came to the dramatic scenes. Heard on the other hand was no slouch in the action department as she went toe to toe with Momoa's energetic performance.

Aquaman Postcard I have for James Wan's Autograph

The movie is vaguely set several years after the events of the Justice League movie. By saying vaguely, it means that there really is no clarity as to where the movie really stands in the greater whole of the DC Extended Universe because Director James Wan was caught saying that Aquaman is set entirely on its own without any entanglement to previous movies. Though in the movie, Mera's shout out to Aquaman's involvement with Steppenwolf is a huge confirmation that the movie Justice League did happen. James Wan favorite Patrick Wilson as Aquaman's half brother King Orm is on a mission to make the surface world suffer the ocean world's wrath. He has set his sight to become the Ocean Master so that he could lead the rest of the Ocean World to take its revenge on the Surface World for all the pollution and destruction that it has brought on the Ocean Floor. To prevent this from happening, Mera seeks out Arthur Curry/Aquaman and convinces him to take his rightful place as the King of Atlantis to thwart King Orm's plans. Snappy flashbacks of Arthur Curry's past is peppered throughout the whole movie, saving the movie from traditional cliched origin stories, and just keeps the movie moving forward without boring the audience. Willem Dafoe as Vulko evokes a sensei like presence during Aquaman's training scenes, which pretty much homages the Karate Kid's training sequences. Nicole Kidman's Queen Atlanna, Aquaman's mother, was also a showstopper, and while she started the movie on a very strong note, her whereabouts as the movie wore on is one that was kept hidden in mystery until the end. Momoa and Heards electrifying chemistry is heavily seen as Aquaman and Mera takes on a journey recovering the lost trident of King Atlan. And it was this part that threw a huge wrench on my expectations as we are taken to the dry lands (and the air) with stunning action sequences evoking that of Indiana Jones' adventures, away from the expected ocean battles. Aquaman on dry land and air? Go figure that out. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta steals the show as his story totally sets up an even more higher stakes in the surefire sequel to this movie. And of course it wouldn't be James Wan if there's no horror involved. And the Horrors of the Trench, the dark recesses of the Ocean would make our hearts beat faster as the dangers surrounding Aquaman is driven to the hilt. And when Aquaman finally retrieves the trident, and his comic book accurate costume is finally revealed in all its grandeur, the DC Geek in me couldn't contain my excitement. Throughout the whole movie, we are introduced to the wonders of Atlantis and its citizens and neighboring cities. Chief of them all is King Nereus (Mera's father) portrayed by Dolph Lundgren, who brought the kind of swagger to his portrayal of Nereus that harkens back to his He-Man days in the cult classic Masters of the Universe movie. The majestic climax to the movie was well played and the stakes are eventually lowered when it came to the final one on one showdown. No villain dies, no snapping of neck, no killing happens. Just one big emotional piece to finally tie the loose ends.  

James Wan affixed signature

Overall, Aquaman is an enjoyable film and a very much welcome entry to DC's growing movie universe. But while I did enjoy the movie very much, I left the theater with a heavy heart. The whole experience was a far cry compared to the movie experiences that I had from Man of Steel and Batman V Superman.  Being a die-hard DC Fan, there's two sides to what I'm feeling right now. One, I am extremely happy that in general, the movie is being embraced and lauded all over, plus the dollars are finally raking in which could only mean that DC/Warner would even be more motivated to bring our favorite DC Superheroes to the big screen. On the other hand, I am extremely sad that the final nail to the coffin of the so called "Snyderverse" has finally been inserted and has totally closed the door shut of any Snyder related DC Superhero movie project. As where it stands right now, the so called "Snyderverse" was just a bad dream that we all had to experience, and the sooner we wake up from it, the better we all would be for us to be able to appreciate the new phase of Warner/DC's new movie universe. Shazam will be up next, and from the looks of it, it is going to be way even more drastically different from the Nolan years of The Dark Knight Trilogy, and the Snyderverse. Good thing though that Joaquin Phoenix's Joker is just around the corner, and DC/Warner will just have their cake and eat it too.