Aquaman

Aquaman can't be denied one thing, it is truly monumental. James Wan sends countless creatures, monsters and strange beings to the screen, or at least actors in really crazy costumes. Is it overstuffed? Yes, but on the other hand, the magnificence is really impressive and on top of that, every single underwater creature was really elaborate. Something this gigantic and epic hasn't been done since Avatar. And when it starts moving or fighting, it looks great on screen. Unfortunately though, Aquaman has two quite possibly the worst Hollywood actors in the lead role and that's where it grinds. Wan does manage to restrain Jason Momoa and Amber Heard, giving them minimal room to act and mostly just doing what they're good at (looking good), but as soon as the film attempts romance, humour, or pathos, it doesn't work due to their ineptitude. Fortunately, it's not that often. In fact, I was also initially bothered by the rather chaotic narrative structure, where they jump from the present to the past so that the origin story can somehow be caught up quickly and what would otherwise be worthy of a standalone film is crammed into two scenes. And unfortunately, the level of stupidity also occasionally crosses the line. Still, I'll happily sign off that this is the best DC Comic film and if I were twelve, I'd want to sign up for a diving club. On the other hand, I'd rather watch four out of five Marvel movies than this one, because there's still the problem that previous Warner comic-book adaptations have struggled with: it takes itself too seriously for the crap it is. And yet, right here, during the scenes where Amber Heard is floating on a killer whale and shooting water lasers out of her hands, it really needed that bit of levity. (14/12/2018)

A dull coloring book from DC that more than anything resembles the sterile world of Marvel with a host of good-hearted heroes and bad guys who oddly enough want to destroy or dominate the world. Plus points for the fact that this time it takes place underwater, thumbs up for the sound engineers and effects guys, who really went all out on the underwater cities, and Jason Momoa is cool and knows how to rock, something we've known for a while now. The story, though, it’s about nothing. (19/03/2019)

Aquaman is a lot of things (suddenly and gradually). The origin story telling about the birth of the protagonist and the history of a nation, maternal melodrama turned upside down (from the perspective of the offspring, not the mother), an underwater Flash Gordon, a buddy movie (serving as the basis of an insipid romance), a fairy tale about two brothers, of whom only one can be king, a film in whose climactic scene the protagonists mounts a seahorse and his partner a killer whale ... ___ In purely structural terms, it holds together (thanks to a superfluous storyline with a vengeful pirate that motivates the hero’s transformation and forms the foundation for a sequel) and works rhythmically, but the tone changes every ten minutes (making Aquaman unintentionally reminiscent of South Korean multi-genre films) and the narrative is constantly helped along by the same processes (the dry “humanising” one-liners with which the protagonist responds to epic moments, shifting of the story with unexpected attacks by “water” soldiers). ___ My other reservations are rather problems that I personally have with the film – Jason Momoa does not come across as sexy to me and I am disgusted by the solving of problems with brute force, which he represents; Mera has to deal with most of the story in a scaly latex jumpsuit with a plunging neckline, and she acts competently mainly due to the fact that Aquaman is terrible by her side; the most reasonable actions are those of the villain who wants to start a war with humans because they pollute the oceans with their waste. ___ Visually and musically, Aquaman is great in places (it reminded me of Avatar, Blade Runner and Luc Besson’s better films; experts in old comic books may spot inspiration from other sources), and at least one action scene (Sicily) does not look like a noisy CGI clusterfuck, even if it steals from The Adventures of Tintin, The Bourne Supremacy, the second Captain America and scrolling video games. ___ As a guilty pleasure with overwrought ambitions (and a ginger Dolph Lundgren and sharks with laser cannons and Willem Dafoe, who plays a vizier named Vulko), it can be enjoyed without major pain. 65% (13/12/2018)

I am incompatible with the new DC films; in fact, I am specifically allergic to their tone. Momoa is a nice guy, but as soon as Wan steps on the pedal and the camera pulls him in to the sound of guitars, I lose the last bit of interest in the character. And I have even less interest in the modest underwater people. This universe is not for me. (05/05/2019)

Aquaman is the perfect movie to see in the movie theater because at home the experience is barely half as good. When the second one comes out I'll wait for it to hit theaters. Solos with DC characters are very good. There was also a lot of space given to Mera and Atlanna, and Arthur is just walking charisma, plain and simple. An undeniably sympathetic character. Jason Momoa is now the king of cool, Amber Heard is sexy, Kidman has been a DC loyalist since Batman Forever, Willem Dafoe has moved on from Marvel, Dolph Lundgren is surprisingly also doing something other than Ivan Drago reruns, and Temuera Morrison is a legend from the other side of the world. (06/10/2019)