Aquaman Movie Review

Let’s start with what you came here to find out.  “Aquaman” is a good movie.  Now, read on for a further review and some spoilers.  You’ve been warned.

While it is a good movie, there are issues.  First, I like Jason Momoa.  He seems like the type of celebrity that you just want to hang out with and drink a few beers…or a case.  I was intrigued by the casting decision, but I thought it was a good move, and the story supports the decision to depart from a blond-haired white guy as the potential King Of The Seven Seas.  However, the tone of the movie, and the attitude of the main character do not jive with what I know of the comic character.  Admittedly, I was a Marvel kid growing up, but was familiar with DC.  Outside of an edgy turn in the ‘90s that lead to him losing a hand, Aquaman always struck me as more straight-laced.  DC movies seem to have this issue running through them.  In “Man Of Steel”, Superman is destroying half the city, with little regard for collateral damage.  Not exactly the Superman that everyone knows.  The second issue has to do with continuity.  “Aquaman” is the movie that directly follows “Justice League”, yet there are contradictions with things that are said in “Justice League”.  In “Justice League”, Aquaman says that his mother abandoned him and that is pretty much the reason for his bitterness towards Atlantis.  In “Aquaman”, we find out that his mother sent someone to train him and teach him his heritage.  He was also old enough to know why his mother left and was raised by a father who still loved his mother, always looking for her to return.  Not exactly a blueprint for bitterness towards her.  In “Aquaman” we are told the reason for his bitterness towards Atlantis is that they killed his mother when she returned; for having a half-breed son, and for loving Aquaman’s father.  “Justice League” and “Aquaman” are one year apart, and these kinds of continuity issues kill the universe building that DC should be trying for.  Maybe this brings credence to the rumors that “Aquaman” and “Wonder Woman 2” are going to be soft reboots for the DCCU…

When the first trailers came out and revealed that Aquaman would be fighting both his half-brother for the throne, and his classic villain Black Manta, I was concerned that there would be too much going on.  This was not the case.  The writers did a good job weaving the stories together.  All the character’s motives are believable, even if one of them is a little narrow-minded to me.  The pacing of the movie is well executed.  There really aren’t any spots that drag along.  Aquaman is a well-built character, even if he is not what I remember from the comics.  There is also a good amount of character growth in the movie.  Outside of one brief reference to the events of “Justice League”, Aquaman can stand on its own, outside of the other DCCU movies.  For much of the movie, Aquaman runs around in regular clothes, but does don an interpretation of his comic classic outfit.  Bringing in the classic outfit is a nice touch, and has some history in the movie’s story, not just for nostalgia’s sake. 

Overall, Aquaman is a good movie, and I encourage you to go see it, even if you’ve not seen the rest of the DC movies.