AQUAMAN: Mythological Madness Reigns In Ridiculous Underwater Epic

Since Christopher Nolan ended his run as the Batman maestro in 2012, Warner Bros. and DC have produced exactly one good comic book adaptation: Patty Jenkins‘ tremendous Wonder Woman. The rest of the recent DC output (now apparently part of something called “The Worlds of DC”) can be split into the categories of “terrible disaster” and “interesting failure.” The disastrous Justice League and the hodgepodge known as Suicide Squad? Unquestionably terrible. Zack Snyder‘s pitch-black Man of Steel and relentlessly dark Dawn of Justice? Well, I guess they were trying something at least.

With horror superstar James Wan at the helm and plenty of wild effects to attract moviegoers, Aquaman had the potential to transcend those categories and get things back on the right track after the failure of last November’s team-up fiasco. But if this is DC’s attempt at emulating Marvel, it only proves that Kevin Feige really has this whole world-building thing down pat by now. In addition to its cluttered visual effects and often spectacularly nonsensical script, Aquaman bites off so much more than it can chew, slowly introducing audiences to every aspect of a brand new world over the course of a hyper-extended runtime. The final product isn’t entirely without merit, but it’s still something of a narrative mess; part MCU, part Avatar, part Star Wars prequels, absurd all the same.

War Between Atlantis and the Surface

The film opens with the origins of DC’s latest hero, a story that begins when Tom Curry (Temeura Morrison) meets Queen Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) of Atlantis. Atlanna fled to the surface world after an arranged marriage gone wrong, but she finds true love when she meets Tom and gives birth to a son. Unfortunately, the rulers of Atlantis won’t let her off the hook – foot soldiers of the king are sent to the surface world to capture Atlanna and bring her back to the kingdom. With Tom and her son in danger, the queen leaves her true love to face punishment in her home world.

Several years later, Aquaman picks up months after the events of Justice League, which saw Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) team up with an assortment of heroes to face off against the wicked Steppenwolf (remember that nonsense?). Now a small celebrity in his seaside town, Arthur spends his days stopping bad guys, chugging beers, and keeping his father company. In a blunt force action setpiece, the hero known as Aquaman makes an enemy for life in Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), a ruthless criminal who loses his father after Arthur fails to show mercy.

Things really ramp up for Arthur when Mera (Amber Heard) shows up on his doorstep, warning him that King Orm (Patrick Wilson) is planning on a war between Atlantis and the surface world. Orm wants to unite the seven seas to become the Ocean Master, taking revenge on humanity after years of waste and environmental degradation. At first, Arthur has no interest in reclaiming his rightful place on the throne. But when Orm proves that he’s not messing around, the man who comes from two different worlds must bridge the gap, uniting Atlantis at a time of great crisis.

Complex Web of Contradictions

There’s an amusing contradiction at the heart of Aquaman, in that it’s an extraordinarily simple story set in a needlessly convoluted universe. In one regard, this is a story driven by basic storytelling functions: the MacGuffin of a powerful trident, a war between two worlds, a hero who must accept his responsibility. At the same time, this is a super-sized epic that exceeds most superhero films in scope and ambition, spanning several Atlantean worlds, a glut of characters, and an expansive mythology of royal backstabbing and historical grandeur. And to be honest, good luck understanding much of it if you’re not familiar with the lore.

This is what I mean when I say that DC still hasn’t figured it out. Remember the opening scene of Black Panther? When Sterling K. Brown regaled viewers with the entire history of Wakanda, explaining vibranium, the tribal conflicts, and the reason for its exclusion from the rest of global society? Aquaman does something similar with the history of Atlantis, but instead of a single, cohesive exposition dump, director Wan and co-screenwriters David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall scatter chunks of expository dialogue throughout the film. Why this film wasn’t constrained to one of the Atlantean realms, I will never understand. I don’t mind going along with some crazy stuff – after all, nobody explained the rhinos in Black Panther – but if you’re going to try to rationalize it, you need some clarity.

More frustrating is the character of Arthur Curry, who serves as the flawed crux of the whole crazy journey. Wan builds a stunning world to surround the hero, but I’m not sure anyone involved quite understands who Aquaman should be at this point. Even though Momoa does some inspired, almost heroic work as Arthur, everything about the character feels half-baked: his personality and motivations, his romance with Mera, and especially his broader journey from reluctant vigilante to righteous ruler. That shot of Arthur with the trident in the classic Aquaman outfit is pretty awesome in the context of the film, but when the character arc never really gets off the ground, how powerful can it be?

An Extravaganza of Excess

But let’s be real – it’s a little futile to whine about plot holes and flawed characters in a film that’s so overtly rooted in extravagant spectacle. Aquaman is totally inundated with visual effects, encompassed by CGI to such an absurd extent that I’m pretty sure 99% of it was shot in front of a green screen. Obviously this is par for the course for superhero movies these days; you could probably say the same thing for every Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy adventure. Still, it’s really noticeable here, placing Momoa and Heard in some sketchy environments that don’t quite look finished.

We’ve reached an era where filmmakers are keen to push well beyond the natural limits of visual effects, taking us to places we never dreamed we could see. In its current state, Aquaman simply could not have existed a decade ago, and you could probably say the same for something like Infinity War. But maybe, just maybe, we should slow down with the crazy CGI landscapes and consider the limitations of the technology. Expecting hyperrealistic effects out of an Aquaman movie is foolish, but if your plastic feel is consistently noticeable, it’s a problem. At one point during the movie, my dad leaned off and asked, “Was George Lucas involved with this?” That about sums it up.

You’re also not helping your case when there’s always too much happening on the screen. Along with the (far superior) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Aquaman forms the basis of an argument that movies just need to chill out and slow down for a bit. Once again, Wan has crafted a series of contradictions in his visual palette; the film is an awesome eyesore, a spectacular display of tedium, an imaginative explosion of exhausting chaos. Granted, I loved seeing color and energy return to the DC Universe, and Wan‘s film is simply overflowing with weird and bold ideas. But in such a long, relentless affair, the visual excess is needless.

Aquaman: Conclusion

Aquaman is not really a bad movie by DC’s standards, but it is the weirdest thing they’ve made in recent years by a country mile – and not always in a good way. It’s a grab-bag of influences and ideas, stuffing as many subplots (the whole Manta angle is completely unnecessary) and as much extraneous information as humanly possible into this 143 minute slice of madness. I’m all for more trips to this world of seaside heroism and political scheming, but I need a reason to care about the character of Arthur and the fate of this world.

Yet even as our heroes travel through the astounding and magical kingdoms of Atlantis, that basic emotional investment is never there. A healthy dose of spectacle still can’t quite spark Aquaman to life.

What did you think of Aquaman? What upcoming DC Comics adaptation are you most excited to see? Let us know in the comments below!

Aquaman was released in UK theaters on December 12 and will be released in US theaters on December 21, 2018. For full international release information, click here.