Summary
5 tech score
“Aquaman” (Warner Brothers)
The movie event of the year has to be the full length movie dedicated to the adventures of “Aquaman”. It has been talked about forever and now it has arrived. Maybe they just had to wait to find the perfect actor, and they have certainly done that with the casting of Jason Momoa. It is an amazing pairing of man and role. There have been many Superman portrayers and many Batman portrayers but it is hard to imagine anyone else ever replacing Momoa in the title role.
Although Aquaman is one of the members of the DC Justice League this movie focuses on his origins and his actions to unite the world above the sea and the world below it. This is not an easy feat and it takes more than two hours to get it accomplished – two+ long hours. You have to see him get beaten up time and time again, and thrown against objects time and time again. The first few times are okay but then it just gets to be too much of a bad thing.
In a slightly cheesy movie like this you would expect Momoa to have a slightly cheesy co-star. Amber Heard fills the bill as Mera, a princess from Atlantis, an underwater kingdom. I wanted to call her Ariel because she has that rich pinkish red hair that was sported by the mermaid in “The Little Mermaid” and hasn’t been seen since. But Amber has it and it flows in her underwater scenes.
Amber Heard might have been expected but who knew Nicole Kidman and Willem Dafoe would show up. Aren’t they busy being in Award worthy projects? But there’s Nicole playing Momoa’s momma who is named Alanna (which is how you say Atlanta with a slow southern drawl). Nicole really just has a cameo role but hey, her name is in the credits. Dafoe has a larger role as Vulko, the man who teaches Arthur/Aquaman to be at home in the sea.
In addition to “The Little Mermaid” look, there is also a reference to the PINOCHIO book. Plus on a visit to one of the underwater kingdoms it looks a lot like Disneyland. Maybe Disney had some money invested in this project. We also slide over to the legend of King Arthur and the sword in the stone, but this time it is a trident. No originality points there.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity and violence.
There are going to be people who love this movie just because it is about a hero from the comics. Others will appreciate the charm of the underwater kingdoms and the inhabitants therein. But some might be a bit turned off by the repetitive battles in which Aquaman is sometimes almost bulletproof while at others he can get knocked down by a fist. I mean the man can lift a submarine so how vulnerable can he be.
Basically it all comes down to Momoa and whether or not he can carry a full length movie. He almost does.
I scored “Aquaman” a surfs up 5 out of 10.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
I don’t agree that Momoa is the ideal Aquaman. I have been a comic book fan for 45 years and Aquaman is nothing like he is portrayed in the movie. Yes, he had long hair and a beard for a few years in the 1990, but his “hey dude” personality in the movie is a complete 180 for the character.
So according to the comics how should he look and act?
I was completely weirded out by the predominantly male cast. 80% of credited parts and much higher uncredited.
Sure I undertand a movie like Hacksaw Ridge being 80% male but Aquaman is a fantasy world.
Then Aquaman’s sole interests seem to be brawling and drinking while the bad guy is the one who cares for the ocean and thinks you should pick up your rubbish. The whole thing just screams of conforming to a ‘lads’ wish fullfillment rather than his original role in inspiring and setting an example.
And as per usual these days everyone is dead at the end but no one cares because the ‘hero’ got his glory.