The queen of Atlantis, Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), escapes from her underwater kingdom and an arranged marriage, only to fall in love with a lighthouse keeper (Temura Morrison). They soon have an interspecies newborn, Arthur Curry. Atlantis’ soldiers invade the family’s pacific lives demanding Atlanna to return home, giving an oddly satisfying trident-wielding-Kidman combat scene. 

Arthur gradually learns about his abilities: communicating with a shark that’s about to attack his bullies, talking while surging underwater and gyrating a trident under the mentorship of an Atlantean warrior Vulko (Willem Dafoe). The half-breed grows up to be a bulky beer-chugging submarine-saving hero in hiding known as the Aquaman (Jason Momoa).

Under the sea, Arthur’s half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) is hellbent on waging a war against the surface, disguising his egotistic power lust under an eco-friendly motto of fighting sea pollution. Orm, who resembles comic books’ Aquaman more than Momoa’s does, seeks four underwater kingdoms’ military power to build a giant army, including that of King Nereus’ (Dolph Lundgren). 

Trying to stop Orm, Arthur, accompanied by Nereus’ daughter and Orm’s bride-to-be Mera (Amber Heard), embarks on a part-underwater journey to find an ancient king’s trident. The two travel the seven kingdoms of Atlantis with a pirate, Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), hot on their heels seeking to avenge his father’s death.

James Wan goes frenzy on the visuals – Atlantis is probably the most vibrant CGI-world in any movie yet. The underwater creatures and characters’ outfits contrast the deep blue sea with splashes of bright colors. Mera’s octopus-dress stands out, fiery red with yellow and purple highlights, complete with jellyfishes comprising a ruff collar. Scenes on dry land are no less pretty, especially the Sicily chase sequence, with warm Mediterranean sun hanging over beige rooftops where Atlantean soldiers donning water helmets chase Mera and her waving Ariel-red hair. 

The sunken kingdom marries fantasy and sci-fi. It has royalties riding on seahorses, spaceship-like submarines resembling whales and turtles, and laser cannons on giant warrior statues. More odd things appear in the movie: a percussionist octopus and a gigantic sea monster voiced by the Julie Andrews are among them.

Read also: Momoa and Heard take to seas in superhero film 'Aquaman'

While the visuals might be a tad overwhelming, the actors’ performances keep the movie from being ridiculous. Dafoe and Lundgren make seahorse-riding look not only cool, but almost believable. Wilson makes a charismatic Ocean Master, salvaging the character despite the hideous CGI suit and multitudes of corny villain lines. Kidman is practically Atlanna. The main star, Momoa plays a fun and crude Aquaman, a clearly separate character from other Justice League members: the suave Superman, the brooding Batman, or the wooden Wonder Woman.

Aquaman runs for 2 hours and 22 minutes, far too long for an origin movie focusing on a single hero. For comparison, this year’s blockbuster behemoth Avengers: Infinity Waris only 18 minutes longer, and that film has 28 heroes in it. Though the action scenes are great, both the melee combats and the CGI battles, after the first ten fights they start to feel repetitive. Wan, however, gives Aquaman an epic-scaled final war involving two huge military forces with beautifully contrasting color palettes. Such a stark difference to Justice League or Suicide Squad’s trite finales of “stopping the single mighty villain from destroying humanity”.

But even the lengthy running time can’t save this origin story from an overflow of expositions. The lighthouse opening scene with Kidman and Morrison has Momoa narrating who their characters are. The rest of the movie sees Mera explaining every little thing to Aquaman. She repeats one particular line about The Trench several times, basically hinting at the biggest twist in the film (which proceeds to have little impact on the overall plot). Speaking of The Trench, the isolated kingdom of man-eating humanoid fish monsters shows a horror scene where a monster jump scares Aquaman and Mera, reminding the audience that this film’s director is indeed James Wan.

Aquaman suffers from a predictable plot and a stale script, two common feats in most DCEU movies. However, it has got the two crucial requirements for any superhero movie: an iconic hero and great action scenes. Adding the gorgeous visuals in the mixt, Aquaman is a pretty good watch for anyone seeking a refreshing splash of fun. (iru/kes)

Popular

Government to permanently relocate 10,000 people after Ruang eruptions

Kokubo's injury time penalty save secures title for Japan

Residents fear for safety as Mount Ruang volcano erupts