Is the latest installment of the DC Extended Universe (or DCEU) good enough to get the franchise back on its feet in the same way as Wonder Woman before it, or is it another dud like Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Justice League? Let's find out in my review of:
During the 2018 Christmas break, 2 weeks after its theatrical debut, my little sister Caroline and I went to see the latest installment in the struggling DC Extended Universe movie franchise known as Aquaman, starring Jason Mamoa of “Game of Thrones” fame as the titular character, along with a remarkable cast consisting of Nicole Kidman, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, and Temuera Morrison, among other capable actors and actresses.
Having seen it twice in full, I am more than happy to say that DC has successfully proven that 2017’s Wonder Woman wasn’t a one-hit wonder, as Aquaman fires on all cylinders and, at least from my perspective, even manages to surpass its predecessor! With all this being said, let’s look into what has enabled Aquaman to become, as of now, the highest-grossing film in the DCEU, and the first of the franchise to join the $1 billion dollar club!
Having seen it twice in full, I am more than happy to say that DC has successfully proven that 2017’s Wonder Woman wasn’t a one-hit wonder, as Aquaman fires on all cylinders and, at least from my perspective, even manages to surpass its predecessor! With all this being said, let’s look into what has enabled Aquaman to become, as of now, the highest-grossing film in the DCEU, and the first of the franchise to join the $1 billion dollar club!
Cast: I have to give major props to the cast that director James Wan assembled for this cinematic experience, especially Jason Momoa and Amber Heard (who have quite the chemistry onscreen due to how well their characters bounce off each other!). Momoa has managed to make the leap from TV to Hollywood quite well, as there are 2 major sides to Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, that Momoa manages to bring to life rather efficiently. On one hand, there’s Arthur’s carefree, ‘rock star’-like persona that Momoa effortlessly brings to life onscreen, which is most prominently displayed towards the beginning of the film, when Aquaman single-handedly wipes the floor with a group of well-armed pirates who’ve hijacked a Russian nuclear submarine. On the other hand, Momoa admirably captures the essence of a man who just wants to protect those he cares about as well as the world he's grown up in, which is highlighted (Minor spoilers) after a behemoth tidal wave sent by Patrick Wilson’s King Orm (the film’s main antagonist, who later adopts his iconic moniker of ‘Ocean Master’ from the comics) almost kills Arthur’s father Thomas (played by Jango Fett of the Star Wars prequels himself, Temuera Morrison) (End spoilers), which is what drives the former to undergo the quest to retrieve the legendary trident of the long-deceased King Atlan, the first ruler of Atlantis.
Amber Heard, meanwhile, plays the utterly gorgeous (even when wet!) Princess Mera, who serves as Arthur's (and, in a way, the audience's) guide to both Atlantis and much of the underwater world seen throughout Aquaman. In addition to playing the typical ‘straight-man’ (despite not being male) to Momoa’s more self-aware and somewhat unconventional main lead, Heard manages to instill an aura of confidence, wisdom (about the history and culture of Atlantis), as well as remarkable power and combat skill to boot (as demonstrated during the exquisitely filmed chase/skirmish in Italy during the movie’s second act)! Most significantly, Heard’s acting is convincing enough and is infused with enough charisma that audiences can more readily buy into her character’s (positive) change of opinion regarding the surface world and its inhabitants that occurs during the segment of the film when Mera and Arthur travel to Sicily to determine the coordinates to Atlan’s trident.
Besides our leads, the rest of the cast (particularly Willem Dafoe (aka Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man and Gill in Pixar's Finding Nemo) as Arthur’s longtime mentor Vulko, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the vengeful pirate David Kane, aka Black Manta, and Patrick Wilson as the bitter King Orm, aka Ocean Master) breathe life into their characters in their own distinct, yet equally effective, ways. I could go into what these talented actors did right in their performances, but we’d be here all day if I did, so therefore, I’m giving them an equivalent amount of praise collectively!
Cinematography: In addition to the cast, Aquaman boasts some truly eye-popping cinematography, courtesy of Don Burgess (who previously collaborated with James Wan on 2016’s The Conjuring 2). As the movie unfolded, there were numerous times I laid eyes on shots that I plan on possibly using as my desktop picture due to the sheer scale of what was unfolding before me, the vibrant color palette being utilized, the smart usage of wide shots, or a combination of the three (as seen below)!
A shot of the climax that sees King Orm's coalition wage war against the crustacean-like Brine.
The last movie I saw with such impressive cinematography (besides the ‘hero shots’ Marvel Studios have mastered, as seen in Avengers: Infinity War) was the polarizing Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which came out over a year ago! I think it’s safe to say that Burgess should stick around with DC, because with guidance and direction like James Wan’s, he could work his way up to becoming the next Roger Deakins (the Academy Award-winning cinematographer most often known for his collaborations with the Coen brothers who also served as a visual consultant for the beloved How to Train Your Dragon film franchise)!
For instance, during the kinetic chase/fight in Italy, in which Black Manta almost blasts Arthur with his straight-out-of-the-comics red ‘optical lasers’, only to blast apart the upper portion of a bell tower, the thousands of bits of debris that fly from the ensuing explosion helps to convince audiences that this piece of architecture has indeed been blasted apart by futuristic weaponry. The filmmakers could’ve easily left the debris out and merely shown the larger chunks of the tower being blown apart (along with the fireball produced by Black Manta’s lasers), but by adding the hundreds of small debris pieces into the shot, it makes the bell tower’s destruction that much more believable. Meticulous attention to detail like this makes me appreciate the visual craftsmanship on display throughout Aquaman, and helps it to stand out that much more from VFX-heavy blockbusters like Bumblebee, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and the aforementioned Avengers: Infinity War!
If it wasn’t clear by now, I was very pleased with Aquaman, as it has immersive acting from an impressive cast, passionate directing by James Wan, engrossing cinematography, and visual effects that succeed in transporting viewers to a sprawling world beneath the waves. Combine all this with remarkably dynamic action sequences and a unique-sounding score by composer Rupert Gregson-Williams (who previously did the score for Wonder Woman), and you have yourself one heck of a cinematic ride! I highly recommend checking this movie out, and I look forward to seeing it again (hopefully) sometime soon!
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