The newest DC character to hit the screens: Aquaman. Arthur Curry (Aquaman, played by Jason Momoa) learns at a young age that he has a special connection to sea creatures. He soon comes to learn that he is the long-lost heir to the throne of Atlantis, and with an impending war between land and sea, his people need his help.
It's about time DC Comics figured out how to make a good movie! While this one isn't quite up to Marvel's levels of film-making, it is definitely an improvement. Character development for one is much better. We get to see Aquaman in the current time, but also how he came to learn about his family history through various flashbacks. I especially enjoyed the flashbacks because of the backstory they granted. I didn't know a lot about Aquaman, and when this movie started I was a little worried. It jumps right into the action and my immediate thought was, "Great, I'm going to be lost." This wasn't the case at all.
Aquaman is getting great ratings. IMDb has it at a 7.6/10, and Rotten Tomatoes is at an 80% audience rating. This movie has grossed over $222 million domestically thus far and over $846 million worldwide. That is a huge amount considering they only spent around $160 million to make the film. While it is receiving a lot of buzz right now, I have to wonder if it's really that good. I, of course, have some critiques.
First, some of the graphics really aren't that great. Obviously, people can't talk under water, but when they are swimming around a very obvious green screen, it's a little distracting. They move in a way that just feels wrong to me. Maybe I'm being picky with that, but they also used a green screen for the desert scenes. With a budget of $160 million I would hope you could at least find a real sand dune. If not, maybe add another couple thousand dollars to the budget. It's not like DC can't afford it.
My second minor complaint is the cheesy one-liners. Some of them are good, but some of them are just unnecessary and distracting. Aquaman doesn't have to be funny. There's nothing in the comics that says we need to lighten the mood with a cheesy joke right here. They were sometimes very strange and good for a small giggle, but each one just got more cringe-worthy. Jason Momoa makes for a fantastic Aquaman, but there's no reason to make him a comedian. Let's be honest here...this movie is making so much money because all the guys are like, "I'm going to see the movie," and their girlfriends' are like "Oh bring me!" The girls are only going to see a shirtless Momoa. They don't care if he's funny...they may not even be able to tear their eyes off his abs to care about what he's saying...(see pic below).
Finally, my last problem was with Kekoa Kekumano's performance. He plays the sixteen year-old Arthur in one of the flashbacks. I found his entire scene to be exceptionally cringe-worthy and I was hoping for it to end sooner than it did. The acting was not good at all. I've never seen him in any other roles, but I genuinely hope it was better than this performance. Sorry, Kekumano!
You should definitely see this one if you are a comic fan, but I wouldn't say it is the best of the best. Definitely the best of DC movies, and I hope this marks a future of improvements for DC Comic films. I'd rate this at a 7/10 probably, but you are welcome to make your own judgments! Let me know if you agree, and enjoy the beautiful picture of Jason (above) for as long as you need! 😉
