DC Universe's Finest to This Date

Kaleidoscope’s newest is on Warner Bros. & DC Entertainment’s production of “Aquaman”.  Directed by James Wan, the movie stars Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Tamuera Morrison, & Nicole Kidman.  Rated ‘PG-13’, it has a running time of 2 hr., 23 min. 

The prologue’s initial setting is a lighthouse in Maine in 1985; the keep is Tom Curry (Morrison).  During a tremendous storm, the princess of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, Atlanna (Kidman), is washed ashore where she is rescued by Tom.  Over the ensuing years, they fall in love & have a child, Arthur (Momoa) who, since he is half Atlantean, has the power to communicate with marine life (demonstrated amusingly at an aquarium setting when he is in elementary school).  After a few years, soldiers from the deep come to take Atlanna back to her kingdom.  Altho she defeats them, she knows that others will come in greater numbers.  She tells Tom that she must leave because of this & assigns her trusted vizier Vulko (Dafoe) to educate & train the growing Arthur.  Altho he is trained well, Arthur is rejected by Atlantis & its current king, Orm (Wilson), Arthur’s half-brother, because Arthur is half-human.  Transition to the present, 1 year after Steppenwolf’s (“Justice League”) invasion, where a group of pirates led by David/Manta (Abdul-Mateen) have hijacked a Russian sub.  Arthur explosively comes aboard & frees the captives; during the skirmish, David’s father, Jesse, dies, whereupon David vows revenge.  Towards the end of Act I, David attacks Atlantis—at the behest of King Orm.  This is the ruse, & the film’s MacGuffin, (along with an environmental motif) that allows Orm to declare war with those on the surface.  There is also the appearance of Mera (Heard), the daughter of King Nereus (Lundgren), who has come to aid Arthur in his quest to be given his rightful place at the table.   

After all of the disappointing DC films—save for Patty Jenkins “Wonder Woman”—(personally, I think that the CW network does a better job, overall, with the Universe), leave it to the great James Wan (“Saw”, “The Conjuring”, & “Insidious” franchises) to rescue the film oeuvre.  He brings a panache that has been missing from the dark, muddy, over-serious duds helmed by Zach Snyder; thankfully, Snyder is only 1 of 10 of this film’s executive producers.  Wan’s staging is thoroughly adept whether it be action or humor; his only imperfections appear in the few serious scenes between 2 or among 3 or more.  They are a bit awkward & clunky—a minor flaw in an otherwise fast-paced action-adventure.  He has followed the successful Marvel standards for well-executed superhero films.  David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick's & Will Beall’s screenplay is very well written for the genre.  There are equal parts action, humor, adventure, & back-story aplenty.  The characters are well fleshed-out for a super-hero movie—there are several allusions to both the archetypes of the Moses-Rameses-Seth triangle (with Mera as a type of Nefretiri) and to the Arthurian legend, with the Trident of Atlan that Arthur must acquire, substituting for Excalibur, which will enable Arthur to take his rightful place as king.  The acting is uniformly good—up to the Marvel standards of superhero thespianism.  Momoa, with his Herculean physique & nicely uttered one-liners, has followed the successful Dwayne Johnson playbook; his career should skyrocket from here.  Heard is a fetching Mera who stands by her man to see the injustices righted.  Wilson is a somewhat bland baddie; he never seems menacing enough.  He tries his best, but his expressions never change—save for the film’s climax.  Abdul-Mateen's David/Manta is a much more threatening villain; one hopes to see more of him.  Kidman is a standout as Atlanna.  She brings a stunning & strong presence that is felt throughout the film.  Dafoe is very good in an underwritten, Alfred Pennyworth-type role; he is a talented character actor whose appearances are always welcome.  Don Burgess’s cinematography (along with Kirk Morri’s editing) is stunning, sharp, & clearly defined.  One never gets lost in any pretentious muddiness.  Bill Brzeski’s production design and the absolutely superb special & visual effects are Oscar-worthy.  The underwater world that they create is amazing to behold & is believable throughout. 

I give “Aquaman” 4 out of 5 nuggets.  With a slim nod over “WW”, this is now the standard against which any future DC efforts will be compared.  If you have not yet seen it, head to your local cineplex asap.  And, do not forget to stay until the mid-end credit scene which sets up “Aquaman II”!