Aquaman

The son of Atlanna, Queen of Atlantis (Nicole Kidman) and Tom Curry, a Maine lighthouse keeper (Temuera Morrison), Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) patrols the oceans as Aquaman but wants nothing to do with the underwater kingdom that he blames for taking his mother from him. Tired of both polluted seas, Arthur’s half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson), the current king of Atlantis, tries to capture the support of the other underwater kingdoms to declare war on the surface world. One of those kingdoms is Xebel, whose war-weary princess, Mera (Amber Heard) tries to recruit a reluctant Arthur to depose Orm and take his rightful place on the throne. Aided by his former mentor Vulko (Willem Dafoe), Arthur is sent in search of a mythical trident that would give him power to command the seas. Meanwhile, a disdainful Orm arms vengeful high-tech pirate David Kane (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and sends him after Arthur.

Once a joke character best known for talking to fish, Aquaman has undergone a number of alterations and revivals over the years in an attempt to (re)claim respectability. Momoa featured prominently in 2017’s Justice League, so it was expected that he get his own shot at a solo film. Actually “expected” is one word that can sum up a lot of this movie as it shamelessly recycles genre clichés with little in the way of original flavoring. “Dumb” is unfortunately another word that fits here as Aquaman rivals Venom for the most braindead superhero movie of the year.

This is not a film entirely without virtues, but its vices are almost too numerous to note. The story is uninspired, mashing up standard origin story fare (Arthur’s powers manifest as a child in response to bullying, Vulko gives him a “you’re not ready” speech in response to his desire to learn a combat technique, etc.) with the already-derivative Avatar (fantasy kingdom strikes back against human exploiters of natural resources, only the moral positioning is muddled), among others. The movie is also awash (pun intended) in bad CGI. The sea creatures include war sharks, war crabs, a drums-playing octopus, and an off-brand kraken, and many look ridiculous. However, the problems don’t stop when the action heads to land as a desert sands backdrop looks patently fake as well. Performances are all over the place too. Morrison, a New Zealand native, tries half-heartedly for a New England accent and sounds more otherworldly than any of the Atlanteans. Wilson alternates between cold ruthlessness, exaggerated battle cries, and cringeworthy self-aggrandizement (“Call me Ocean Master!”) while the talents of Djimon Honsou and Julie Andrews are wasted in small roles. Perhaps the film’s biggest vice is its lack of self-awareness. It isn’t without humor, but none of the jokes are at its own expense, and it takes its preposterous conceit entirely too seriously.

And yet, Aquaman is strangely watchable. The “so bad it’s good” principle definitely applies here regarding the movie’s overall cheesiness, but there are still a few legitimate high points as well. Other DCEU movies were plagued by terribly inconsistent pacing but not this one. Aquaman clocks in at two and a half hours yet feels an hour shorter as there is rarely a dull moment or superfluous scene. For as bad as some of the CGI looks, the action scenes are fairly well-choreographed, especially a sprawling chase-and-brawl in Sicily. Director James Wan demonstrates the ability to make a fight look good without trying too hard to imitate Zack Snyder. Some of the secondary characters come off well here, too. Mera could have been wasted in a number of stereotyped roles (token love interest, eye candy, damsel in distress, etc.), but instead, she is a formidable fighter and the film’s moral center. Heard arguably shows up much of the cast. Even despite the (comics-accurate) goofy helmet, Mateen makes for an appropriately terrifying Black Manta: a vindictive, murder-happy, heavily armed and armored pirate with engineering skills.

And then there’s Momoa, who has the (mis)fortune of being perfectly cast. He’s an actor of limited range and depth, but he can throw a punch, deliver a quip, and stare down the camera with the best of them. When it comes to regurgitating superhero tropes, he is clearly in his element. Fittingly, at one point in the film, Arthur acknowledges and laments his role as little more than a brawler. We the audience are supposed to believe that there is more to him than that, and the film tries desperately to elevate him, and, by proxy, itself. But despite the visual spectacle, there is simply too much wrong here for Aquaman to work as any sort of epic. As popcorn fare, its adequate low-demand entertainment, but when it tries to be anything more than that, it’s a soggy mess.