Aquaman (2018)

(SPOILER WARNING!!)

While I still think that the DCEU thus far has been mostly trash, that doesn't mean everything in it was God awful. This is where Aquaman comes into play.

Much like Wonder Woman, Aquaman is a character who is otherwise underused in terms of cinematic representation. That's not to say he's never been a part of any other DC related properties, as he was one on the main members of the Justice League almost since it's inception. But either due to Batman and Superman overshadowing the rest or creators not knowing what to do with the character, Arthur Curry has otherwise played little part in the overall franchise outside of the comics.

But with his out of nowhere introduction in the Justice League film, and Jason "Khal Drogo" Momoa himself in the role, there were still fans clamouring to see the character in his own cinematic adventure, especially with director James Wan attached to the film. So long as Snyder and Goyer stayed as far away from the project as possible, we'll be good. And thankfully, I can safely say that we finally have another good DC film that isn't Wonder Woman.

And hey, it's still better than Titans.

The story, at it's core, is simple; Arthur Curry is the half breed child of a lighthouse keeper and the Queen of Atlantis, the latter leaving due to an arranged marriage and to keep the ones she loves safe. This hasn't worked fully, however, as Curry grows up to act as the defender of the seas and kick some major ass along the way. Things change, however, when his younger half-brother Orm, a.k.a the Ocean Master, is planning to launch an attack on the surface by uniting the remaining legions of Atlantis together and Arthur has to dethrone him before that can happen. With the help and coercing from Princess Mera, Arthur sets out on a quest to find the spear of Atlantis to stop Orm, despite the fact that he doesn't exactly see himself as king material.

Oh, and something about a mercenary who eventually becomes Black Manta who also has some kind of connection to Orm and wants to kill Arthur for leaving his dad to die, but that's nothing major.

One of the things that helps the film stand on its feet outside of the DCEU is that they don't try to weave in a larger, interconnected story that will be resolved in a crossover film, nor does it act as if the universe this far existed. They briefly mention Steppenwolf from Justice League, but otherwise, they try to keep the film rooted to Aquaman and his journey. This was desperately needed after the mess that resulted from BvS trying to be more than it could've ever hoped to be. We needed more of a (so to speak) down to Earth story that actually allows the characters to breathe and develop beyond what was seen of them in a previous film. We finally have the chance to really appreciate Arthur's character and see him become a true hero in his own right, while still working off of what little was already established about him.

It's ALMOST as if having a character grow and develop before throwing them in with a bunch of nobodies allows us to appreciate their interaction more and thus doesn't come off as forced or narrative contrived... seriously WB, it's not that fucking hard.

What also helps is the fact that much of Arthur's journey makes sense for his character. He's someone with simple needs; he wants to just protect both land and sea without much else in terms of being a full on hero. And he wants to have fun while doing so. He isn't ignorant of what he can do, he simply doesn't want to break away and betray what he is and what he knows. Thus, him not wanting to be king in spite of his heritage makes absolute sense in the films context and with how he interacts with everyone.

This contrasts well with Orm, who, while still being a pompous, arrogant prick, still does what he does for the sake of Atlantis and it's intrinsic to his characterisation. He was simply raised that way and knows no other alternative, as he lived most of his life without someone to teach him right or wrong. He's still a manipulative and conceited bastard, but you still understand where he's coming from and he is never depicted as just "the bad guy".  Helped that he isn't just killed at the end; he faces the consequences of everything he has done and is going to answer for them.

If I had any real complaint about the film, it's mainly around one of the chief villains; Black Manta. Which is a shame, as they do a good job building him up from the start of the film. Arthur is actively responsible for Black Manta's father getting killed, and is in cahoots with Orm as both want Arthur dead for one reason or another. He is provided with Atlatean equipment and he builds various weapons and a cool looking helmet to prep himself to kill Arthur, taking on the Black Manta title in the process.

And he only gets about 5 minutes of screen time before he gets his ass kicked and isn't seen until the mid-credit scene to build up a sequel... laaaaaaaaaaaame.

I understand why he didn't have as much presence as Orm, as he is one of the lesser DC villains when comparing to the likes of the Joker of Lex Luthor, but he still felt like an afterthought who was mainly thrown into the film to sell more tickets. Very little of what he does actually matters to the films narrative and he could've saved the Black Manta suit for the next film.

Otherwise, I'm happy to see this film embrace the fact that it's a comic book film. With a character as inherently ridiculous as Aquaman is, it really is surprising that the film treats the character and his lore with such respect and dignity. Even right down to taking the costumes from the comics and translating it into live action. Seeing the orange and green spandex brought to the big screen and have it done in a simultaneously elegant and badass way shows how much the filmmakers really cared about pleasing both the fans and regular audiences. They don't just simply through a bunch of images from the comics for the sake of visual appeal; they integrate it and give a brand new sense of importance and legacy.

This film is what was so desperately needed after such misses like BvS and Justice League. It's fun, well-written, acted wonderfully by the entire cast, and finally gives me that excitement that has so desperately been missing from the DCEU for a very long time. I can finally look forward to seeing more DC movies again without having to just go back and watch Dark Knight for my DC movie fix. So, what's next?

*sees trailer for Shazam*

... At least I'm not groaning in frustration.

Overall rating: 8/10.

Until next time; this is Callum Lewis, the Media Hood, signing off!