Review of Aquaman (2018) by Peter C — 21 Dec 2018

My one word for this movie is: Awesome! This is a movie I have long waited for, as I am an avid DC comics reader an in particular an Aquaman fan. I am biased, of course, because I will always appreciate a chance to view my favorite characters come to life on screen, straight out of the pages of my books. So what I can say to get the moviegoers seeing this superhero film is that everyone in the theater I attended was having a lot of fun.

Aquaman, the comics character, is at times a level-headed diplomat, and at times a fierce hero who can command the creatures of the sea with focus, tact, and passion. Aquaman as portrayed by Jason Momoa is at times frustrating, as the humor and charm that the screenwriters have given him in this movie sometimes just completely falls flat for me or seems inappropriate. And yet, I can name a dozen moments where his undeniable charisma made me smile from ear to ear. That, combined with an unusually strong supporting cast, makes Aquaman the movie a really good show. Amber Heard as Mera was so good as a strong female lead (especially in contrast to Aquaman's unapologetic masculinity) that I occasionally wished that she was the star of the movie. At least three other supporting actors were really exceptional as well.

As I comic book fan I was looking for three things. I said, "The costumes better be good, the action better be great, and if there isn't a scene where Aquaman commands an enormous school of fish, I'm going to be really disappointed." And I wasn't disappointed at any of those beats. My expectations with the character designs, especially the villains, were surpassed. The combat and all the moving parts were fun to look at and the CGI was utterly convincing. And as for the fish, it did take a while, but it happened near the end of the movie and it was by far my favorite scene.

I highly recommend the movie for these reasons. If you need additional convincing, just know that there is a scene where a giant octopus plays a huge set of drums.