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While Marvel continues to dominate the superhero genre, DC fights to make the occasional tentative step in the right direction—as they did with 2017’s Wonder Woman. And now, with Aquaman, DC finds another hero that audiences—or at least the women—will flock to theaters to see.
Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, the son of a lighthouse keeper and the queen of the kingdom of Atlantis. Arthur was raised knowing that he was the heir to the throne of a kingdom that would not accept him—a kingdom that was struggling with divisions and unrest. But when his half-brother, King Orm (Patrick Wilson), begins planning a war with those on land, an Atlantean princess named Mera (Amber Heard) convinces Arthur that, to stop the war, he must take the throne as the true king of Atlantis.
DC’s underwater superhero adventure follows Arthur on an epic quest to take the throne and unite the worlds above and below the sea. After his first confrontation with his brother goes horribly wrong, he’s forced to do things the hard way, following a series of steps to find the legendary trident of the first king of Atlantis. Along the way, Arthur and Mera are faced with one challenge after another—some more thrilling than others. It certainly makes for a lengthy journey—and, at times, the pacing drags, and viewers might start to nod off.
Fortunately, though, there’s plenty to see here (and I don’t just mean the swoon-inducing star). While the characters don’t always look their best while they’re racing around under the sea, the underwater world is striking—from the colorful phosphorescence of the cities to the hidden ruins and shipwrecks. And each underwater kingdom has an imaginative style of its own.
It also helps that Aquaman takes a cue from Wonder Woman by stepping away from DC’s tendency toward dark and super-serious adventures. Momoa isn’t the type to take himself too seriously, and his playfulness and easygoing charm definitely come through here. He often delivers his lines with a smirk, like he’s sharing a joke with the audience. And, in a way, he is. Because, honestly, Aquaman is a laughable film. It’s cheesy and over-the-top and occasionally ridiculously melodramatic. The villains are flat and single-minded in their quest for revenge. And poor Momoa is sometimes forced to pose as if he were shooting the cover image of a smutty romance novel instead of a superhero movie. But no matter how corny it may get, the likable hero and his watery adventures are still more entertaining than the average DC movie.
Aquaman is far from a great superhero movie. It’s over-the-top and over-long. But if you’re in the mood for some action and eye candy, it’s not a bad choice for some brainless holiday viewing.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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