AQUAMAN REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

As of late, the majority of the films in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) have been received negatively, both by critics and audiences. So far, only Wonder Woman, which was released last year, has been successful after it received critical praise and impressed at the box office. Because of this, it has been deemed the best film in the DCEU. A few months after the release of Wonder Woman, Justice League proved to be a disappointment after its negative reception. This lead to doubts about the next instalment in the DCEU, Aquaman, a spin-off that focuses on the titular Atlantian, who made a cameo in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and appeared in Justice League. However, is it another disappointment in the franchise?

In Aquaman, Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, must step forward to lead his people against his half-brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson), who seeks to unite the seven underwater kingdoms against the surface world.

To a lot of people's surprise, Aquaman is an improvement over Justice League, in terms of acting, special effects and providing over two hours of entertainment. However, it's certainly not the best superhero film we've had recently. Unlike Justice League, Aquaman doesn't take itself seriously and is a lot of fun. It is both an origins story and a follow-up to Justice League as we learn more about his background and who he is as a character. In Justice League, we barely knew much about him, however, his spin-off gives viewers that insight. The beginning shows us how his parents, Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) and Thomas (Temuera Morrison), met. Unfortunately, because Atlanna is Queen of Atlantis, she was forced to return to her home, leaving Arthur behind when he was an infant. Because he was born out of wedlock and he's half-human, Arthur isn't welcome at Atlantis, which leads to his half-brother, Orm, taking the throne. By the time the film finishes, we have a stronger understanding of who Aquaman is and we learn more about his strengths and also his weaknesses. 

In Justice League, Momoa's performance as Aquaman wasn't anything special but that wasn't necessarily his fault as his character was undeveloped and he did what he could with a small description. However, in this spin-off, Momoa's performance has improved. He captures the strengths of Aquaman and he impresses in the fight sequences. Also returning after making a small appearance in Justice League, is Amber Heard as Arthur's love interest, Mera, an Atlantian who persuades Arthur to take his rightful place on the throne and stop his brother from declaring war on the surface world. I think that this may be Heard's strongest performance yet as she captures Mera's fierce personality. Wilson makes for a good antagonist and is definitely an improvement over the villain that featured in Justice League. Kidman and Willem Dafoe round out the cast as Atlanna and Aquaman's mentor, Vulko. 

Director James Wan is known for creating violent horrors such as Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring. Because of this, he may seem like an unusual choice to create a superhero film, however, he proves he can make a family-friendly film. After the disappointing reception that Justice League received, I think there was a lot of pressure on Wan to create a successful superhero film, however, he doesn't disappoint. For most of its 143 minute runtime, Aquaman is fun, entertaining and action packed. Unlike the majority of films he's previously directed, Aquaman has a light and breezy tone and is an easy watch, however, because of its long runtime, it does drag. Despite the runtime issue, Wan's Aquaman isn't a bad film and it's not the worst superhero film we've had this year.

While Aquaman has received more praise than Justice League, critics still aren't impressed. With other superhero films, such as Avengers: Infinity War, Incredibles 2 and, most recently, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, being released this year, Aquaman is the weakest of them all. That's not to say it's a terrible film, though, but I can understand why it probably won't leave as much of a lasting impression as the aforementioned films, especially Avengers: Infinity War, which ended on an emotional climax. The trouble with most films in the DCEU is the comparisons people make to the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which, unsurprisingly, leads to disappointment. While a lot of people will probably prefer the MCU films, fans of the DCEU with this latest instalment. Aquaman is far from a perfect film, however, it's entertaining and develops the titular character into a superhero, with Momoa impressing in his performance.

7/10