Review: Aquaman

Much like Wonder Woman's brief but impactful appearance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Arthur Curry aka Aquaman in Justice League was a rare ray of pleasure in an otherwise mirthless slog. The long-haired, heavily tattooed, alcohol-swilling bit of rough now has his own stand-alone origin story. That it would be a visually breathtaking spectacle might be no surprise, but what is a surprise is how good and enjoyable Aquaman actually is.

Much of Aquaman's success rests on the tremendously capable shoulders of Jason Momoa, first seen dropping into a hijacked stealth submarine, flipping his hair as in a Pantene commercial, looking over his shoulder, and saying, "Permission to come aboard." His mix of swagger and tongue-in-cheek humour is bang on point and it sets the tone for the majority of the film. This is a man who is happy to help those in need, but there is happy hour to think about, so one can imagine his reaction when Mera (Amber Heard) appears and exhorts him to return to Atlantis, where his half-brother King Orm (Patrick Wilson) is attempting to unite the rulers of the seven underwater kingdoms to declare war on the surface world. If Orm is successful, Mera says, then billions of people would die from both their worlds. The only way to stop Orm would be for Arthur to return and claim his rightful place as king.

Fetching as Mera is, Arthur has no plans to return to Atlantis. He's harboured a lifelong resentment for the Atlanteans, whom he blames for the death of his mother, Queen Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), who had to sacrifice life on land with him and his father (Temuera Morrison) in order to keep them safe. Yet Arthur eventually relents after a tidal wave nearly takes him and his father out whilst on the road and more and more reports of flash floods and tidal waves hit the airwaves. Before he can oust Orm from the throne, Arthur must find the Lost Trident of Atlan and fend off the villainous David Kane aka Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), a high-seas mercenary who holds Arthur responsible for his father's death and who is in cahoots with Orm to bring about the war.

Arthur, for the most part, is a character who doesn't take himself too seriously and, in a way, neither does the film. It's confident enough in itself that it's not trying to hard to be anything other than what it is. Much like Wonder Woman (though it doesn't quite have that film's level of gravitas), Aquaman possesses a fully realised world, clearly defined characters, and a clarity of purpose. Director James Wan is arguably the MVP here, creating an underwater world that is meticulously and cleverly detailed (the stingray-shaped vehicle pods are particularly neat), astonishing to behold, and completely believable. Sometimes, as in the finale, it can be too much overkill but, given that most superhero films descend into bombastic frenetic mayhem in their final act, it's par for the course.

Somehow the actors manage not to get lost amidst the impressive CGI. It's fun to see Dolph Lundgren have a bit of a renaissance not only with his role as Ivan Drago in Creed II but also here as King Nereus. Kidman somehow puts a lump in one's throat and breaks the heart as she tells her love, "Where I come from, the sea carries our tears away." Wilson and Abdul-Mateen II are both dastardly perfection. Heard is a conundrum - on the one hand, she's fine as Mera and yet, there's something not quite right, as if she's a beat off everyone else's groove. Also, keep your ears peeled for Dame Julie Andrews, who voices a mythical sea creature named Karathen.

Aquaman

Directed by: James Wan

Written by: David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Will Beall

Starring: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison, Ludi Lin, Michael Beach, Randall Park, Graham McTavish