AQUAMAN Review: James Wan Delivers A Ludicrous Solo Outing For The King Of Atlantis
James Wan's Aquaman swims into theaters in The UK and Ireland this week amid (mostly) positive reactions, but it most definitely did not work for this fanboy! Check out my full review after the jump...
After a somewhat underwhelming introduction in Zack Snyder's Justice League, DC's aquatic hero Arthur Curry returns for his first solo big-screen outing in James Wan's Aquaman, and the results are... not good.
If you're someone that believed The DC Films Universe was too dark and depressing before Wonder Woman came along then there is good news: Aquaman is most definitely not that. Wan's movie is bright, colorful (garish, really), and attempts to inject a sense of fun and old-fashioned adventure into pretty much every scene. Unfortunately, it forgets to include little things like compelling characters and an engaging story along the way.
To give you an example of how perfunctory the script is, there are three separate scenes in which characters are standing around chatting when the bad guys launch a "surprise" attack by blasting through a wall, just so we can lurch into the next action sequence. Some of these are, admittedly, impressively executed, but it's hard to feel much excitement when we don't give a damn about the characters.
Every line of dialogue in this movie is either exposition, an eye-rolling cliche or some brotastic, juvenile one-liner (or someone announcing their superhero name in hilariously dramatic fashion). As a result, we never really get to know any of the main players beyond a surface level. The performances range from bored to adequate, but it's hard to blame stars Jason Momoa and Amber Heard for failing to make much of an impression when even seasoned pros like Nicole Kidman and Willem Dafoe struggle with the material.
On the plus side, Aquaman does feature some stunning visuals and brilliantly creative creature designs, all of which comes together for a pretty damn bonkers finale - though by that stage you may well be on your second watch check.
Aquaman is not without spectacle and Momoa is a likable enough screen presence, but even with some impressive visuals on display, a by-the-numbers script, one-dimensional protagonists and a 2hr 20min runtime ensure that it ends up committing the blockbuster cardinal sin: it's boring.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.