Review: Aquaman

I was going to save this for my monthly reading/watching log, but then it got too long!

There are very little surprises when it comes to Aquaman, though I felt some sympathy for the script-writers considering most of the character’s stories, themes, and even basic imagery has been around in the comics since the 1940s, only to have been “borrowed” over the years by other creative projects: everything from a weapon only the worthy can wield (Thor’s hammer), to brothers/cousins warring for the throne (Thor/Loki, T’Challa/Killmonger), to disparate tribes that the true king must unite (Black Panther again), to Mera’s red hair and green scales (Disney’s The Little Mermaid).

Heck, even Nicole Kidman as Atlanna surviving by herself for decades in a hostile environment was beaten to the punch by Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne earlier in the year.

Of course, a lot of Aquaman’s story was originally derived from Arthurian legend (including Arthur’s own name!) but since then other comic-book movies have overtaken him in fame and popularity, making a lot of what’s seen here extremely predictable. The one true king, the greedy usurper, the test of worthiness, the spirited love interest, the quest for the magical McGuffin: there are echoes here of everything from The Lord of the Rings to Raiders of the Lost Ark.

It’s therefore in the little things that the film sets itself apart.

As was said on Tumblr, it’s a very kind movie. Arthur wins the day not through strength of arms, but by communicating and offering respect to a monstrous guardian. He takes selfies with fans, speaks to people in their own language, eats a flower to spare someone else embarrassment, gives his parents credit for saving the world “with their love”, and generally tones down the surfer-dude demeanor from Justice League.

Yes, there’s the usual “I don’t want to be king” and self-pitying “it’s my fault mum is dead!” beats, but for the most part he’s a refreshingly happy and well-adjusted hero, who admits his faults, does his best and uses kindness and charisma to achieve his goals (for the most part).

Other familiar tropes are turned on their heads: it’s frankly a miracle that Arthur has not one but two living parents who not only make it through the entire film, but are happily reunited at its end. So is the fact the royal vizier is a good guy (played by Willem Dafoe at that!) and that the hero’s love interest actually has stuff to do.

Mera is hardly the greatest feminist heroine to ever grace the screen (especially on the heels of Wonder Woman), but for the love interest of a superhero she does incredibly well for herself. She makes difficult decisions that drive the plot forward, saves Arthur’s life (and that of his father’s), is never once threatened or held hostage in order to torture the hero, and (despite the skin-tight swimsuit) isn’t ogled by the camera. Heck, she even gets to drive the undersea car without any argument, comment or even pained expression from Arthur.

There’s one lovely moment in which she’s sitting by herself at the bow of a ship, just playing on a recorder to keep herself company. It’s unclear where she got the instrument, or how she knows to play it in the first place, but my point is that it’s a fun little character beat. She’s not playing for Arthur (who is unconscious at the time), she’s entertaining herself.

In the same vein, an earlier scene sees her standing with a little girl next to a fountain and using her abilities to create seahorses and dolphins in the water. Again, it’s got nothing to do with Arthur – she’s just making a little girl happy. It all demonstrates that she has an internal life outside the confines of Arthur’s story.

And the inevitable love story between the two of them is much better than I thought it would be. Judging from some of the early previews, I was afraid it was going to be another iteration of “smart girl is irritated by dumb guy until she inexplicably kisses him after an entire movie of bickering and sniping”, but instead they make an effective team, and have some cute bonding moments before the gloriously cheesy and dramatic Big Damn Kiss.

The villains are a little dull, and though there’s a rudimentary effort to give them decent reasons for being dickheads, I’m SO OVER feeling sorry for guys like Orm and Black Manta, who can go join Loki and Kylo Ren in the “please get over yourself” room.

That said, I did like the graceful note on which Orm’s story ended. There’s some interesting potential there for the sequel when it comes to the relationship between the two brothers. And the moral ambiguity surrounding the death of Black Manta’s father was interesting too. Sure, Arthur had no real obligation to save his life… but leaving people in jeopardy, no matter who they are, is just not what heroes do. Another of those great “little moments” I mentioned earlier was Arthur confiding to Mera that he made a mistake in leaving them in the submarine.

But the real drawcard of the film is its visual splendor: the glory of Atlantis, the luminous underwater landscapes, the aquatically-themed technology, the likes of Willem Dafoe and Dolph Lundgren riding massive sharks and giant seahorses – I love underwater kingdoms, so this was a feast for the eyes. By the time the inevitable giant CGI battle rolled around, I was actually looking forward to it!

And at one point Mera gets to wear a jellyfish dress. A jellyfish dress!!

I have to say, I had a little trouble reconciling this with Justice League. Mera mentions that Aquaman helped save the world from Steppenwolf, placing this movie after that one, and yet later on Arthur says: “I don’t even know your name.” That’s odd, because their interaction in Justice League certainly suggested that the two of them already knew each other – now we’re meant to believe that was the first time they’ve ever interacted? Maybe I should rewatch that scene just to get a better reading of it…

Oh, and no one outside of New Zealand will get this, but the biggest laugh in my theatre came when Temura Morrison offered to cook Nicole Kidman some eggs! In more ways than one, this is a surprisingly kiwi film, as best described by Graeme Tuckett, our local newspaper’s movie reviewer:

As Momoa plays him, [Arthur] is like Maui, explicitly a Polynesian demigod, complete with a shark tooth tatau adorning his arms and chest and a pounamu the size of your mum’s meatloaf around his neck. This Aquaman isn’t the vaguely Nordic figure the comics once featured. He is pretty much Tangaroa, god of the sea, and a more fitting Hollywood salute to the world’s greatest seafaring people would be hard to imagine.

One thing bugged me though, and it was the same thing that happened in How To Train Your Dragon 2: the hero (Hiccup and Arthur) spend the WHOLE MOVIE saying they don't want to be chief/king, and... they've kinda got a point. Neither one of them really suits the role of king in personality and temperament. But you know who would? The capable, responsible, intelligent, duty-conscious woman standing right there next to him. But nope, the dude gets a crazy superpower (magic trident, domination over dragons) and takes on the job he never really wanted in the first place.  

Okay, so there was no way this movie was going to end with Mera or Atlanna becoming king – but I'm still annoyed Dreamworks didn't make Astrid chief instead of Hiccup (Pixar would have done it).

In all, it was a fun ride, though certainly nothing that we haven’t seen a thousand times before. It was a feast for the eyes, it embraced the silly, and its soundtrack fit the tone perfectly. I saw it New Year’s Eve with a friend, and there are certainly worse ways to end the year.