Too often, I go to the movies and I see a run-of-the-mill superhero story that hits every trope and formula that has been established in the last ten years. And I can absolutely say that Aquaman is…one of those exact movies.
Now don’t get me wrong, I liked it. I’ve said it before: I love comic movies. And unless people go out of their way to ruin characters — *cough* Batman v. Superman *cough* — then I’m usually pretty happy with the movie.
Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as the titular character and we get to see glimpses into his origin story as well as the biggest fight of his life. And in between we get to go between the ocean and land like a mudskipper… It’s a kind of fish… Look it up.
Anyway, Let’s take a look at the story that we’re given with Aquaman. The guy is the heir to the kingdom, but he doesn’t want the throne. Instead, he’d rather live his live in a carefree way that allows him to hang out with cool people. He really loves his dad and has to try and stop him from being killed. No, no, it’s not The Lion King, its Aquaman.
His younger brother is jealous of him and all the power he has, so he plots to kill him and usurp the throne, and also take the girl he likes as his own wife. No, I already said this, it’s not The Lion King. This is different.
A younger guy is after the main character because the main character killed his dad, and the guy wants revenge, even though that guys dad totally deserved it. Again, not The Lion King, that’s The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride…and also, Aquaman.
So, this movie is not original. And the plot is so special effects-heavy that they would need to pay an amount approximately equivalent to the current U.S. debt for it to look good. And it has some over the top acting that can only come from a movie in the middle circle of a Venn diagram that has Tolkien fantasy and Stan Lee comic book stories on either side.
Again, I kind of expect these things from comic book movies. Especially DC movies. Who seem to be dragging behind Marvel like a fish on a hook behind a speedboat… get it, cause its… cause it’s Aquaman…
I enjoyed the fantasy aspect of this movie, like I did from Thor: The Dark World, or parts of Wonder Woman. I like to see the blending of new worlds and our world together. And that has always been something DC has tried to do, so I will give them credit where it’s due. I did laugh when I thought it was funny, I did enjoy the love story (and not the one you might think at first) and I LOVED the fight scenes, when they were on land.
Seriously, I feel sorry for the Italian village that took the beating, but loved the whole scene where they fought, and who the heck knew that Nicole Kidman could butt like that!
Photo courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.
