Origins stories seem to be often be the strongest chapters in a series of comic book movies. This has been the truth of late with the Wonder Woman starter, the Black Panther starter, and before that the Dr. Strange starter, and well before that, the Iron Man first episode. The new film Aquaman however, despite good intentions is not the equal of those just mentioned. Yes, it has some good scenes, and yes it has some good CG, especially the one’s of the world under the sea, but on the whole the plot is rather lame and far fetched, and missing in action is the humor we’ve become accustomed to in the Marvel series of films. And yes… it is too long (143 minutes) and far too much fighting to be appropriate for younger audiences. This movie is no Finding Nemo, and it has no Disney magic to compensate for a weak plot.
Admittedly, it’s fun to watch Jason Momoa flex his biceps and stomp around like a colossus, and Nicole Kidman does a nice job of playing his mer-mother Atlanta who mates with a lonely light house keeper (the dream of every lonely soul doing that job). Wilem Dafoe is o.k. as Vulko the king and queen’s grand vizier as well. But most of the rest of the acting jobs are lackluster. Is the movie worth seeing just to see the sometimes spectacular special effects?
Well not really. And the repeated reference to Aquaman being a half-blood prince, conjures up a very different series of movies, which frankly are much better fantasy films than this one. Still, if you are just looking for a little diversion, and willing to allow the plot to be all wet, this film can make a small splash in your holiday season (and it has, becoming the number one movie in the theaters now based on sales, not critical reviews).
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