Rate and review A Q U A M A N

Me, i wanted more but i kinda like it

 

Yeah that whole beach scene was kind of rough, because you could tell the kid was a newcomer to acting, but thankfully it was pretty short. I honestly didn't have a problem with the pacing or the editing either which I heard a lot of people complaining about as well.

 

The most amazing visual to me among the visuals was that rotating spiral kind of shot of Mera’s ship dodging the plasma/laser blasts from the atlantean ships. Absolutely fantastic!!!

 

Yeah the kid was pretty raw but that scene where he found out about the bad news wasn’t too bad. Not as bad as others making it out. Nonetheless your right the beach and land training scenes were rough

 

9/10

I was blown away with how good it was. It was such a beautiful action adventure fantasy quest superhero movie! I thought all the characters had depth. Jason Momoa was amazing in the title role. I loved how it went all over the world and had many unique environments. The humor worked. The romance between Arthur and Mera was perfectly paced. I can't wait to watch it again. I feel like it is probably the most rewatchable of the DCEU movies.

 

I think my only major groan with the movie was Jason's narration in the beginning and end. Jason...isnt a narration guy, if you know what I mean. It felt like someone was forcing Jason to read the lines from a script and didnt feel natural.

 

One question :What happned to Orm's real father ?

 

Yeah, the narration was pointless. Seemed like they wanted to make it similar to WW in that way.

 

I liked the narration...plus it gave him the chance at the end to say "I am Aquaman" which made me smile.

 

Not only did I smile, but my theatre actually applauded.

 

One thing I'm tired of is reviewers saying that this movie having more comedy is a knee-jerk reaction / course correction to earlier "dark" DCEU movies.

Snyder had mentioned (at the time of release of BvS) that each director will have freedom to make the movies as per their vision, that there was no fixed common tone to All other DC movies.

Not only that but, many movies since BvS had more comedy elements in them Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman and Justice League already were a lot lighter.

Can they stop acting like Aquaman is the only DC movie coming after Batman V Superman ?

 

The funny thing is DC now officially can no longer be associated with "dark." We literally had TWO entries that were dark/more serious and those were MoS and BvS. SS, Wonder Woman, Justice League and now this all were lighter and more comedic in tone.

 

We will always great dark movies, i hope they can stick to the characters personality, i expect dark **** from Deadman, Batman, Constantine, Nightwing, etc... not everything has to be super dark/serious

 

I'll start off by saying that this film turned out to be a real technical achievement given that it takes place mostly under water. I expected to be distracted to some level, but that wasn't the case. The fight sequences were among the genre's best and the costumes were grade A+ shutting up anyone who believe you can't bring even some of the more eccentric ones to the screen. The supporting cast shouldered the load, especially Patrick Wilson - even if we didn't get to know much about him other than his scheming of a war with the surface. Anyone notice the nod to Blade Runner when they visit Atlantis?

From a pacing, structure, and tone perspective the film is anything but an achievement. It is very disjointed for most of the 2.5 hour run time, which was too long for even Wan. With everything they crammed in there, it kind of gave off a vibe that they weren't very confident of the chances of a sequel. When it comes to dialogue, they were serving up some skunky, cringe-inducing cheese and there was an over-reliance upon exposition. Let me also not forget the score is extremely distracting (blaring at all the wrong times) and then there's the most oddly placed cover songs. The biggest offender being Depeche Mode when Black Manta is creating his new suit. Speaking of Manta, the father/son moment in the sub was a very misplaced and trying to create sympathy where none should have existed. I mean we're talking about pirates among them someone who murdered the sub's captain.

It's trying to be a comic book movie thru and thru, but forgets that some things need to be transitioned better to the media of film. Ultimately it's the two leads that struggle to elevate. Mamoa should never be the focus of a 2.5 hour movie. He's like a backup QB in the NFL, where he might look good for a couple series or games if forced into playing, but you can't depend on him to lead a full season. The Aquabro oafish shtick gets old real quick. It felt like they told him to just be himself and they'll write around it. I'm sure he's a fun guy in person, but on screen he doesn't have the natural timing like his contemporary Chris Hemsworth - to whom he draws comparisons too for obvious reasons. He and Heard lacked tangible chemistry even though the movie predictably tells you to believe they do as we wait for them to finally swap spit.

I mean this in the most playful way possible, but if their whole goal was to make a big, dumb comic book movie then they were very successful. Some people want that and don't care about a tight film. That's fine, to each their own. There were moments when I was gripped with the fantastical elements, but for the most part I just couldn't get invested. Then of course the film devolved into a stereotypical messy CGI battle at the end with characters we knew next to nothing about - luckily it backed off that when AM and Orm battled at the surface (great fight scene btw). That wasn't the only beat it pulled from other CBM's, "Thor: Ragarnok" was clearly a template, as was the Queen Atlanna twist (felt just like Ant-Man & The Wasp). It's inevitable tropes will get repeated, but this movie recycled all of them yet didn't improve on any of them.

Giving it a 6. But hey at least it's not Justice League or Suicide Squad.

 

I liked the movie, didn't love it. DCEU badly needed a movie to be somewhat good, and this movie is somewhat good. The movie was typically burdened like other DCEU movies with too much workmanlike exposition in the first act, and the initial encounter in Atlantis with the ring of fire and leading up to it, I didn't like it. But once they get into the desert exploration, the movie really picks up. The movie from this point on is like a classic adventure movie from the 1970s and 1980s, the kind that would have Ray Harryhausen doing effects for (that's meant as a compliment).

 

I swear it's as if a lot of people and 'critics' had their minds brainwashed to only register cinema as "post MCU". The humour in Aquaman is alike Indina Jones. MCU didn't invent humor lol Lots of people saying they are trying to make it like MCU smh

 

It was also completely unnecessary, we didn't need the voice-over to tell us that they were from different worlds or that they fell in love.
Everything the narration said was clearly explained in the characters dialogue.

 

I loved his lines in the voice over, what was it? "their love saved the world"? It was like the film continued WW themes

 

Yeah, narration at the beginning was nice.

The expostion in DC movies will always be there as DC has heavy emphasis on mythology, they are not running away from it.

I expect similar narration and mythology filled exposition for New Gods movie and Green Lantern Corps movie.

 

Thats a fair review. I think at the end of the day, your mileage on this will vary depending on your tolerance for that old school 80's action/adventure type of movie. I grew up in the era of Arnold and Stallone and Van Damme and, you know, all these macho guys kicking ass and taking names in over the top fashion and doing it with a wink and a one liner. I think if those movies tickle tour fancy, Aquaman will too.

 

I grew up with those too. Most modern day action movies lack of the heart/charm of those you're referring to. They also weren't 2.5 hour big budget CGI spectacles and and were much tighter films so-as not to overstay their welcome. There was also something very signature about all the leads that you purposely went to see - whether it was Van Damme's martial arts or Stallone's and Arnold's eccentricities (not to mention Arnold's out of this world physique).

What's is Mamoa selling? Looking good with one's shirt off is a dime a dozen now with heroes on screen. He doesn't have a special fight technique or a definable accent and he doesn't have an arsenal of one-liners that will be quoted for decades to come. In this one we got gems like "Swamp butt", "I could have just pissed on it" and "I can't wait to kick your ass in the ring of fire!" Watching Patrick Wilson chew scenery as his counterpart really exposed Mamoa as an actor and I didn't walk away from it going "He is so Aquaman!" like I did with example Hemsworth as Thor (I literally can't even separate the two anymore LOL). They created "Aquamoa Man" instead of "Aquaman".

 

No one looks better than Jason though and I guarantee you his first submarine line is more iconique to a lot of people than Thor's 'bring me thanos' after he landed with some sparks around him lol But it's all subjective of course. Perhaps the perception of Hemsworth is Thor is aided by the fact he literally has nothing else and Jason also gave people Drogo

 

It could've easily back-fired for Hemsworth with Thor given that he was an unknown. "Bring me Thanos" isn't what Hemsworth is known for and has other films preceding it that are very quotable - "This drink, I like it! Another!" or "You people are so petty .... and tiny!" were the first one to come to mind. What Waititi brought out in him during Ragnarok showcases the difference between the two actors - timing and delivery.

Drogo was a bit player in a massive cast and someone who spoke a fictional foreign language, which imo also helps disguise limited acting ability.

 

Jason doesn't have 'limited acting ability' but you are entitled to your takes.

 

I hear you, man. I dunno, I responded to Jason's take on the character. To me, it felt like he was having fun in the role and brought charisma to it. I'm sure even @harlequinade would agree that Jason's not one of our great modern thesbians, neither is Gal Gadot, but both Wan and Patty made a movie around their strengths. Even in the movie itself theres a scene where Jason/Arthur seemingly acknoweldges that hes nothing more than a "blunt instrument." But I think his repartee with Heard added some layers to him.

But I also think he brought a fun charm to the role and he was badass. Jason's job was to show people Aquaman aint a joke and I think a lot of other actors would've looked silly in that golden fishscale armor swinging around that trident and riding sea creatures. Mamoa, for me, sold it because he was acting like a rockstar while doing it.