Aquaman

So Sunday afternoon, we finally made our way from the Fortress of Ineptitude to see Aquaman. 

The film opens with an extended prologue, the story of a mysterious woman named Atlanna washing upon a rocky shore and into the arms of a lighthouse keeper named Tom Curry.  The two fall in love and they have a son named Arthur. They have an idyllic life there in the lighthouse until soldiers from Atlantis arrive to force Atlanna's return, a return she reluctantly accepts to keep Tom and Arthur from harm. 

The story picks up in the present after the events where Arthur helped to repel the invasion of Steppenwolf. Arthur helps where he can; he saves a Russian submarine crew from ruthless pirates  but makes a new enemy, the lead pirate, a man we will come to know as Black Manta.

But Arthur Curry, referred to by the press as "the Aquaman", does not see himself as a hero and certainly does not see himself as a king when Mera shows up to tell Arthur that bad stuff is going down in Atlantis, that Arthur needs to claim his destiny, take charge and save the day. 

Seems Atlanna was betrothed to the king of Atlantis while she was making a home with Tom and Arthur in the lighthouse. Her return to Atlantis saw her do her duty, marry the king and produce an heir to the throne, Orm. Later learning of Atlanna's infidelity and the other son she gave birth to, the king banished to her the Trench, a deep and dark region of the ocean where monsters dwell. Banishment means death.  Orm, ascending to the throne of Altantis, has decided to claim ultimate power, uniting various undersea kingdoms under the banner of Atlantis and under his banner as the rule of all of seas, as the Ocean Master. And from this position of total dominion, he will declare war on the surface world.  

Or’s first strike is a tidal wave that nearly kills Tom Curry but for Mera's timely intervention. With Orm making this personal, Arthur agrees to go with Mera to Atlantis to stop whatever bad shit Orm is up to but that's it. He has no intention of being anyone's king. 

Events bring Orm and Arthur into direct conflict which does not go well for Arthur. Mera saves Arthur but her price is being condemned as a traitor to her kingdom. Mera and Arthur are off on a quest to seek the long lost trident of King Atlan, king of Atlantis before it sank beneath the waves. The trident is an object of enormous power and an unquestionable symbol of ultimate authority. Whoever wields this trident will have power that will subjugate whatever power and authority Orm might have and end his reckless quest for war.     

Aquaman has a lot of set pieces that evokes different genres: super hero action, political intrigue, realms from flights of fantasy and fueled by nightmares, a buddy road comedy, even a quasi romantic interlude in Italy. Director James Wan throws a lot of different stuff on the screen to see what sticks and remarkably, it all holds together as a coherent vision with humor and heart.  

The Arthur Curry we meet when he brashly rescues the Russian sub at the start of the film is the same guy who accepts the mantle of his destiny at the end but he has evolved to be just a bit wiser, with a deeper understanding of his role in the world. Too often, a character with this kind of arc becomes so vastly different from who they were at the beginning, they are virtually unrecognizable at the end. In this case, Arthur Curry is the same man but he’s grown. Jason Momoa’s performance as Aquaman is remarkably nuanced for a tatted up dude-bro whose three best solutions to a problem are beer, punching someone in the face and more beer.     





I can’t say the chemistry between Jason Momoa and Amber Heard is all that potent but they do play well with each other.  Amber Heard as Mera has what could be considered the thankless part, forced to be the sensible one while providing lots of exposition to move the plot forward. But as Mera moves beyond her comfort zone, the more Amber shines in the role. Mera’s uncharacteristically rash action to save Arthur from Orm, her first experience flying in an airplane, coping with the Sahara desert, experiencing the wonders of an Italian village, her fierceness in battle, Amber Heard makes Mera, undersea royalty who can command the waters to do her will, surprisingly relatable.     


The story is solid, maybe even a bit predictable. But the sheer force of wonder and power that propels the narrative is so infectious, it’s hard not to have fun watching Aquaman unfold, even if you know where all this is going but getting there, as the saying it goes, is most of the fun. 



I’m not surprised that Aquaman has been doing so well at the box office. This past weekend was the 3^rd one in a row with Aquaman as the #1 movie in America. This is a fun and exciting ride of a movie carried by strong acting performances.   


I would like to take this ride again.

Director James Wan on set with  Amber Heard, Jason Momoa and Willem Defoe.