Movie Review: Aquaman
Aquaman has completely failed to meet any expectations and disappointed millions of viewers. The entire film is based on a classic DC superhero, Aquaman. The foundation stands on one man, Arthur, who is born of a mortal man and Atlantean queen, giving him the power to breathe and exist under water. While this is already an outlandish, yet cool concept, the movie itself was so far flung and outside the realm of possibility, most viewers were left very dissatisfied.
For starters, the story follows no basic plot structure, yet manages to be predictable and ridiculous in its entirety. There are way too many similar battle scenes and climaxes throughout the story, all leading up to the “final battle,” which portrays some of the worst CGI in the whole movie.
Another point of dismay was the disgrace of the costume design. Not only were the costumes tacky and cheap looking, they were disappointing. With a production budget of about $160 million, it’s frustrating that the level of creativity expected by DC fans was not met. There was plenty of room for expansion and improvement, yet the costumes looked as if they were purchased from a budget Halloween store.
*WARNING – SPOILERS AHEAD*
Another grievance most fans hold is the incredible amount of plot holes found in the story. For example, after Arthur’s mother is sentenced to death and presumed dead, years later he jumps through a random portal and finds her in a completely altered reality with dinosaurs and magical creatures. After 20 years, she has somehow survived in solitude on an island full of deadly creatures. Not only is this idea completely ridiculous, but to add insult to injury, the only other known human around is the dead first king of Atlantis, who naturally holds the most powerful trident known to man and merman.
The other completely ridiculous plot hole related to the previous one is that after being stranded in this alternate reality with no escape whatsoever, the queen appears out of nowhere in a full white ball gown to watch her son victoriously accept his role as king. Arthur’s controversial claim to the Atlantean throne is also not fully resolved. The majority of the battle scenes between humans and Atlanteans have to do with the deliberate destruction of Atlantis and the ocean by humans. Aquaman may be a beloved hero to many little kids, but if looked at carefully, he could be considered an antagonist.
While everyone knows and loves Arthur, the majority of his struggles come from the terrible choices he makes. Within the first 10 minutes of the movie, he leaves a father to drown in his son’s arms. Granted, the man is presumed a “bad guy,” but viewers don’t even know what wrongs he has done and neither does Aquaman at this point. Another point of struggle for Arthur is when he attempts to take over the crown from his half brother. Not only has his half-brother, Orm, lived in Atlantis for his entire life, but he is merely trying to lead his people out of a war ending in their extinction. The Atlanteans have every right to wage war on humans for all of the horrible things they have done, resulting in thousands of deaths.
Yet another point of confusion for most viewers revolves around Aquaman’s powers. He is the son of a human man and an Atlantean, yet he has an incredible amount of strength on land, and has twice the power underwater of any other Atlantean. Not only was this confusing to new viewers, but especially those who aren’t as well educated in DC comic theory.
Finally, the factor that frustrated me the most was the love story that took place throughout the movie. Aquaman begins with the story of his father and mother meeting and falling in love, which was very cute and sweet, but later on took focus and attention away from Aquaman himself. The main focus of the story was lost especially toward the end of the movie, when Aquaman and Mira fall in love. Just once I would like to see a movie that doesn’t prioritize some gushy romantic plot.
If I had to pick one positive factor of the movie, I would say that the soundtrack was very good and engaging. The music and orchestra was very well placed throughout the film especially at points of climax.
Overall review: “That ain’t it, chief.”
