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Aquaman blew me away

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SolVanderlyn

SolVanderlyn

I love pineapple on pizza!
Member
Oct 28, 2017
13,509
Earth, 21st Century
I didn't see an OT for it (only the DC OT) so I thought I'd make a thread.

I wrote a full review here, (check it out, I don't get paid to write my blog, I just want people to read it), but here's some snippets of what I took away from this film.

SPOILERS. NONE OF THE OUTCOMES OF THE MOVIE'S EVENTS ARE COVERED, BUT I WILL OUTLINE ITS GENERAL PLOT AND STRENGTHS, SO SPOILER SENSITIVE PEOPLE STAY AWAY.

Aquaman-Jason-Momoa-Council-of-Kings-SR.jpg


Let me begin with a disclaimer; I am no comic book fan. I have not seen every superhero movie. I have definitely missed quite a few of the DC movies. I never saw Wonder Woman, Man of Steel, or Batman vs. Superman, having them exist to me only in terms of what I've heard others say or how they've been ingrained in the public consciousness.

However, I do enjoy a good one.

Aquaman was amazing.
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We see Arthur grow up as the half-human son of a lighthouse keeper and Queen Atlanta of Atlantis, who I can only describe as Galadriel from Lord of the Rings with a big ass trident and water powers. Which is interesting, because the other Atlantians have like, space age plasma guns and shit instead of swords and tridents. But I'll get to that later.

Early on in his life, his mother is ambushed by said Atlantians. She manages to fend them off like the badass the writers want to portray her as, but decides by her own will to leave her human husband and go back to Atlantis. She fled the kingdom to escape an arranged marriage, and stayed on the surface because she found true love, but comes to the realization that she must go back and accept this marriage if her true loved ones are to remain safe. And so she makes the noble sacrifice of leaving her family.

First of all, it's great that the badass in this situation is the wife, the queen and not the king. It's great that she shows agency and capability from the beginning. I think we need more awesome warrior women in movies, if you ask me.

Anyway, she goes back to Atlantis and has another son with arranged marriage guy named Orm.

Oh yeah, Orm is also a psycho who wants to wage war on the surface and subjugate the earth. That's why Arthur eventually ends up deciding he has to claim the throne to Atlantis, despite not wanting to at first.

And so the crux of the movie is set in place. Tradition vs. change. Lineage vs. inherent worth. Accepting responsibility for one's place in life.

Those are all portrayed through the conflict between Arthur and Orm. Brother vs. brother is the central theme of the movie, and all other themes and motifs flow from there.

I fucking love this. There's something about a good brotherly conflict that's intensely appealing on an innate level, especially if the antagonist brother is evil, and especially if the antagonist brother is set up to be more capable and in control than the hero brother. Which he is, here.
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The history of this aquatic world is fascinating. The ancient Atlantis that existed above the sea, why it fell, how it fractured into seven kingdoms, how some of those kingdoms fell and others changed and, in the end, only a few were left. How there was an ancient super-king who wielded (what was essentially) a holy trident and ruled the unified Atlantis.

The Atlantians and their offshoots are supremely technologically advanced. They basically wear cool water-themed spacesuits and shoot plasma and wield plasma swords and whips and the like. They have robots and spacecrafts and cities that glow beneath the waves, rife with technology the surface can only dream of.

Each remaining kingdom is explored and plays a role in the story. They're not just background fluff.

You see them all. Every last one plays a large role in the story, even the one that no longer exists. Even red-hair's kingdom feels distinctly different from Orm's traditional Atlantis, and his citizens look different and carry different styles of weapons and ride different vehicles.

Arthur's journey of self-discovery, his journey to defeat his brother and visit the other kingdoms and find the lost trident of the old king, is made extremely enjoyable not only because we are sold on him as a character through Momoa's great acting and the unique take on an established character, but because of the world that he inhabits.
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The luminous cities, the advanced armor, the character design, the vehicles, the weapons, the set pieces of giant tidal waves and huge krakens and battles between underwater armies all feel fully realized and fully unique. They also feel colorful and vibrant and alive, all while adhering to DC's "heavier" feel. It adapts to the new style without compromising the color of the classic style. A job well done on the part of the artists and special effects teams.

I especially love how everything underwater glows with the natural glow you'd see in the depths of the ocean, from the flora and fauna down there. Even the tech in the vehicles looks like that, like a jellyfish all lit up or the end of an anglerfish's lantern. It feels advanced and organic.

If I were to describe the art style in one word, it would be fusion. A fusion of old and new, natural and technical, industrial and organic.
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The movie is one of my favorites this year.
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The only other DC movies I've seen are Suicide Squad and Justice League. This one felt like it came from an entirely different franchise. It was coherently written, had naturally flowing dialogue, underlying themes and motifs that resonated with me, and a hero's journey that was simultaneously traditional and modern.
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TL;DR it was a great movie for a casual comic book fan like myself, and nothing at all like the other DC movies I saw. It came as a great surprise to me as to how much I enjoyed it.

Agree or disagree, that's fine. It's definitely my favorite movie in a while, though.
 
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