Aquaman (Dir James Wan, 2h24m)

Aquaman, if nothing else, is an antidote to the dark and dour tone of the DC Comics Cinematic Universe-even among the more enjoyable outings, (Wonder Woman and the Marvel-aping Justice League), the tone has been anywhere on a space from dark undertones to accentuate the light of DC's heroes to a grim slog. With Aquaman, James Wan brings light, not just in a wider colour pallet from "various shades of grey and brown", but in a lightness and brevity of tone that echoes the journey of Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) from reluctant Atlantian halfbreed to saviour of the worlds above and below the sea in what may be the most "comic book" of DC's films thus far.

Beginning with a potted backstory of Arthur, the son of a lighthouse keeper and a refugee princess from beneath the waves, in a smartly played fast-forward retelling of the meeting and budding romance between his parents, which nimbly twists and turns between the whimsical, the heartfelt, and the tragic as they are forced to go their separate ways to protect their son. Arriving at the present, Wan wastes no time in showing off the power of his hero as he rescues a submarine crew from pirates, one of whom, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is excellently fleshed out in this initial scene, and is later set up as a vengeance-set villain, Black Manta after Aquaman refuses to rescue his father.

Returning to a hero's welcome from his local community, Wan fleshes out the other half of Aquaman/Arthur's personality-as an easy going, rather comedic tough guy, that plays well to the comedic chops already seen in Momoa's portrayal of the character so far. Whilst this occasionally comes close to aping Chris Hemsworth's Thor, with whom there is an undeniable commonality, both in this film and in Justice League, there is more of a roughness and a physicality to Momoa as an actor and to Arthur as a character, compared to Hemsworth's more charming and cleancut Asgardian.

However, with his younger brother Orm, (Patrick Wilson, who imbues his character with a cool menace that occasionally erupts into violence) close to declaring war on the surface world for their pollution of the ocean and their warring amongst each other, so Arthur must assume the mantle of king to save both of the worlds he is from, by finding the legendary lost trident of the first king of Atlantis, after a treasure hunt that takes him and Mera, the daughter of one of the kings of the Kingdoms of Atlantis, on a globe-trekking hunt for the trident's whereabouts.

What Wan brings, chiefly, is a strong visual sense to a world that has otherwise been, with the possible exception of Wonder-Woman, drab, urban and monochrome. Atlantis is a vibrant, neon polychromatic place, that calls to mind Blade Runner, the best designs of the Star Wars prequels, and even, in its visual imagination, worlds we've never really seen outside of the comic books themselves, not to mention the unique creatures that populate the world below, including mermaids, crab-creatures and the creatures that the Atlantean soldiers ride upon.

Even the film's soundtrack is sonically different, with an 80s synth led electronic sound that marks a clear break from the thunderous strings and electronic work of the Zimmer/Junkie XL camp, and the mess of Suicide Squad's jukebox soundtrackThough the film occasionally makes a design misstep-Atlantis's front gate calls to mind the express ways of AI, and the aquatic world occasionally looks a little too computer generated, it is an important step forward in the DCCU, to broaden its pallet and its imagination beyond the work of Snyder.



Moreover, Wan is also happy to let visual spectacle play out, from his very first action scene with the sub being raised by Curry from the water, to its climatic, Lord of the Rings-esque underwater battle, with vast forces clashing in what is undoubtedly the most epic-scale single scene of the DCCU so far-not only this but the visual styling of each force, and even the various Atlantian forces, makes it easy to track and follow what's going on, compared to the cluttered, cut-heavy work of the previous DCCU films, making Aquaman a film that is visually impressive throughout.

Momoa is, without doubt, this film's other key asset-whilst his comedic banter, and easy going hero are enjoyable, and (whisper it) fun to watch, he is also capable of imbuing Arthur/Aquaman with a sense of regal bearing, particularly towards the end of the film. In several key scenes, the film also neatly tricks us by proving, with his upbringing, there is brain behind the muscle, and the finale, for all its epicness, shows us the proof that Arthur is every inch a king in the simplest of ways.

The supporting cast around him are superb, from Amber Heard's princess who risks her life and her position to aid Curry, and with whom she starts to build a believable romance where both seem equal partners, to Wilson whose rivalry and fights with Curry are highlights, complete with banter that ranks among the film's best one-liners, to Willem Defoe's vizer, who not only trains Arthur, in scenes that nimbly intercut between present and past to fill in elements of his backstory, but also plays his own role in juggling the two brothers and their quarrel to help Arthur. Temura Morrison and Nicole Kidman, who play Arthur's parents, Tom Curry and Atlanna, have, for the few scenes they are in together, a believable chemistry, not to mention a clear love for their son in the scenes each shares with him and the film gives their relationship a perfect payoff in its final scenes.

If there is one thing that weakens Aquaman's hand, it is its brevity and slight narrative flimsiness-even in a film with such an epic scale, few things feel heavyweight, and Momoa's cheerful breeziness even in scenes where things are meant to be dangerous and a direct threat to his life-with the possible exception of a jawdropping tidal wave that threatens the life of Arthur's father-undermines, at least a little, the seriousness of a couple of scenes. And it is this that leaves this film a runner up to Wonder Woman, a film where every major action Diana takes has a momentousness and a gravity lacking from Aquaman, albeit in a field where the two films stand head and shoulders above the rest of their cinematic universe.

Nevertheless, Aquaman is a perfectly paced, enjoyable, visually stylish, and fun entry to a cinematic universe that badly needs Arthur Curry's wit and bravery and his world's colour and beauty. Aquaman feels like the film that the DCCU needed, and time will tell if it marks a new and exciting direction for this beleaguered franchise.

Rating: Highly Recommended