If there’s ever been a movie to succeed despite itself, it’s DC’s Aquaman.
Few films in 2018 will remind you of those epic bubble-bath action-figure brouhahas you might’ve had as a kid, the water intermittently splashing out onto the tile floor as your dinosaur toy and your Optimus Prime clashed. Aquaman allows you to relive that rush — although this time around, its as though you took a disorienting swig of Mr. Bubble before hopping in.
Horror veteran James Wan has already made one great, glossy blockbuster bash with 2015’s Furious 7, and he’s clearly up for the challenge again for his first superhero movie. Aquaman is a loud, roaring entertainment engine, powered on energy drinks and concept art, possessed by the spirit of cape crusaders past.
Not even those Guardians of the Galaxy movies, which literally feature talking raccoons and tree people, get as wild. If Spinal Tap likes it at 11, Aquaman turns it to 12, douses the amp with seawater and starts smashing its trident on the ground while System of a Down blares overhead. How appealing that sounds to you will probably gauge your potential enjoyment of the movie. Let this movie wash over you in all of its gregarious, gurgling glory.
What makes this hyperactive, bloated beauty float is Wan’s total devotion to the limits of what superhero movies can be. From Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies to Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange, horror directors have a history of interpreting the source material well. Wan joins them in fine fashion. But it might be James Cameron to whom this movie pays its biggest homage. Wan must love Titanic and Avatar, because his Aquaman hews closely to those ham-fisted, VFX-happy love letters to cinema and the singular theatrical experience.
It helps to have such a bombastic lead. Jason Momoa has always looked the part of the superhero, but his puppy-dog earnestness and comedic timing help create an Aquaman that will last (far more effectively here than in last year’s Justice League). You want to spend four or five movies more with this guy. He manages to sell a pee-pee joke.
The film isn't exactly subtle — it possesses the restraint of a broken fire hydrant. But that’s part of the appeal.
You want to see those pristine exterior shots from Atlantis that don’t quite look real. You want those Ray Harryhausen-minted battles with creepy creatures of the deep. You want those wide shots that look like they were painted outside the Sistine Chapel by a guy who specializes in van art. You want that self-serious regality and go-for-broke sense of story and scale. Wan dives in headfirst without looking, which is why this movie hits like a cannonball. It’s why this scintillating sea opera works.
Wonder Woman did a lot to get DC back in the good graces of filmgoers, and Aquaman ought to do the same. The former showed audiences the potential of thrilling representation on the battlefield. This one will show audiences the potential to have mindless fun again in a movie that bears the DC logo.
