Following his appearance alongside Superman and Batman in 2017’s much maligned Justice League, Jason Momoa reprises the role of Aquaman for his first solo adventure.
Upon learning that he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, Arthur Curry AKA Aquaman must step forward to challenge his evil half brother and prevent him starting a war with the rest of the world.
Saw director James Wan takes the helm and quickly gets us up to speed with Aquaman’s origin during an enjoyable opening segment which introduces Nicole Kidman and Temuera Morrison as his amphibian queen and lighthouse keeper parents.
From then on, the film proceeds at a break neck speed as Curry is approached by Amber Heard (looking suspiciously like Ariel the little mermaid) and battles with his nemesis the Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen) in a rather unnecessary subplot.
The main storyline which sees our reluctant hero undertake a quest for a mythical trident is riddled with cliches and seems to riff on number of blockbusters from the past.
The underwater world of Atlantis has shades of Blade runner in the visuals as well as the soundtrack that accompanies them, whilst fans of Power Rangers, Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park will also spot recognisable motifs.
Despite this, it is hard not to be swept along amongst the sea of vibrant colours and ridiculous action set pieces.
Momoa is an undeniably charismatic lead and plays the role in the style of an 80’s action hero, complete with witty quips. His “Permission to come aboard” after breaking into a highjacked submarine sets the tone early on.
Patrick Wilson is admirably straight faced as the villainous King Orm whilst Willem Dafoe and Dolf Lundgren lend support as fellow Atlantans Vulko and Nereus.
The film is a mammoth two hours and twenty minutes long and begins to lose its way in a blur of CGI action during the latter stages.
However on the whole it is difficult not to enjoy what is a completely over the top, visually spectacular blockbuster.
Undeniably ambitious and epic in scale, Aquaman is a breath of fresh air for the DC universe after its dour output to date.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Paul Steward
@Grittster
20/12/18