Movie Review Aquaman

Tweet

Spoiler alerts 2018 To be watched right before walking to the bus stop in heavy rain for added realism. I got really soaked. I loved this film, or rather these eight films layered one on top of the other or that’s how it seemed with so many visuals and so much CGI on screen at once. The action amounts to ‘this is ludicrous so let’s just roll with it and have fun while trying not to laugh.’ Arthur chases a McGuffin trident that will make him the next king of Camelo-Atlantis. Various undersea rulers are drawn into a planned invasion of the surface by a civilization so advanced they would have taken over the planet centuries ago. They are more God-like than any Asgardians and there is a strong Clash Of The Titan vibe throughout. Somehow all the radar, sonar, deep sea fishing and oceanic navigation has missed seeing or capturing the extremely populated creatures and mermen / mermaids of Atlantis. There isn’t a drop of water in the film that is not teeming with mutant fish, monsters and whales with saddles on. Not to mention a drum playing octopus. Nicole Kidman impersonates Daryl Hannah and Kill Bill era Uma Thurman before moving to The Centre Of The Earth, presumably following the Jules Verne instructions. The One True Trident is protected by a squid/Cthulhu/Kraken thing voiced by Julie Andrews. It then joins in the final LSD sea battle like an aquatic sandworm from Dune. I liked the crab-creatures in this battle and wish they got more of a back story. There is a sub-plot of Black Manta seeking revenge with his cyclops laser battle helmet, which is great fun and leads to the aweome chase sequence on the roof-tops of a Sicilian fishing village. Much of the fight-style is Flash Gordon (1980’s style) underwater and the dialogue is so corny that I frequently guessed the next line before it was spoken. It just shouldn’t work, but I loved the wild energy and sense of acid tripping throughout – I dread to think what it will do if any viewer is stoned. I loved it. Certainly my favourite DC movie so far. Arthur (not that one) Chappell