Aquaman movie is dumb but fun, according to critics

Aquaman, an origin story about the DC superhero, comes out in U.S. theaters today, and as far as DC movies go, we can rest assured that this one at least isn’t the near-catastrophe that was Batman v Superman…or Suicide Squad…or Justice League. Reviews are out, and while no one is calling Aquaman the second coming of The Dark Knight, most agree that it’s a good time.

Part of that comes down to star Jason Momoa, who Game of Thrones fans will remember as the charismatic Khal Drogo. Momoa brings a good helping of swagger and danger to Aquaman and the movie is the better of it. “While DCEU heroes like Henry Cavill’s Superman and Ben Affleck’s Batman were unbearably solemn, it is easy to see that Momoa is having a blast in the lead role,” writes Matthew Rosa of Salon.

Richard Roper of the Chicago Sun-Times also had nice things to say about Momoa, although he sneaks in a qualification: “Jason Momoa is not the most expressive of actors, but he has the physicality and the willingness to make himself look silly and the natural charisma of a Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson…I don’t see “Aquaman” ever reaching icon status, but I’ll say this: He’s a lot more fun on his own, when he’s not saddled with those overly serious stiffs Superman and Batman.”

"The saving grace of director James Wan’s great-looking and reasonably entertaining but also meandering and sometimes truly ridiculous “Aquaman” is that everyone from Wan to the team of screenwriters through the talented cast seems to get the sheer, waterlogged lunacy of this story — so why not have fun with it?"

In this movie, Aquaman is the son of at Atlantean queen (Nicole Kidman) and a human lighthouse keeper (Temuera Morrison). Raised on the surface world, Arthur Curry — aka Aquaman — is the one figure who can unite the surface with the civilization beneath the sea, which are on the brink of war.

As far as superhero origin stories go, this doesn’t sound that ridiculous, but critics agree that, as presented, the story is silly in the extreme, but who cares when the cast and crew are having such a good time with it? “[Director James] Wan has a great visual eye or, at very least, a master’s degree in CGI,” writes Neal Justin of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “His complex shots of sunken Atlantis, best enjoyed in 3-D, suggest a Busby Berkeley musical assembled on LSD. The above-water sequences are equally dazzling. The best of the bunch has Aquaman and Mera scampering across the rooftops of Sicily, barely outrunning the spray of some high-tech water guns. No, the weapons don’t make any sense, but this is a story about a dude who talks to dolphins, so just go with it.”

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone sums up this angle:

"Aquaman is a mess of clashing tones and shameless silliness, but a relief after all the franchise’s recent superhero gloom. Any budget-busting epic that finds time to show us an octopus playing bongos gets a pass in our book."

That octopus comes up in a lot of the reviews, by the way. It sounds like he runs away with the film.

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But Aquaman’s excesses didn’t sit well with everyone. Michael O’Sullivan of The Washington Post is just a little annoyed…

"On the plus side is the eye-popping production design, although that is also, like the plot, too, too much, dazzling the eye with more fantastical Atlantean technology and — inexplicably — underwater fire than a Las Vegas edition of Cirque du Soleil. Like the frequently shirtless Momoa, it’s pretty at first, then it just hurts."

…while Peter Howell of The Toronto Star got truly ruffled, saying straight up that “Aquaman dives head-first into idiocy.”

"Aquaman dives head-first into idiocy. Please explain to me why Aquaman and Mera have to travel to the Sahara Desert at one point, because I missed the logic beneath all the briny bloviating.Why do all the sea goons wear armoured suits with breathing apparatuses while they’re on dry land, while the good guys and gals need nothing except their slippery good looks? Is it to make them look like Star Wars stormtroopers?What’s with that scene where Aquaman and Mera are on a ship battling beasties resembling the Xenomorphs from Alien? Are they even in the right movie?"

And he keeps going in the full review.

Joey Magidson of Hollywood News is a bit more conciliatory:

"Aquaman is dumb fun, but it’s just a little too dumb for its own good. Your mileage may vary, but the thrills it offers are just slightly too sporadic to warrant a recommendation. Those who say it’s amazing are nuts, just as those who say it’s terrible are way off base. It’s a decent movie, one that sparks at times and suggests something better."

One of the most positive reviews of the film I read was from Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com, who admits that while Aquaman is a bit overlong and repetitious, it makes up for it in heart and visual imagination. “Rather than get bogged down in plot particulars, [the cast and crew] concentrate on characterization and performances, production design, costumes, and visual details.”

Seitz also gives Aquaman a lot of credit when describing some of its themes, something not many other critics mentioned:

"The most remarkable aspect, though, is the way “Aquaman” pushes against the idea that every problem can be solved by violence. There are plenty of bruising fights on land and sea, plus laser shootouts and aquatic infantry clashes, but some of the most important showdowns are resolved peacefully, through conversation, negotiation, and forgiveness. Men as well as women cry in this movie, and the sight is treated not as a shameful loss of dignity, but as the normal byproduct of pain or joy. For all its wild spectacle and cartoon cleverness, this is a quietly subversive movie, and an evolutionary step forward for the genre."

YouTube critics enjoyed the film, too. The popular Chris Stuckmann compared it to anime. Given how over-the-top Aquaman sounds, that comparison makes sense to me, and I’m surprised it didn’t come up more often.

Based on all of this, it sounds like you probably know if you’re the kind of person who will enjoy this movie. Are you someone who values clockwork precision in a story? Then you should probably stay away. But if you’re willing to turn your brain off and just be entertained for a while, there’s a good chance you’ll come away smiling.

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