Aquaman finally rolled into cinemas worldwide like a tidal wave. The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) hasn’t been as lucky as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It has always been seen as an after thought to cash in on a trend. As a result, there were more misses than hits. At this point Aquaman was in an interesting situation – it doesn’t have much to lose within the box office record of the DCEU, and it has everything to lose within the existence of the DCEU.
James Wan of the horror genre fame (Conjuring, Annabelle, The Nun, Saw etc.) was an interesting choice for the Aquaman movie but Warner Bros surely got it right this time. The fresh take to what is considered as a standalone yet existential film in the DCEU breathed new life into this troublesome extended universe. You can still see the horror roots of this young director right from the opening to a number of scenes, particularly the scenes in the Empire of the Trench. But this completely different approach to Aquaman brought life to a could be stale superhero that has a long history within the Justice League.
Jason Momoa was an interesting choice for me at the beginning as Aquaman for me. However, I was sold when he appeared in Justice League. He was likeable and quickly established Arthur Curry’s persona on the screen. He stood out and delivered. With Aquaman having him leading charge the weight on his shoulder is much heavier. Nonetheless he delivered a totally enjoyable performance that is consistent with his first League appearance but expanded multi-folds in his own movie. Patrick Wilson as his brother Orm brought charm to a could be one dimensional villain. His calculative demeanour and charm at the same time provided some much-needed layering for most DCEU villains. The fact that his motives were justifiable despite his methods were questionable, he presented himself as a relevant member of this extended universe.
However, for me, what I enjoyed most was the presence for two really strong female characters in the form of Nicole Kidman’s Atlanna and Amber Heard’s Mera. Both ladies demonstrated that female characters are no wall flowers or damsels in distress. Both Atlanna and Mera took their fate and destinies in their own hands and acted on what they believe is right. The fact that both came out from Atlanta, where chauvinistic hierarchies were deeply entrenched (come on, forced arranged marriage among royal families in this modern age?), their break outs from this rigid social structure carried a lot more meaning for a lot of girls who went (if they did) to see this movie. Atlanna fought hordes of enemies and has the best survival instincts, while Mera’s power took her dual with Arthur out of tons of tight corners and near-death experiences. The fact that Mera is the voice of reasoning and can talk down Arthur any time she wanted, (the part about Arthur thinks best when he is not thinking, anyone?) made both Atlanna and Mera the most formidable heroes in Aquaman.
The surprise moment for me was the appearance of Randall Park as Dr Stephen Shin. He just appeared in MCU as Agent Jimmy Woo in ‘Ant-man and the Wasp’ and 7 months later appeared in a rival universe’s movie. I can still member how James Marsden’s Cyclops was notoriously killed off early in X-men: The Last Stand when he took part in the Superman reboot. Time has really changed.
The visuals and the score in Aquaman were both stunning and spectacular. I particularly liked the part when Vulko played by Willem Dafoe first opened young Arthur’s eyes to the world of Atlanta, when things that were obvious but not seen suddenly became apparent and sensible. A lot of efforts were also made in creating certain classic scenes from the series, my favourite was the first time Arthur leapt onto an armoured sea dragon. The underwater effect was great and thank God no more bubble talks in this movie. The underwater fight scenes also make sense in how they move and fight and James Wan had delivered spectacular scenes one after another.
While all is good with Aquaman as a standalone movie, it did create a few issues for the movie to exist within the DCEU. The movie is set in a timeline after Justice League, so there were a few issues I couldn’t get over with about the universe’s continuity:
· After disaster struck why was there no mentioning of other members of the Justice League, at least just in the sense of helping to clean up?
· Why was there never a call from, for example Bruce Wayne or Diana Prince, when they both have knowledge of Atlantis and there were signs of rumbling from Atlantis around the world?
· One of the most confounding part for me was Arthur Curry doesn’t even know Mera’s name? When in Justice League it appeared that they have known each other for years because of Mera’s history with Atlanna and Atlantis itself? She was charged with guarding the Mother Box in the timeline of Justice League, when Arthur went there to help her stopping Steppenwolf!
All these non-acknowledgements made the movie not making sense in the continuity department. And for James Wan, who created the Saw and the Conjuring universe, I would expect more from him, even though he wanted to put his own stamp on Aquaman. Yes, the DCEU is currently in a precarious position, with Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck leaving, but not referencing to what happened in other movies when it is supposed to be a shared universe movie is quite unforgivable for me.
If one can look pass the continuity issues with Aquaman in the DCEU, the movie itself is extremely enjoyable and action packed. It is one of the few movies that Warner Bros and DC Comics got it right. Hopefully this could be a second renaissance for this struggling extended universe, despite failing to address the same universe.
