Now Watching: Aquaman

Aquaman was good when it was good, but even better when it was bad. I was thoroughly entertained by Aquaman. It’s everything I didn’t know I wanted from a movie about a dude who talks to fish. Aquaman has fun with its concept in a way that’s both respectful to the source material, but also self-aware.

It’s silly enough to enjoy itself, but serious enough to keep you engaged. It’s got some fantastic visuals and most importantly – action. The opening action scene featuring Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) was a perfect combination of stunts, fight choreography, CGI and creative camera work, a winning combination that’s repeated throughout the film.

So it should come as no surprise that Aquaman struggles between fight scenes. Jason Momoa (Aquaman) looks half-asleep during some dialogue segments – and possibly a little drunk during others. And the complete lack of chemistry between him and Mera (Amber Heard) is pretty damn funny. There’s one scene that plays like a parody of a bad romantic comedy. That shit has to be intentional. James Wan knew exactly what he was doing, right down to the way the scene was shot and the choice of music.

As far as the plot goes, it’s pretty much what you’d expect – an unwilling hero who doesn’t believe he’s worthy to lead, but who must seize his destiny to become King. Toss in a villain with bad hair and a quest for a magical MacGuffin and it’s a pretty by the numbers affair.

Did I mention that an octopus plays the drums? Like I said, Aquaman is self-aware enough that it knows when to have fun. It’s silly, but it’s not stupid is the best way I can describe it. It knows exactly what it is and just rolls with it.

I don’t have much more to say about Aquaman. I’m not going to claim it’s a great movie or even a particularly good one, but it’s easily the most fun I’ve had with any of the DC films. It’s a movie about a dude who talks to fish – what more do you expect?

6/10