Granted, there was a lot going against this one. There was the fallout of the Heard/Depp trial; there were the reports of troubled reshoots; there was the collapse of the SnyderVerse DC Movies; the Warner/Discovery merger and the various changes in upper management because of that which killed several movies in production, even some that were completed. The hope of a successful run was not exactly there either.
But then, making a movie like this is never an easy prospect at the best of times. From script to screen, a movie may change direction several times. What was filmed and edited by the end of principal photography may result in a mess that would require reshoots alongside additional photography. To be fair, director James Wan and his writers managed to put together a fairly entertaining romp even if the overall story is as slim as it comes.
Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is obsessed with vengeance, seeking for ways to fit his damaged suit. He finds a broken trident filled with an ancient power that feeds his obsession with he promise for more power. All that is required is for him to speed up global warming.. Meanwhile, Aquaman (Jason Momoa) has gotten married, has a son and is miserable being the overall ruler of Atlantis. Once things get going, Aquaman needs to team up with Orm (Patrick Wilson) to take down Manta.
That is generally it. It’s not hard to figure out what happens along the way, which makes the movie more about the journey and the little nuggets peppered along the overblown and often psychedelic path of the story. On the bright side, it’s not as unnecessarily overblown as Wonder Woman 1984 (2020).
What really helps, like before, is Momoa’s enthusiasm for his character, bringing much of his joy to his performance most of the time. His double act with Wilson is also something that helps keep the movie buoyant and popping along most of the time: Momoa being the jokester with Wilson playing the straight man in a comedic double act, and yet, they remain fairly true to their characters. Their characters have the most development, making the movie truly theirs as a whole.
This kind of thing isn’t going to appeal to many viewers who are expecting more or at least on last hurrah for the SnyderVerse. This movie also has to live up to the high standard of the first Aquaman (2018) movie. It doesn’t quite reach those heights, but it all fairness, it doesn’t really try. It does it’s own thing with small shoe-horned well-meaning messages (single-parents are super-heroes), and just a small joy for me, we get a Skull Island knockoff giving some cool creatures. For that, some may want to knock off half or one point of my rating below.
The rest of the cast do well enough with seemingly token appearances although it also feels like Abdul-Mateen II seems short-changed with his material, making him a one-note (if misguided) antagonist. Randall Park’s returning Dr Shin has a more interesting character arc.
James Wan does deliver some interesting shots and moments – again, love some of those monsters on the island – but at times it feels like more of the same. The fights are heavily CGI’d due to the super-strength of the characters. I’ll leave it to you to decide if that works or not.
Ultimately, the two Aquaman movies make a decent double feature, and there is fun to be had, mostly thanks to Momoa. Sure, there are call-backs and homages (or outright copying, if you want), but take it as it is, ignoring all the noise that was circulating it, and you might have a good time with this one.
Rating: 🦈🐙🦗 /5
Directed by James Wan
Written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick
From a story by James Wan, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Jason Momoa, & Thomas Pa’a Sibbett
Strs Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Randall Park, Temuera Morrison, Amber Heard, Dolph Lundgren, Jani Zhao, with Nicole Kidman
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