Aquaman | Teen Ink

Aquaman

December 24, 2018
By MovieReviewer_18 ELITE, Short Hills, New Jersey
MovieReviewer_18 ELITE, Short Hills, New Jersey
678 articles 0 photos 8 comments

 Aquaman is a superhero movie based off of the famous DC character of the same name. It all begins when a lighthouse keeper named Tom Curry finds a washed up Atlantean named Atlanna near his house. When he brings her back to his home, and they soon begin conversing with one another, they eventually begin to develop feelings for each other. Although they come from two different worlds, the land and the sea, they are still able to fight what society designates that they should do, and they have a son together. Atlanna and Tom decide to name their son Arthur, but when Atlanteans discover Atlanna, they soon take her away back to Atlantis, as she leaves Tom and their son, Arthur. Arthur Curry grows up on the land like a normal person, for the most part, but he does receive some training from a fellow Atlantean, Vulko, to help him learn some of the abilities that he has, due to him being half-Atlantean. Arthur Curry does grow up and eventually becomes known as the famous Aquaman, who is known for helping to rescue people. However, on one night, Arthur is asked by an Atlantean princess named Mera to go to Atlantis to claim his birthright, as a way to snatch the throne away from his half-brother, Orm. Mera soon explains that Orm has plans to wage war against the people on the land and that the only way to stop him from gaining the power is for Arthur to gain possession of the throne, after gaining possession of an ancient weapon that would help allow other members of the underwater kingdoms to recognize him for being worthy of the throne. Although Arthur is reluctant at first, he soon decides that he has to listen to Mera, because otherwise many will be forced to pay the ultimate sacrifice. Arthur soon travels to the jaw-dropping, dazzling Atlantis and meets Orm in person for the very time. However, Aquaman soon learns that both Orm and the rest of the people of Atlantis view him as a useless bastard that is underserving of the throne, that Orm is power-hungry, relentless, and will stop at nothing to get his way, and that the only possible way to stop the war from occurring is to find the mysterious trident that Mera talked so much about that might just end up being a legend. In a way to stop a war that seems inevitable, Aquaman finds himself getting pushed to his very limit, as he battles the odds as he quarrels with Orm, who has been training to fight for the throne his entire life, and a new villain named Black Manta, who wants to kill Arthur as a way of getting revenge, and although he gets help in the form of Princess Mera and Vulko, the royal counselor who showed Arthur the true extent of his powers, Arthur Curry gets broken in a process to prove to everyone, but most importantly himself, that he is worthy of being king. 
 Aquaman is a thrilling adventure that definitely surpasses any and all expectations. The beginning of the movie brilliantly sets the stage for the rest of the movie to follow in an incredible story-like manner. The middle of the movie marvelously progresses the movie along and is able to introduce two main villains to Aquaman, helping to make the movie substantially more entertaining to watch. The enticing ending of the movie proves to be one of the movie's best parts, and everything that the rest of the film has been building up to is showcased at this point in a triumphantly proud manner. This end is able to magnificently connect with the beginning of the movie to create a coherent tale that gives audiences an entire spectrum of emotions. 
 Aquaman greatly benefits from having two great villains that both have two rich backstories that cleverly connect with Arthur Curry, allowing them to have two tremendous motivations that make scores of logical sense. The fact that there isn't just one but two villains in the movie is absolutely a plus, and because of this, Aquaman is challenged both physically, emotionally, mentally, and politically to bring him to his very edge as he does his best to transform into the hero that everyone wants him to be. A healthy combination of these terrific villains and a good amount of other solid main characters allow there to be an insane amount of character development in the movie from just about all of the characters, including both Black Manta and Orm. Aquaman is also able to be so successful because the movie's tone is an outstanding mix of light-heartedness and grimness. The movie isn't afraid to poke fun at itself at certain moments, which is always exciting for watchers. However, the movie is able to ensure that the tone doesn't become too fun and light, because there are some generally darker things that occur in the movie, like the threat of war, so, therefore, the blend of tones is able to help elevate the movie to the next level.
 Aquaman is also packed to the brim with a significantly talented cast that is able to really shine through in the movie. Jason Momoa is just perfect as Aquaman, both physically and for his acting. He is really able to live up to his role, and he makes an extremely believable version of Arthur Curry, helping to make the superhero come to life, because of this, Aquaman is portrayed as a flawed character that the common person can relate to. Jason also brings a level of emotion to the role that is both rare and a delight to see. In fact, it would be fair to argue that it is worth seeing the movie simply because Jason Momoa's performance is so spectacular. Amber Heard is also exceptional for her role as Mera, and it is fair to argue that Princess Mera is able to become such a fan-favorite character so quickly, because the actor is really able to capture the essence of her. 
 Aquaman also has some amazingly vivid visual effects that are nearly unexplainable through words. These superb special effects are help to bring Atlantis to life as well as all of the underwater, mystical creatures to bring the underwater world to life. The visuals help to aid viewers in making them want to do nothing but go to Atlantis, because the vibrant colors, advanced technology, superior weaponry, and awesome architecture is all brought to life and depicted beautifully. The visuals of the movie are also fantastic for the fact that some of the characters look like they just stepped out of a comic book page. Aquaman's suit is spot on, and Black Manta's suit looks exactly like it does in the comics. 
 Aquaman wanted to be an astonishing movie that captured all of the best qualities of the famous comic book character of the same name, and the creators came pretty close to doing just that. Aquaman is a beloved character by many and is one of the oldest comic book characters of all time. Aquaman comics have a rich history and a deep mythology that has been developed over decades, helping to make the character one that is enjoyed by a wide variety of audiences. And the movie is able to bring that character and those comics to the big screen in a successful manner. Both Aquaman's looks and personality is depicted in the film and so are his supporting characters. Because of that, a wonderful plot, and stunning visuals, Aquaman does do the character justice. 
 Aquaman is especially important for the fact that people have deemed it with the task of saving the DCEU. Because majority of the DCEU's movies haven't been the greatest and have been constantly critiqued by both critics and viewers alike, many people feel that Aquaman will be the movie that either breaks or makes the movie universe, simply because most of the films so far haven't been that great with Wonder Woman being the main exception. However, it would be fair to say that Aquaman is able to help save the DCEU, because it accomplishes a ton of things gloriously. Even though some might argue that the movie has a lot of qualities similar to other superhero movies that have already been made, this is because those qualities are archetype-like and are commonly found all across different types of literary stories. Aquaman does have a few faults in the fact that there are a few tiny plot holes, including the fact that Aquaman is able to have a full conversation with Princess Mera in the direct middle of a battle without getting hit, but most of them are just nit-picking. 
  Not only does Aquaman seem to sit well with viewers, but more importantly, critics found satisfaction with the movie, which is a massive plus for the DCEU. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a fine 63%, which isn't the best but certainly could be worse, and IMDb gave the movie a high 7.7/10, which is actually much better than it sounds, because they are known for giving generally lower scores. A whopping 95% of Google users liked the movie, clearly demonstrating that viewers really seemed to fall in love with the film. 
  Aquaman is definitely worth watching for anyone and everyone, since it has so many highlights, including that fact that it is one of the best movies in the DCEU, because it has a splendid cast, exquisite visuals, a marvelous plot, and is an admirable story for one of the oldest comic book characters of all time, and it is a dynamic roller coaster that will unquestionably cause audiences to wish that they could be like Aquaman. 


The author's comments:

"You are a part of something deeper. You are the bridge between land and sea. Take your rightful place as king." - Mera


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