(3 / 4)
Loud, shallow, and utterly entertaining. Aquaman is in capable hands with James Wan at the helm, as he has crafted a beautifully imaginative world that is a prime setting for the vibrant epic action spectacle. The film also serves as further evidence that the DCEU should stick to refreshing origin stories for now and put the collaborative team-up features on the back burner.
Despite being a legacy character within the DC comics ecosystem, Aquaman has long been the target of copious jokes in pop culture. This ridicule stems from the hero’s powers of communicating with aquatic life being viewed as useless when compared with his other super-powered peers. While his abilities are understandably not the most glamorous or awe inspiring, the character’s representation in the otherwise disappointing 2017 Justice League film capably demonstrated that the character can be a lot of fun thanks to Jason Momoa’s unique “surfer-bro” take on the character. This trend of being a distinctive character that audiences can rally behind continues in Aquaman, as the origin story offers a refreshing hero that is crowd-pleasingly entertaining.