Aquaman

Aquaman is the perfect movie to see in the movie theater because at home the experience is barely half as good. When the second one comes out I'll wait for it to hit theaters. Solos with DC characters are very good. There was also a lot of space given to Mera and Atlanna, and Arthur is just walking charisma, plain and simple. An undeniably sympathetic character. Jason Momoa is now the king of cool, Amber Heard is sexy, Kidman has been a DC loyalist since Batman Forever, Willem Dafoe has moved on from Marvel, Dolph Lundgren is surprisingly also doing something other than Ivan Drago reruns, and Temuera Morrison is a legend from the other side of the world. (10/06/2019)

DC tries its best and Aquaman is definitely not bad. James Wan was a good choice for the director’s stool and Jason Momoa as lead was also great. I can’t imagine anyone playing such character in a different and better way. I only add that the biggest surprise for me was Dolph Lundgren, who was having fun in his role and I can imagine him playing more similar parts. The problem of this film lies in the scenes that try so hard to be funny that they end up being painfully awkward. Jason Momoa tries to emulate Chris Harmsworth’s Thor’s humor, and in the beginning he didn’t manage to convince me. Over the time, however, I’ve become used to him and it wasn’t so bad. Patrick Wilson, too, is a rather ridiculous adversary, I don’t understand why everyone praises him so much. You see that when I’m writing this review it surprises me how many faults I’ve found with the film. I don’t even know why I’m so critical as I was actually more or less happy with it. It was a pleasant surprise from DC, even though it’d be a routine standard had it been made by Marvel. (04/15/2019)

An unexpected surprise before the end of the year and James Wan confirmed that he can make anything. Aquaman, according to the trailers, looked like a marine digital mess, but in the end I got a visual orgy and I'm not afraid to say it’s Avatar underwater. Jason Momoa may not be a good actor, but he's good to watch and in fact I can't imagine anyone else in the role, Amber Heard's as his red wet colleague with her alluring cleavage will give many a man an erection in the cinema and I definitely have to praise the supporting cast of familiar faces featuring Nicole Kidman, the bad guy Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe and Dolph Lundgren. The film is incredible from start to finish, the action is loaded, spectacular, there are even contact fights, and the finale is so monstrous that it puts Godzilla and Pacific Rim to shame. In one scene, Wan even serves up a dense horror atmosphere with sea creatures reminiscent of Alien, and it really tugs at the heartstrings. The only thing that didn't work too well for me was the humour, but that can be forgiven. A visually impressive underwater adventure that hasn't been seen before and needs to be seen in the cinema! 90% (12/23/2018)

Aquaman can't be denied one thing, it is truly monumental. James Wan sends countless creatures, monsters and strange beings to the screen, or at least actors in really crazy costumes. Is it overstuffed? Yes, but on the other hand, the magnificence is really impressive and on top of that, every single underwater creature was really elaborate. Something this gigantic and epic hasn't been done since Avatar. And when it starts moving or fighting, it looks great on screen. Unfortunately though, Aquaman has two quite possibly the worst Hollywood actors in the lead role and that's where it grinds. Wan does manage to restrain Jason Momoa and Amber Heard, giving them minimal room to act and mostly just doing what they're good at (looking good), but as soon as the film attempts romance, humour, or pathos, it doesn't work due to their ineptitude. Fortunately, it's not that often. In fact, I was also initially bothered by the rather chaotic narrative structure, where they jump from the present to the past so that the origin story can somehow be caught up quickly and what would otherwise be worthy of a standalone film is crammed into two scenes. And unfortunately, the level of stupidity also occasionally crosses the line. Still, I'll happily sign off that this is the best DC Comic film and if I were twelve, I'd want to sign up for a diving club. On the other hand, I'd rather watch four out of five Marvel movies than this one, because there's still the problem that previous Warner comic-book adaptations have struggled with: it takes itself too seriously for the crap it is. And yet, right here, during the scenes where Amber Heard is floating on a killer whale and shooting water lasers out of her hands, it really needed that bit of levity. (12/14/2018)

Roughly as OK as Wonder Woman. Aquaman benefits mainly from the innovative world that mixes together Star Wars and Avatar, with a pinch of Sahara desert sand and a dash of Sicily. Wan keeps the overwhelming story (according to the garrulous Geoff Johns) on a tight leash with great ideas and the movie's unbelievably sophisticated visual aspect. Momoa is all right (I can imagine even an R-rated version where he rips off people’s heads); his concept of the hero is attractive enough that he's able to carry this fantasy on his shoulders. Redhead Amber Heard is again a pleasure to watch. The biggest drawback of the film is probably the unintentionally funny Black Mamba, whose aquarium will probably bother Curry next time as well. (12/20/2018)