Three words: I. LOVED. IT.

Listen, I'm a simple bitch, okay? Let's establish that right out of the gate. I can make fun of tropes all day long (especially the romantic ones) but in the end, I will eat that shit right up and walk out of the theater with the biggest grin on my face. Arthur and Mera accidentally hold hands and suddenly I turn into your 80-year-old grandma Gladys clutching her pearls and going "oh my". Jason Momoa and Amber Heard are DCEU's new dynamite duo (as much as I love Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, they've been knocked off the top spot for me). Their chemistry makes my skin tingle. Was the romance cliche? Hell yeah it was! And I adored every second of it!

Of course some stuff besides the romance also happens (but who cares about that? Not Gladys, that's for sure). The main plotline of finding the Trident does feel kinda like a treasure hunt with Arthur and Mera hopping from place to place, but because their chemistry and dynamic is just THAT good, it's all very fun and watchable. The villain is... well, he certainly is, eh? Actually there's two of them, but neither really made me feel anything. Still better than Steppenwolf, I guess? Although that's not saying much. The jokes hit more often than they miss and the movie did get a few good laughs out of me. But the more serious moments hit home for me as well, whether it's Arthur's reunion with his mother or his admission that he knows he doesn't deserve the Trident but it's his only hope of saving the people he loves. The tone feels pretty consistent and the transitions between the dramatic and comedic moments don't seem as jarring as in some other DCEU installments. The fight scenes are awesome. Especially the one in Sicily really made me feel pumped.

My favorite scene was by far Mera really experiencing the life on land for the first time. Her wide-eyed wonder (no pun intended, I guess) not only reminded me of Diana arriving in London, but it also had something wonderfully _Little Mermaid_-like (and not just because of the hair) about it. It was soft. It was pure. It made me feel warm inside. Mera eating the roses and Arthur immediately doing the same? Nobody's ever gonna ride for me this hard. Those are the kind of scenes that ground these huge superhero movies, that make them feel relatable to me and allow me to take a breath and really connect with the characters. And when 20 minutes later Mera goes full Bad Bitch In Charge on those soldiers and kills them with deadly wine spikes? Oh, I just about lost my mind. I want her to murder me. But aside from that entire sequence, there were plenty of other moments that really got my attention: little Arthur at the aquarium, Arthur and Mera's escape from Atlantis (such a fun chase!), our favorite power couple emerging from the ocean looking like they're on Baywatch (it was great, don't @ me), every time Mera used her powers (the glowing eyes!), the list goes on.

The visuals are absolutely stunning. Gone are the dreary grays of some lesser DCEU movies. Instead we get beautiful colors (Atlantis is beyond gorgeous), some great shots (Arthur and Mera swimming with the flare while surrounded by thousands of Trench people is breathtaking) and of course incredible CGI. It's a very aesthetically pleasing movie. And the music! I loved the music. This is one of the soundtracks I'm definitely gonna need to listen to at some point. And it takes some big balls to put a cover of Toto's Africa in your movie. I appreciate that. Some people are definitely gonna cringe when they hear it, but I had the biggest grin on my face.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable ride. It's quite long, but it didn't drag. I was invested in Arthur's journey. I thought the casting was perfect (and gosh darn do Jason Momoa and Amber Heard look good together! That has to be one of the most visually stunning pairings to have ever graced the big screen). And I just... felt super happy afterwards. I still can't stop smiling. It's a good movie not just by DCEU standards, but in general. I'd love to see it again and I'll definitely try to do so over the holidays. I honestly didn't expect to like it as much as I did. What a great surprise.

Pros:
- It has a fun action-adventure tone and a fast pace; I’d love to see more films like this, because there aren’t nearly enough of them
- The imagination and creativity of the world, as well as the world building
- Some really great directing moments, as well as camera movements
- The action scenes that don’t involve a lot of CGI are fantastic and well edited (e.g. submarine, Sicily chase)
- Willem Defoe and Nicole Kidman are pretty good

Okay:
- The story. There are quite a few predictable cliches in it (even one soap opera trope), but there’s also enough unique stuff in it to make it fresh
- Orm, he’s a functional bad guy (and basically a less interesting version of Loki)

Cons:
- There is WAY too much exposition, this movie is constantly explaining itself, even at points when it doesn’t have to
- It’s very much the Fast and Furious of superhero movies because of how loud and overblown it is, at times
—> The action scenes that take place underwater are just too much to take in, and they feel weightless (e.g. arena fight and the climax)
- The score is awful. Not only does it sound bad, it often doesn’t match with the tone of scenes. Orm’s theme immediately reminded me of the “dun dun DUN!” sound effect (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cphNpqKpKc4)
—> Also, there are some non-sensical song choices.
- The underwater world is extremely ambitious, but it doesn’t feel tangible, as it all looks so artificial. Moreover, a lot of times it doesn’t feel like these characters are actually underwater.
- Characters, dialogue & acting
—> Jason Momoa and Amber Heard are just not strong enough actors to lead a franchise like this, they are completely overshadowed by any other actor they interact with (which, thankfully aren’t that many). Heard is stiff, and Momoa tries to too hard to be goofy and cool
—> At the same time, I will admit that the dialogue they were given, and especially the interaction between their characters, didn’t do them any favours
—> Because of that, neither one of their characters fully comes to life
- Powersets and levels are left undefined, hence you don't feel the stakes.

4.5/10

_Aquaman_ delivers a fun and ambitious adventure for the DCEU, but flounders at its opportunity for true greatness.

There is so much to like about _Aquaman_, for starters the action is on another level. The DCEU has really mastered its fight choreography allowing for the directors to get wide, interesting shots of the action without having to add unnecessary cuts. There were so many fight sequences that had me thoroughly impressed with the creativity and the scope of the action. I particularly like how James Wan was able to transition across to the battlefield to show individual fights. It gave them a sense of connectedness that is sorely missing in many superhero films today.

The plot of this film had me intrigued, although it does tend to get quite weighed down by how involved the movie is. There are so many kingdoms of Atlantis involved and their relationships can get a tad confusing during the first watch. I was constantly trying to understand the relationships between all of the main members of Atlantis, but luckily, I could grasp the gist of what the story was trying to tell. I really appreciated the fantasy parallels that the directors were going for when it came to Atlantis. It gave it a grand feel on scale to a light version of Game of Thrones. The diversity of the nations was a really nice touch as well, I found it fascinating how each nation evolved independently from each other. The main criticism that I have with the story is the writing. There are so many scenarios or lines of dialogue that were incredibly awkward to watch. I think James Wan was really out of his element writing this movie compared to his cookie cutter horror films that he has built his reputation on. Hopefully he can learn from his mistakes for the sequel.

I was not overly impressed with the acting in this film either. Jason Mamoa was acceptable as Aquaman but like I said previously there were quite a bit of lines that were delivered awkwardly. I found that the comedic timing of the jokes did not really land and felt out of place in this film. The chemistry between Mamoa and Amber Heard was non-existent, I did not buy for a second that the two were truly in love and the whole build up to the relationship felt incredibly forced. Willem Dafoe was excellent as always and Patrick Wilson was fairly adequate as well. This film had an all-star cast, so it is odd to me that so many lines were delivered awkwardly, I think it is more so on the writing and direction rather than the actors' abilities.

Even with all my complaints about the film, I still found myself having a good time. Although, I can’t help but wonder, if given a more suitable director and writer, how amazing this film could have truly been.

**Verdict:** _Decent_

**Score:** _68%_

I am so conflicted.
We're introduced to the atlanteans with Nicole Kidman in a leotard and wet hair looking out of place in a living room and eating a gold fish.
The first fight scene has so many dramatic zoom-ins with dramatic music I thought I was watching the dramatic chipmunk video.
Willem Dafoe riding a fish!
Cheesy lines like a bad 80's action parody.
Some amazing CGI environments, others looked like they belonged in Diablo 3. Awful compositing throughout.
Unnecessary detour through the Mines of Moria.
Puzzles worthy of Lucas Arts point and click adventure games. A villain from 90s power rangers.
Amazing scary trench scene! Giant sea creature war with fireworks and laser beams!
Not good, and not bad enough to be entertaining.

Doesn't hold a candle to _Wonder Woman_, but tall-buildings worth of leaps (and bounds) better than everything else that's come out of the DCIThoughtSheWasWithU. It's weirdly kind of... The nicest? Of these movies? Which is not the kind of direction you would think a film in this series would go based on how it started, but Jason Momoa is just charismatic as **Hell**, and _Aquaman_ leans on that a lot.

By the time it's over, _Aquaman_ really does hit just about every cliche of the genre there is, which is not exactly high praise. It's certainly not without heart, but it is still more spectacle than substance. But unlike, say, your _Transformers 4_, a movie often levelled the same criticism, it is not trash.

_Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go._