Fangirl Friday: Aquaman (movie)

Nearly 80 years after the King of the Seven Seas was introduced by DC Comics, the most underrated superhero that nobody even talked about him—finally gets his own movie. Directed by James Wan and featuring Hawaiian-born actor Jason Momoa as the titular character, Aquaman is the first underwater superhero movie to the genre. I had been waiting for this movie pretty much since it was announced many, many years ago and I was so excited to see Aquaman on the first day it was released. Some of the opinions presented in this post may be slightly biased because why not, today is Fangirl Friday!

Aquaman basically tells the origin story of Arthur Curry, the son of the queen of Atlantis (Atlanna) and a lighthouse keeper (Tom Curry), from his birth to become King of Atlantis. The movie opens with Atlanna running away from an arranged marriage to Orvax Mauris and leaving Atlantis for the surface world. On a dark and stormy night, Tom discovers the queen washed up on the rocky shore and helps her to recover. The following months after meeting, the two fall in love and Atlanna becomes pregnant with their son, Arthur. Shortly after Arthur's birth, Atlantean soldiers attack the lighthouse and drag Atlanna back to Atlantis.  Later that day, Atlanna voluntarily returns to Atlantis in order to keep her family safe. She promises Tom that she will return to him one day. After that no one really knows what happens to her.

Growing up on land, Arthur always feels like he never quite fit into two different worlds. He is only half-Atlantean, but Arthur inherits various incredible powers and abilities from his mother. He is secretly taught and trained in Atlantean ways by mentor Nuidis Vulko, his mother's loyal adviser. Arthur later finds out from Vulko that Atlanna has been sacrificed to the Trench after King Orvax discovered the truth about him. Getting rejected by the Atlanteans for being a half-breed, Arthur shows no interest in visiting Atlantis, although he is always the rightful heir to the throne of the legendary underwater kingdom.

Fast forward to present day after the events of Justice League, adult Arthur is now becoming protector of the deep. People call him Aquaman. He protects the oceans and helps everyone in trouble at sea. One day, he fights a gang of high-tech pirates lead by a father/son duo (Jesse and David Kane) attempting to hijack a submarine. This scene sets up  the secondary conflict of Aquaman, which reveals Black Manta's origin story and the reason for his deep hatred towards Arthur.

Meanwhile, in Atlantis, Arthur's fully Atlantean half-brother (King Orm) is trying to unite the seven kingdoms of the sea and declare a war between Atlantis and land dwellers (that's us) which have been ruining and polluting the oceans for too long. In response, princess of the underwater kingdom of Xebel (Mera) comes seeking help from Arthur to prevent the coming war. She also confronts him on his responsibility to protect both humans and Atlanteans, and claim the throne of Atlantis. It takes some time, and after some reluctance, Arthur eventually decides to pursue his rightful place in Atlantis and save humanity. The journey then begins.

Aquaman is a somewhat classic tale of coming home, sibling rivalry, legends, and myths. Greatly influenced by the New 52 Aquaman series, it follows the comics very closely: the origin story of Aquaman, introduction of Black Manta, the trench sequence, the ancient history of Atlantis, and the classic characters costumes.

The oceanic superhero adventure features non-stop action with themes revolving around family, and of course, romance. Here we get two love stories for the price of one, what more could a lover of romance ask for? Both of them are engaging and delightful in their own way. However, Aquaman is not all about romantic story between two lovers. It is more focused on a broad concept of love: family love—including Arthur with his half-brother King Orm, Mera and his father King Nereus, David Kane with his father Jesse Kane, and Arthur with his mother Atlanna. It is no secret that family, specially mothers (let's say the two Marthas, Hippolyta) are such an important part of the DCEU and as you would expect, Aquaman's mother plays a key role in the story and the development of the characters as well.

Talking about characters, what would Arthur be without Mera and Atlanna? Though he is the central character of the movie, this is definitely not a one-man show. The two female characters are strong, independent, and awesome in their own right. They are their own hero; the epitome of everything a woman and a lady should be. Meanwhile, the villains are not cliché and pretty well-developed in all aspects. Their motives are reasonable and easy to follow. The other supporting characters are very interesting and pleasantly incorporated into the story. Even each character gets the right amount of time to shine and stand out. In addition to Jason Momoa, Aquaman features some of the most talented actors who are active in the industry today; including Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

Aside from the star-studded cast, this movie is filled with epic thrilling action sequences that are completely new not only to the superhero genre, but all of cinema. Due to its setting, Aquaman is different from most DC movies which are quite dark and edgy in tone. This one takes place predominantly deep underwater and presents a different world under the ocean we haven't seen before. It employs some truly spectacular special effects, stunning cinematography and solid direction. All thanks to James Wan who has brought Atlantis to life on the big screen. It looks purely magical, colorful and vibrant. Visually breathtaking and mind-blowing from start to finish. The sea creatures and monsters are just beyond extraordinary. Wan, who is better known as a "horror movie maestro", also brings out a little touch of horror with the Trench creatures, some jump scares and surprise explosions.

And it's not all underwater, Aquaman takes us on the surface from the Sahara desert and to Sicily, then back to Atlantis to keep the story moving forward. There is a major plot twist in the second third of the movie and it plays a big time towards the end. Aquaman certainly comes with lots of pretty funny moments and genuine humor, but also offers very emotional and touching scenes at times. The ending even brings tears to my eyes every single time. Yup.. I'm soft. Sometimes great movies make me cry. The best part of the whole movie is without a doubt the final battle scene. It's just so wow.

Having said that, not everything is perfect. For instance, the dialogue is somehow quite dramatic and corny. Some parts of the movie look a bit cartoonish at times, especially the action scenes. May be it's just me, but I think Mera is overacting when she uses her powers and it just kind of annoys me. Still, I'd much rather see overacting than underacting. The story itself is kind of predictable, but is done so expertly that it doesn't matter. Other than that, I don't have more complaints. Aquaman is a breath of fresh sea air for DCEU.

Wait.

As a professional fangirl, I think Momoa's portrayal of the titular Aquaman deserves an appreciation paragraph for everything. Long haired, bearded, muscular and tattooed (what else?) Arthur in his classic orange-and-green Atlantean armored suit.. Pretty badass! Yes, the suit looks straight out of the comics and it's uber cool. You can't make Aquaman jokes anymore. Momoa's cheerful yet macho personality makes the character easier to relate to and it's his nature that makes him perfect for his Aquaman role. That's why I want to thank God everyday for creating Jason Momoa on this planet Earth. For his long dark luscious hair, his full glorious beard and his magnificent beauty. Aquaman now becomes everyone's favorite underwater superhero. No reason needed.

Speaking of scores, the soundtrack in this movie is on point (not counting that Pittbull song, sorry). “Kingdom of Atlantis” by R Gregson-Williams and “Everything I Need” by Skylar Grey are my favorites. Her voice is that of an angel. When I first heard the song start playing, I instantly fell in love with it. I got chills. It was growing on me. And finally they released it, today.

This is literally a song from Mera to Arthur and whenever I listen to this song, it draws me back to the world of Atlantis. By the way, I still can’t get over the fact that they use one of my favorite Sigur Rós song—Sæglópur—at the beginning of Aquaman. I was crying like a baby. It's so beautiful. Oh, that lighthouse dock. Reminiscing all those romantic scenes. This all gets me super emotional  

Last but not least, the movie is also sending a warm and powerful message about the Earth we live in today, more particularly the oceans. Besides the rivalry with Arthur, the main reason Orm is coming for the land is because of marine pollution. It is probably not the first time we get to meet an "environmentalist villain" in a movie. Orm is possibly right and not really evil at all. He tries to help his people, but goes about it the wrong way. I like the idea when a superhero movie addresses environmental concerns although it leaves the conflict unresolved. I wonder if the ocean could speak, what it would say? It is time for us (the surface dwellers) to act to protect our oceans and marine life now. Stop polluting it, help clean it and keep it clean. If it is not us who are willing to change, then who is?

Aquaman is one of the best, if not the best, DC movies ever made. James Wan never could've done it better. Actually don't want to spoil anything, but you shouldn't miss this opportunity to be into the journey. It's fun and entertaining. Billion dollar club, here we come!

I'm so in love with the suit!

Hail King Arthur, long live the king!

** All gifs are taken from Aquaman trailer videos