Aquaman Review

Aquaman is hard to review because people want to know if it’s good or bad, and my answer is that it’s fun. Go in with an open mind; don’t expect the best movie of the year or an Oscar contender. There are some clichés and the CGI is super heavy, but if you loved Jason Momoa’s bro vibe in Justice League, you’ll love this, because it doubles down on it.

The action is top-notch. Nicole Kidman’s Atlanna looks badass, with crisp, sharp, well-choreographed fights. Aquaman’s fights with Ocean Master and Black Manta are amazing too. The story is a step in the right direction for DC. The earlier movies fell short because they were extra dark and got muddled, but this one is light when it should be and focused when it needs to be. Not a lot of people are Aquaman fans, so you have to ease them in and let them have fun, and having fun at the movies isn’t a bad thing.

The cast does an amazing job (I didn’t even know Dolph Lundgren was in it until I saw him). Most of the CGI looks great. It’s not quite Avatar-level underwater, but it’s close, and that’s saying something. Black Manta’s origin is handled really well, and giving him a personal reason to go after Aquaman works.

The not-so-great: the clichés go to a whole new level, especially with Atlanna. You know that when a death happens offscreen, the character might show up again, and when it happened here it felt cheap. There are also two or three moments where the CGI is so obvious it takes you out for a second. And the last few moments feel a little rushed.

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Aquaman (2018) Cast and Details

Aquaman (2018) is directed by James Wan and stars Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson and Nicole Kidman. It runs 143 minutes and is rated PG-13. You can look up the full cast and crew on IMDb. You might also like my Ralph Breaks the Internet review.