First Take: Aquaman- has the DC curse finally been broken?

SPOILER FREE AS USUAL. BECAUSE MY CINEMA IS LITERALLY NEXT
TO A RIVER.

SYNOPSIS: Arthur Curry learns that he is the heir to the
underwater kingdom of Atlantis, and must step forward to lead his people and be
a hero to the world.

DC have had a very weird few years. Nolan came, saw and
conquered, Snyder divided fans with three passable efforts, Patty Jenkins
revitalised the genre with Wonder Woman, and now, with a new director entering
the fold in the form of James Wan, this film not only carries the weight of the
Justice League backlash on its shoulders, but also the expectation that this
film has to succeed for Warners. Ladies and gentlemen, they actually went and
did it.

Wan’s direction is watertight for the majority of the 2 hour
22 minute running time, and while it does feel a little too long in places, the
pacing and structure is coherent, and working to a script from Will Beall and
David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, the film is able to balance the humour we’ve
seen in the trailers with the dark and brooding nature that DC films have
traditionally been mocked for by some audiences- a refreshing change. It’s
almost like their version of what Thor Ragnarok did to the MCU, a soft reboot
and refresh of existing elements. Behind the camera is Don Burgess, and with
Rupert Gregson-Williams on scoring duties, technically this film is the
strongest release this comic universe has put out since Wonder Woman.

The cast are good though- Jason Momoa kills it (like a bat)
as he has done in previous DCEU films, and joining him for the ride is Amber
Heard, Willem Defoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren and Nicole Kidman- they all
have their moments to shine, and while some characters (in the eyes of fans of
the source material) are underutilised, the film is able to create a rare
balance. Plus, Julie Andrews does have a super secret role that I can’t reveal.
It’s not a super serious superhero film, but damn, it feels good to be praising
a DC film rather than ranting about it.

THE VERDICT

Aquaman may be the dark horse in the slate DC have scheduled
over the next 2 years- it feels like they finally have a winning formula. While
it isn’t the perfect combobreaker, it is another pivotal step for the powers
that be at Warner to turn around the fortunes of that extended universe. And
damn, it was enjoyable.

RATING: 4/5