I wasn't a fan of 2017's DC Comics movieJustice League, but I did think Jason Momoa as Aquaman was the best thing in it. He displayed bright charisma, had great comedic timing and just enlivened every scene he was in. Now, Momoa has his own Aquaman movie, and it completely smothers Momoa's charm in a sea (no pun intended) of seemingly unending action scenes and overcrowded digital effects. I don't even know why James Wan get a director's credit since the majority of the film was created by the CGI unit.
Atlanna, a woman (Nicole Kidman) fugitive from the undersea kingdom of Atlantis, washes up on shore and is found by lighthouse keeper Tom Curry (Temuera Morrison). They fall in love and produce a son, Arthur. Happiness is short lived as Atlanna is captured by Atlantian thugs and brought back to the sea. So, Arthur (Momoa) grows up and has super strength and the ability to communicate with sea creatures.
The plot, if you want to call it that, kicks in when Arthur's grumpy half-brother, King of Atlantis Orm Marius (Patrick Wilson), blames Arthur for their mother's execution and wants to wage war on the surface world. However, their mother, Atlanna, isn't dead and is just in hiding, so if she would have somehow communicated with both of her sons to say that she is still alive, this entire movie could have been avoided.
Momoa barely registers as the hero, and his chemistry with leading lady Amber Heard, as Mera, is nonexistent. They just come off as that annoying bickering couple you, unfortunately, get seated next to at a crowded restaurant. But the actors don't have much to work with, since every other scene is a gargantuan yet unmemorable action sequence. It actually plays like a running joke that about three or four times during the movie some mild exposition is interrupted by a mighty explosion that blows the heroes to the ground.
One of the best of the DC movies is Wonder Woman because it has character moments, an emotional core, and good action. All of this is sorely missing from Aquaman.
