Warner Bros. Pictures & DC Comics

Warner Bros. Pictures & DC Comics

Now Playing: ‘Aquaman’ a sea adventure that heads DC in the right direction

Growing up, I was never a DC guy. I, of course, liked Superman and Batman because, well, because I’m an American and I think it’s somewhere in the Constitution that, up to at least age 12, you have to love Batman and Superman. Flash is optional.

But mostly I was into Spider-Man and The X-Men. The one non-mandatory DC character that I always dug, however, was Aquaman. He was really cool, with that orange and green outfit and that seahorse he rode. He was big, clean-cut, square-jawed — kind of like Superman, but blond.

I never really read his comics, at least not on a regular basis, but he was a regular on the “Super Friends” cartoon, and I never forgot it. Apparently, I missed a lot of pop culture context with Aquaman, however. Somehow, in the intervening years, he became quite the punchline.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

I never watched “Entourage,” but apparently that show is to blame for the Atlantean’s fall from coolness. In the comics, perhaps in retaliation, or perhaps simply due to the changing times, Aquaman got grittier, grimier, meaner. And so, by the time DC Comics got serious about trying to keep up with Marvel with their own cinematic universe, the Aquaman they presented was less a Ken doll with gills, and more an underwater biker from hell. Needless to say, not my Aquaman.

I shouldn’t be too harsh. “Batman v Superman” and “Justice League” were grim slogs, but Jason Momoa’s take on the exiled Atlantean king was the high point for most people. The Hawaiian actor who got his start playing Khal Drogo in “Game of Thrones,” and then immediately thereafter Conan the Barbarian, is nothing like most people would have imagined Aquaman to be, but has a visceral style that matched where the D.C. universe was headed.

In order to lighten up “Justice League,” his Arthur Curry was turned into muscle-headed comic relief — kind of a “Come at me, bro” superhero.

Though that’s not really the direction I would have gone with, his solo film is fun and mostly well-made, and basically sets itself apart from the rest of the DC story line by barely even mentioning the events of the other films. This is, without a doubt, an Aquaman movie, not a continuation of a lesser story line.

The story opens with a flashback — telling the tale of how Arthur’s mother and the queen of Atlantis, Atlanna, played by Nicole Kidman, fell in love with a lighthouse keeper after she escaped an arranged marriage back home.

Life is good for the couple, for a while. Arthur is born, but when the boy is 3, the couple is discovered by the jilted king’s envoys. In order to keep her son and love safe, Atlanna decides to return to Atlantis, leaving her son in his father’s hands, but sending her councillor, Vulko, played by Willem Dafoe, to train and educate the boy.

Atlanna never returned, and eventually Vulko had to tell Arthur she’d been executed some years before. Forsaking his homeland and his birthright, Arthur instead becomes the patron saint of fishermen and rescuer to those in danger on the water, and eventually a member of the Justice League.

In the present, Arthur finds himself caught up in the political machinations of his half brother Orm (Patrick Wilson looking much more like the traditional Aquaman than Momoa ever does), who is trying to orchestrate a war between the water peoples and the uplanders in retaliation of years of pollution and overfishing.

Orm has a point, but like most misguided idealists in movies, is willing to take the whole thing way too far.

Naturally, it’s up to Arthur to stop him, but to do so, he must reclaim his title as the rightful king of Atlantis. One thing standing in his way, however, is a revenge-seeking pirate named David Hyde who, with the help of a little Atlantean weaponry, has taken on the mantle of Black Manta.

Silly as this movie is at times, there’s no doubt that it’s entertaining and moves at a decent clip.

Momoa’s an interesting guy to watch and is a very physical actor. His chemistry between co-star Amber Heard, as Mera, is fine, but the film never goes for romance.

Where it does go big is on special effects, and particularly in the form of creatures, which is really fun. I’ve been pretty depressed by the direction the DC Universe is going, but with course corrections like “Wonder Woman” and now “Aquaman,” they may have something after all.

I wasn’t expecting to like it, but every once in a while they surprise me. Grade: B+

“Aquaman” is rated PG-13 for mild language and comic book violence.


• By CHRIS JENNESS, Now Playing


More in Life

"Octopus" is an acrylic painting by new co-op member Heather Mann on display at Ptarmigan Arts in Homer, Alaska. Photo provided by Ptarmigan Arts
July First Friday in Homer

Homer’s galleries and public art spaces celebrate with new and ongoing exhibits.

Frank Rowley and his youngest child, Raymond, stand in knee-deep snow in front of the protective fence around the main substation for Mountain View Light & Power in Anchorage in 1948 or ’49. This photo was taken a year or two before Rowley moved to Kenai to begin supplying electrical power to the central peninsula. (Photo courtesy of the Rowley Family)
Let there be light: The electrifying Frank Rowley — Part 2

In July 1946, the soft-spoken Rowley was involved in an incident that for several consecutive days made the front page of the Anchorage Daily Times.

This nostalgic sauce is so shockingly simple, you’ll never buy a bottle again. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
America’s favorite culinary representative

The original recipe for ranch dressing was invented and perfected in Alaska, out in the bush in 1949.

Graphics show the nine finalists in three age groups for the Soldotna “I Voted” sticker design contest. (Provided by City of Soldotna)
Soldotna announces finalists for ‘I Voted’ sticker contest

Public voting will be open until July 20 to determine the winners.

Homer’s Cosmic Creature Club performs at the 2024 Concert on the Lawn at Karen Hornaday Park. (Emilie Springer/Homer News file)
July events to provide entertainment and fun on lower Kenai Peninsula

Events include the Highland Games, Concert on the Lawn, local art camps and the Ninilchik Rodeo.

Nick Varney
Unhinged Alaska: Flashback dreams and the cold sweats

When summer arrives, every personage in the known cosmos suddenly seems to remember that they have kindred living in Alaska.

File
Minister’s Message: Freedom is not what you think

If freedom isn’t what we first think it is, what is it?

This is the Kenai Power complex. The long side of the plant faces the Frank Rowley home, seen here at the right side of the photograph. (Photo courtesy of the Rowley Family)
Let there be light: The electrifying Frank Rowley — Part 1

Frank Rowley made one of the most important steps toward modernization in the history of Kenai.

”Thread of Light” is an acrylic painting done this year by Dan Coe on display through June at the Art Shop Gallery in Homer, Alaska. Photo by Christina Whiting
Fine art in invented spaces

Anchor Point artist showcases his skills with exhibit of acrylic paintings.

A variety of peony blooms grow vibrantly on Pioneer Avenue on Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
6th annual Peony Celebration begins July 1

The festival will run in Homer through Aug. 17.

This cake stacks colored crepes for a brilliant rainbow breakfast. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
Crepes of a different color

This rainbow cake celebrates Pride with layers of colored crepes.