Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Aquaman

Jason Momoa stars as the title character in this origin tale about how the son of a human father (Temuera Morrison) and an Atlatean mother (Nicole Kidman) would grow up to become the hero needed to unite the two realms. While at first feigning no interest in Atlantis, Aquaman is convinced to help by Mera (Amber Heard) and the actions of his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) who is preparing for a war against the surface world.

The script by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall is burdened by an abundance of narrative that doesn't fit all that neatly into a single film. Along with the origin and hero's journey, the movie also features a love story, an adventure to the inner Earth, politics and war among the various Atlantean tribes, brotherly jealousy over the crown, and an odd sequence where the film becomes National Treasure for about 20 minutes. Oh, and there's Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who is included for some reason.

Available on Blu-ray, 4K, and DVD, Aquaman includes several short featurettes on subjects including director James Wan's vision of the film, Momoa's dudebro version of the character, the film's special effects, and separate featurettes on various supporting characters and sea life.

[Warner Bros., DVD $28.98 / Blu-ray $24.99 / 4K $29.96]

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