Aquaman is a fun superhero movie. That is a significant achievement. To be clear, I don’t subscribe to the ideology that modern superheroes are too dark; I admire the solemn gravity of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight films, the melancholic humanity of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man pictures, and even the interplanetary terrorism of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But it’s important to remember that Hollywood’s current (and seemingly inexhaustible) superhero franchise churn stemmed from kids geeking out over comics and playing with toys. Aquaman, directed with energy and vibrancy by James Wan, pays tribute to that spirit of youthful exuberance. It’s a movie about a big merman searching for a giant fork, and it’s a blast.
Whether it’s actually good is another matter. The script, credited to Will Beall and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, is a tiresome origin story that’s full of stale clunkers about heroism and destiny, while the lead performances, by Jason Momoa as the titular man-fish hybrid and Amber Heard as his protector-cum-partner, are not exactly deep. But depth is not the goal here, despite the camera diving all the way down to the ocean floor. The goal is pleasure, and if Momoa and Heard occasionally struggle with some dopey dialogue, they nevertheless develop a winking chemistry, recognizing the material’s essential silliness without condescending to it. They also look terrific, affording the audience some equal-opportunity eye candy; the auburn-haired Heard spends most of her time in a form-fitting emerald leotard (who knew fish-dwellers were such fans of décolletage?), while the godlike Momoa is of course best photographed with his shirt off.
Beyond the alluring costumes, Wan brings a visual panache to the film that’s both bracing and deceptively intricate. Much of the movie naturally takes place underwater, and the nifty special effects—even during basic conversation scenes, characters gently float and bob rather than remaining static—convince your brain that these people are actually talking and moving while submerged in the Atlantic. And despite some fun underwater duels, Wan actually does his best work above ground, as in an early scene where a woman deftly fends off three attacking soldiers or—in the film’s most thrilling sequence—a sprawling chase across the rooftops of Sicily that evokes the heyday of Indiana Jones. Wan’s craftsmanship is matched by the professionalism of his supporting cast, with solid performances from Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, and (especially) Nicole Kidman. They’re all working hard, which helps Wan make the familiar arc of a superhero’s journey—the crises of faith, the tedious mythology, the hectic searches for glittering MacGuffins—look enjoyably easy.
Jeremy Beck is the editor-in-chief of MovieManifesto. He watches more movies and television than he probably should.