Aquaman (2018) directed by James Wan is an adventure and action film that focuses on the journey of Arthur Curry to find the Trident and discover himself throughout the process. Starring Jaosn Momoa and Amber Heard, this film has to be one of the best CGI and VFX films in the world of DC movies. There were approximately 700 shots of 

CGI and they were all breathtakingly powerful. Several vendors provided visual effects, ranging from high-detail hair simulations to the creation of CGI animals and locations. The film was a hit with 1.148 million box office which led to the sequel Aquaman 2 that’s expected to release on December 16th 2022. 

During 2018, DC’s rival Marvel released Avengers Infinity War that smashed the U.S. opening weekend box office record and became the best movie of 2018 alongside Black Panther and Ant-Man and the Wasp. The year 2018 was a banner year for Marvel Cinematic Universe which made it difficult for DC to compete as viewers prefer Marvel more. There was a lot of nervousness surrounding Aquaman due to how poorly Justice League did in 2017 and many considered this film a flop. Film Reviewers left many negative articles stating that the movie is too fast forward and far too long. 

However, this remains one of my favorite DC films and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys action/ adventure genre movies. The setting, costumes, sound effects, and camera movement fit the storyline and the action being presented. As a film student I was intrigued by the strong lighting and shadows used to create the beautiful underwater world. I watched the film with my younger sibling and can confirm it’s suitable for children as there weren’t any appropriate scenes or language. Compared to the 2016 Adventure/ Action Film Batman vs Superman, this movie was suitable for children and took place in a mythical underwater world. 

As Wesley Morris from the New York Times said “James Wan’s Film has Jason Momoa, but even he’s not enough to save this lackluster mashup of Thor, Black Panther, and Avatar”. This criticism is a personal opinion from Morris targeted towards the director. The statement does not include any accurate information from the film and he seems to be mocking the characters and plot. This is disrespectful not only to the director and actors but everyone who worked on the film as the criticism isn’t supported by evidence and is very biased. 

I would rate Aquaman (2018) a 9/10 because I enjoyed the storyline, costume, sound effects, and CGI incorporated into the film. I’m taking one point off due to the long duration of 2 hours and 22 minutes. The actors were professional and played their roles well on land and underwater whilst wearing underwater costumes and armor with glistening fish scales over them. The overall film is spectacular and James Wan did an excellent job directing the film and presenting the underwater world on screen.