I saw Aquaman...

I like Jason "Game of Thrones" Momoa (found him darn effective in the ill-fated Conan remake), but he always struck me as a trifle...well, unique for DC's Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, even when (at long last) garbed in the traditional orange and green. I mean, when it comes to casting Lobo, will WB go for a brawny, clean-shaven, fair-haired dude? At this stage of the reinvention game, would it be any surprise?

For me to get into the Momoa/Curry vibe, I gotta take the characterization in the context of let's say, "The Man from Atlantis", where for all intents and purposes Patrick Duffy's "Mark Harris" may have been, in fact, Aquaman, Sub-mariner or someone in-between: Depthon, Son of the Ocean, anyone?

Okay, so "Aquaman" isn't quite the long-haul Aquaman we all know in this big-budget instance. Does that mean the film is any less a splash because of it?

I'll say this much, for an official, pseudo knock-off, this brisk James Wan-directed flick serves its purpose, along with its Will Beall/David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick script. The collaborative effort presents the basic story of how Curry was born of human and Atlantean parents, portrayed by Nicole "Batman Forever" Kidman and Temuera "Green Lantern" Morrison. There's no superfluous, preachy, environmental gobbledygook to cloud the premise (praise Atlan!), and to keep things even more nice and simple, the movie dishes a reasonable scenario for Aquaman to tackle: His tyrannical half brother, Orm, aka Ocean Master, played by Patrick "Watchmen" Wilson, wishes to rule Atlantis and then all of Earth; our hero objects.  

Curry's stance, however, comes with some healthy coaching (past and present) from his mentor, Vulko, played by Willem "Spider-man" Dafoe. There's also Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's revenge-driven David Kane (aka David Hyde)/Black Manta to increase the torrential pumping. (BTW: the Black Manta outfit is spot-on, reinforcing the classic character's status as the aquatic Darth Vader...or is Vader the galactic Manta? Either way, it all comes out in the villainous wash...)

The thing is, the melodrama never hits the point of extraordinary. The visuals are pretty enough (in a Christmas time/"Close Encounters" sort of way), though I'd have preferred something more in line with George Pal's "Atlantis: the Lost Continent" (less can be more). And don't get me wrong, after a spell, Momoa's cynical Curry does, in fact, get into the full-blown groove, thanks to his determined, wife-to-be, Mera, played by Amber Heard and (even if he's only on the aggressive sidelines), her dad, Dolph "The Punisher" Lungren's Nereus. Still, for the sake of my initial viewing, the whole purpose and plan seemed a little too little and way too late. (Really, this notion of begging Aquaman to battle an obvious threat felt strained in "Justice League". We know he'll help if the circumstances require it, so why dance around the obvious?)

Though nonessential banter stalls Curry's under-the-sea (and even land-based and Earth's Core) rise, the movie does, in fact, have one consistent attraction: Heard's Mera. Whether or not one has a bug up the kazoo over the Johnny Depp situation (feel free to look it up), the actress is a honey-and-a-half: always has been, always will be. In old Hollywood, she'd have been a preeminent, film-noir vixen and was long ripe for the pickin' for any superhero flick. She's tall, curvy, sparkly, supportive of (if not essential to) Curry's crusade and more than the titular hero, this live-action Mera mirrors her comic-book inspiration.

Alas, beauty alone won't make a picture great. At best, "Aquaman" is a solid Camelot variant. With matters unhinged at WB (i.e., with Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill ousted and "Shazam!'"s required reshoots), one can't help but wonder if "Aquaman" will die on the seaweed vine, thus paving the way for that predicted Justice League reboot. (Then again, "The Flashpoint Paradox" could fix it all, if but bestowed the chance.)

Despite what happens, I still believe that certain characters are meant to march (or swim) onward, and that includes Momoa's aquatic avenger. For many, a sense of sorrowful shame will be felt if his aesthetic wave doesn't rise high enough, but in the end, it's the box office that'll decide if Momoa continues to patrol the seas--and for better or worse, what elements of the DC cinematic universe remain or recede.