‘Aquaman’ early reviews show critics can’t agree

“Like its hero, it’s the kind of film that surveys the strangeness in front of it, flashes a smile, and dives right in. And if it stays in the water a bit too long—well, I’d still come back for a sequel.”

Critics like Mashable’s Angie Han concede that Aquaman isn’t without its barnacles, but contend the flick is at least worth the price of admission. Others are denouncing the DC Comics’ tentpole as an irrefutable, outright flop. 

The Jason Momoa and Amber Heard-starring adventure tackles the origin story of the Justice League’s trident-wielding hero, taking viewers into the seven kingdoms of Atlantis and entrenching them in ocean-dwelling politics.

Before you head to the theaters on Dec. 21, check out critics’ mixed takes on Aquaman below. 

The messy plot may or may not bother you

Vinnie Mancuso, Collider:

Plot-wise, the result is a hot, foamy mess, my friends, but a mess that washed over me like a tidal wave, a mess so wild and candy-colored and eager to have a bitchin’ time that it’s some of the most fun I’ve had at a theater this year, anchored by a Momoa who is having the time of his goddamn life and director James Wan‘s genuinely gorgeous vision of an entire universe under the ocean waves. 

Eric Kohn, IndieWire:

A lot of “Aquaman” suffers from logic gaps, even on its own slippery terms: How come Mera can breathe oxygen, but other Atlanteans can’t? Why does a normal flare work underwater? How on earth does a gun transform water into beams of “energized plasma”? Audiences keen on pure escapism won’t bother with such distracting quandaries, but they reflect the lack of care for developing a fully realized world. As with much about the DC universe, the whole thing is hobbled by carelessness, which might not hurt box office receipts but certainly doesn’t ensure the long-term appeal of the brand.

Jason Momoa is exactly as you’d expect

Peter Debruge, Variety: 

A “Baywatch” alum who bulked up considerably before “Game of Thrones” re-launched his career, Momoa is now a swollen muscle builder with a pro-wrestler physique that reflects the body-worship appeal of vintage comicbooks, in which these brightly colored characters were essentially hyper-idealized figure studies, bordering on indecent in their skintight uniforms. Whereas previous DC stars have relied on well-padded costumes to supply their abs and pecs, Aquaman puts the cod in codpiece, so to speak, and the movie isn’t shy about ogling his bulges at every opportunity.

Hoai-Tran Bui, Slash Film: 

If you hadn’t already been taken with Momoa’s Aquaman in Justice League, you will be after Aquaman. Momoa delivers the kind of hammy performance that shows a supreme self-confidence — or just suggests that he is having a ball. His jovial attitude is infectious, spilling out through the screen and daring you not to crack a smile when he cheekily delivers lines like, “Permission to come aboard?” Sadly his infectious attitude doesn’t extend to the majority of the cast, who are given the task of playing straight men to Momoa’s hotheaded fighter.

Director James Wan’s success here is up for debate

Sean O’Connell, CinemaBlend:

Hiring James Wan is the key to Aquaman‘s success. The Conjuring director fearlessly embraces everything that comes with the hero, figuring out how to effectively stage underwater action, and choreographing impressively fluid fight sequences both on the land and in the sea. Water is integral to Aquaman’s story, and I’m certain there came a point when Wan got sick of everything having to be so wet on this set. But this movie plunges us into Aquaman’s realm, and it’s supremely effective.

Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly:

There was never a question that at this stage in Hollywood’s comic-book economy that every superhero would eventually get his or her own standalone blockbuster. Even Aquaman. But Wan, a director who’s proven himself to be a can’t-miss ace regardless of genre (from the horror formulas of The Conjuring and Insidious to the big-budget tentpole mayhem of Furious 7) seems to finally be out of his depth. He’s conjured an intriguing world, but populated that world with dramatic cotton candy and silly characters, including a hero who’s unsure if he wants to make us laugh or feel — and winds up doing neither.

At two and a half hours, Aquaman is long and detailed

Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter:

There are almost innumerable action sequences in Aquaman, as if pulled out of a hat on cue to sate the appetites of the gathered masses. The majority of the time the action set pieces seem quite arbitrary, no doubt because they are, dictated by the requirements of the format rather than by some organic, intrinsic narrative need. This saddles the overlong film with a ponderous, grinding feel, one driven by a sense of obligation more than the glee of inspiration. Rarely in the world of superheroes has the thought occurred that less can be more.

Alex Abad-Santos, Vox: 

It feels like four or five different films happening at once, not to mention that it playfully winks at legendary films like Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (via Arthur’s hunt for the trident), the Lord of the Rings trilogy (the trident), The Sword in the Stone (also the trident), and perhaps unintentionally Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (at one point, Arthur and Mera find themselves in a coastal Mediterranean town, and can’t stop love from happening).

To be sure, there are brilliant, joyous little moments in each of the mini-films that make up Aquaman, but there’s also a lot of boredom and muddling along, thanks to all the exposition they require. Instead of five just-okay films, I wish that Aquaman was one great one.

That epic underwater fight to the finish is full throttle fun

Emily Yoshida, Vulture: 

The film’s finale, the undersea war that was promised, is the first time I can ever remember looking forward to a giant CGI battle, and I can’t wait until someone recuts it to the B-52s “Rock Lobster,” Fred Schneider announcing each new fighting sea creature as it zooms through the deep. Aquaman’s as formulaic, excessively thrashy, and mommy-obsessed as any other entry in the DCEU, but its visual imagination is genuinely exciting and transportive, and dare I say, fun.