Aquaman Review: Perfectly Ranked In the Middle of the DCEU Movies

This review is in no way sponsored. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

When the first Aquaman trailer was released, I was excited about it. DC has broken my heart before (my Suicide Squad review gets real guys) so I was cautiously optimistic. Then I saw the Aquaman extended trailer and not only did I feel like they told me the whole movie, the jokes seems really cheesy. Nevertheless, I still planned on seeing it in theaters. Opening weekend didn’t work for my family because my husband was away for work, and then the reviews from people we trusted came in. Even the major DC fans told me that I should wait for the home release. So I did. Aquaman was available to rent as of last night, and my husband and I sat down to watch it. Was it the best DC movie? No. But was it the worst? Also no.

They Made Arthur Dumb

My husband and I both agreed that they made Arthur seem stupid. Mera was constantly making cracks at him for being a big, dumb idiot – and he played the roll perfectly. Every time he opened his mouth, I got annoyed. I tried. I really tried. But he was the same way in Justice League. They really made him out to be a dummy, and I think he deserved more than that.

Epic Battle Scenes

The battle scenes were great – except for two things. The first battle on the submarine really irked me because the camera angles were just too much. I am surprised they didn’t make me throw up to be honest. They were flipping it upside down and all around it was just too much. The other thing they did way too often was the Matrix style slow down. Once or twice in a movie, fine. But you could play a drinking game with how many times they pulled a slow motion and have a really good time. They also probably could have taken 20 minutes off the movie.

The Cheesy Jokes

Trust me when I say I can handle some cheesy jokes. I really can. But sometimes it is just too much. Over the top. That is kind of what Aquaman did for me. Don’t get me wrong, I laughed at some of them. But also had some serious eye rolls going on. I am sure you don’t believe me but I really, truly, wanted to like this movie. Or at the very least enjoy it. But some of the jokes were just….dumb. “Permission to come aboard.” Nope. “I could have just peed on it.” Come on.

The Sound Guy Should Be Fired

That sound guy – all the clinks and clanks and of course the “dun-dun-dun” every time Aquaman turned around was a lot. Right from the beginning I was annoyed by the sound effects and honestly, I think it distracted from the movie. I wish I could say it complimented it. But it didn’t. I also had no clue that sharks can growl but apparently they can.

Visually Stunning

Something I said from the very beginning was that Aquaman was going to be visually stunning. And boy was it. We have a 70 inch 4K TV, which is the next best thing to the movie theater if you ask me. Watching Aquaman on this screen had me really impressed. DC normally flops for me when it comes to CGI, but it seems like this is where they put all their money for this one. Although the de-aging of William Dafoe was meh. I totally want a battle shark of my own though.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, this movie was alright. Will I rush to watch it again? No. Will I ever watch it again? Probably not. Black Manta was a meh villain – and hopefully they can do more with him later on. I did like the story of brothers with Arthur and Orm. I hope to see them team up in the future. One thing that bothered me is that the actors didn’t seem to work with each other on what floating under water looked like. Some kicked their feet, some moved their arms, and some just stood there. I assumed from the very beginning that Atlanna was still alive. Totally seemed like that was obvious. This seemed like a movie that could have been a lot more enjoyable if it was about a half hour shorter.

Ranking the DCEU Movies

If I had to rank the DC Extended Universe, Wonder Woman is easily at the top of my list. It blew me away. Aquaman falls just about in the middle, but only because of how horrible the other DCEU films are.

1. Wonder Woman
2. Justice League
3. Man of Steel
4. Aquaman
5. Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice
6. Suicide Squad

And honestly, I am really looking forward to seeing Shazam! I plan to take my entire family with me, even my young daughters. They crack up at the trailers and I think they will really enjoy it. I will be sure to come back and give you guys a review.

Aquaman is available for purchase now!