On the planet we live on, three-quarters of the area is covered by the blue sea. The imagination of the vast sea is no longer unfamiliar, from "Titanic" and "Future Water World" to "The Shape of Water", as well as "Blue Sea and Blue Sky" and "Sea Pianist" that portray the love between humans and the sea. And this "Sea King" is directly derived from Plato's narration in "The Dialogue", using the sea god Poseidon and the kingdom of Atlantis protected by him as the grand background of the whole film.
In 2018, Marvel has already stole the limelight with "Venom", "Ant-Man" and the Avengers series. The "Aquaman" released at the end of the year is DC's brilliant counterattack. Under the setting of this epic Atlantis background, Chinese director Wen Ziren fully demonstrated his talents in navigating fantasy worlds and group fierce battles, as well as horrors from "Chain Saw", "Speed and Passion 7" and so on. Narrative skills honed in commercial films. Whether it’s the presentation of the seven undersea kingdoms and different races, or the personal experience of Sea King Arthur, the conflicts and interactions with his parents, brother Aum, the villain Black Manta, his girlfriend Mera, and a large number of supporting actors, the entire film shows its breath. He is calm and calm, without the "egalitarianism" in "Avengers", let alone the panic and chaos like "Legend of the Gods".
From the essence of the film, "Aquaman" first has an interesting story that can stand scrutiny. As a mixed-race descendant of land humans and Atlanteans, while becoming the only bridge between civilizations, Neptune was also forced to take on the important task of bridging differences and resolving civil disputes. His opponent, his younger brother Aum, represents Atlanta. The dark side of the Tis civilization, and in ancient legends, it was precisely because of the gloom and betrayal of human nature that caused Atlantis to be judged by God at the end of the day and eventually sink to the bottom of the sea.
Wen Ziren, who is deeply influenced by traditional Chinese culture, is on top of this conflict of values. He also joined the antagonisms and disputes within the family, which intensified the conflict between the characters and made the theme of the story more profound. Although some passages are slightly sloppy, the personal growth and inner conflict of Neptune have been smoothly presented through the adventure journey of going deep into the seabed and searching for the trident.
At the same time, the seven kingdoms represented by Atlantis and various submarine species were able to show up, forming groups to attack the intruders, the rough and wild saltwater people, and the most exciting and exciting town chase. It is closely related to the past legends of Atlantis, and even fictionalized the hidden sea with dinosaurs and exiles. It is like a peach blossom field under the sea. In the fierce blood vessels, it can get a moment of soothing rest.
Of course, the film is not without grooves. Compared with the plump settings of "Avatar" and "Star Wars", Wen Ziren is still slightly inadequate when facing the structure of the entire fantasy world. Whether it is the crudely-shaped marine fish spacecraft, the overly realistic big crab, and the city of Atlantis as the background in some pictures, they still lack the aesthetic integrity of being integrated. The scene changes freely from lighthouses, deserts, seabeds to miracles, and various weapons such as sound waves, lasers, particle waves and so on that have appeared on the screen take turns on the stage. The mix and match changes make the audience dizzying. However, Neptune's slightly ambiguous personal characteristics, earth-gold color scheme, and wrestling-killing Matt's styling style make this film almost the most unpleasant superhero movie. In addition, too many science fiction elements are added to the characters, so that the marine creatures are like Transformers wearing seafood shells, showing that the overall structure and role settings are not mature enough.
What’s interesting is that although the robust and wild Jason Momoa injected the film with masculine and unrestrained hormonal aura, the story also revolves around the trident and the throne fight, but it is the sea king brother’s mother and lover Mera that really pushes the story. Women dominate the plot, which is in line with the core principles of Greek mythology, and is also a wonderful metaphor for the relationship between the sexes in this era.
With such a magnificent Atlantis world and civilization setting, DC is absolutely reluctant to use it only once, plus a large number of scene clues that have not yet been really developed, as well as the suspense left by the black villains and Asian scientists in the end credits, "Aquaman The sequel to the series is more worthy of everyone's expectations.
Published in "Daily New Daily" 2018.12
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