With ‘Aquaman,’ the DCEU finally learned how to simply sit back and have some fun

Posted on January 4, 2019

By MARK VIOLA

I’ve made no secret of the fact that, to me, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has left the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) in the dust. (Sorry, I shouldn’t mention dust and the MCU in the same sentence after “Infinity War.”) Although “Wonder Woman” was a success, both critically and financially, the DCEU’s most recent offering until now, “Justice League,” was just more of the same when it comes to the recent DC comic book adaptations.

They made Wonder Woman morose. They made Superman even more morose. They made Batman homicidal. They made Cyborg a computer-generated angst party. They made the Flash neurotic (although I enjoyed Ezra Miller’s performance). And finally, Aquaman (Jason Momoa, “Game of Thrones”), was just having a good time. Wait, what? How did they let that happen?

Momoa was the only reason I had any hope for the new “Aquaman,” although admittedly, that was still a very small amount. However, both he and director James Wan (“Saw,” “The Conjuring”) managed to create a genuinely enjoyable action adventure. Sure, the story is absolutely ridiculous, but the movie owns that ridiculousness instead of trying to cover it up with melodrama and brooding characters like they did with “Batman v Superman” and “Justice League.”

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