«Aquaman», where American actors' make-up stands up to water

Cinema Wednesdays - Jonas Follonier

Aquaman tells the story of a superhero destined to become King of the Seven Seas. This umpteenth Atlantis-themed work is an artistic failure, but fulfills its entertainment role.

The new film from Warner Studios is enough to make anyone smile: multiplying references to other superhero films as if this vein hadn't already been (over)exploited, here we have’Aquaman presents us with a gentleman hyper-played by Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo in the series Game of Thrones), son of the Queen of Atlantis and a lighthouse keeper, and endowed with powers super-aquatic. Super.

But the film is undoubtedly worth its weight in gold: we're here to have a laugh, to have a good time. Big, ugly monsters? You name it! Superb computer-generated images that take our minds off our gray, gray everyday lives? You bet! Lines bordering on the reverse genius of song lyrics in today's music industry? You don't want them, here they are anyway. For those who love action, that very phenomenon that has the paradox of being the place where nothing happens, at least nothing of interest, they'll be well served too.

There's no denying that the entertainment objective of this type of film has been achieved. But there are a few unforgivable mistakes to be made. Did you see them, in the trailer, those American-style faces, smoothed, made-up, tanned, redone, digitized, stereotyped, appearing in bright sunlight and losing none of their wax when underwater? No, too much is too much.

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But it gets worse. The clichés that the film seems to be conscious of conveying without putting them into perspective or exacerbating them in a goofy way: a romance that takes root in Sicily, a kiss in the middle of a battle, an unloved superhero status and self-made-man... It would be possible to create entertainment while offering something new. But we're dealing here with people - filmmakers or financiers - who like to surf on a microwave. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the realm of Hollywood ridicule, weighing in at no less than $940 million and 143 long minutes for this film alone.

Write to the author: jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Warner Bros