Spartan Scroll

by Ryan Hsu

graphic by Emily Duong

Directed by James Wan, “Aquaman,” an origin story, will open in U.S. theaters Dec. 21.

Starring Jason Momoa, “Aquaman” is the sixth film in the Warner/DC Extended Universe. Although the character was first introduced in 2016’s “Batman vs. Superman,” and prominently featured in last year’s “Justice League,” which gave a mere glimpse of his powers, the new film reveals how Arthur Curry becomes Aquaman and discovers his true heritage as the heir and destined ruler of the mythical sunken kingdom of Atlantis.
The trailers, which have been out for four months, can be found on Youtube by searching “Aquaman Trailer(s).”

Left by his Atlantean mother, Queen Atlanna, (played by Nicole Kidman), on land to be raised by his human father, Arthur is the rightful king of Atlantis. He has a multitude of abilities that deal with controlling sea-water, moving through the ocean with great speed, communicating telepathically with marine-life and superhuman strength.

The new film will show how Arthur grew up to discover and hone his special powers to become king. It also shows how being a misfit on both land and sea forced him into conflicts with not only the evil humans who ravaged the ocean with warfare, but also with Orm Marius (The Ocean Master). His half-brother and default ruler of Atlantis is obsessed with uniting the seven underwater kingdoms to declare war on humanity for polluting the seven seas.

Along the way, Arthur meets Mera, (Amber Heard), a female heroine who has similar powers to his. Groomed to be a warrior queen from Arthur’s undersea world. Mera will guide him to retrieve the Trident, the mystical, all-powerful weapon of Atlantis which Arthur must learn to use.

The trailer shows optical effects, as well as breathtaking choreography, in a spectacular showdown between Aquaman and Orm.
Aquaman’s main enemy, Black Manta, (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is a mysterious human pirate techno-mercenary. The trailer features a unique combination of special effects of laser blasts and acrobatic maneuvers in their battle.

With the majority of its story set underneath the ocean, “Aquaman” promises spectacular designs and stunning computer graphic-enhanced underwater action sequences, visuals unlike anything the audiences have seen in the last five DC superhero films.

The stellar supporting cast heightens Jason Momoa’s highly likable presence as the half-human, half-Atlantean superhero. Expectations are high for the film to be a box-office smash hit of the holiday season.
The film is rated PG-13 and has a runtime of 2 hours and 23 minutes.