Aquaman Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Aquaman Blu-ray Movie Review

Under the C+.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III March 21, 2019

Note: Please read my separate 4K UHD review of this title for 20 additional 1080p screenshots.

James Wan’s Aquaman (2018) is the sixth installment in Warner Bros.’ hit-or-miss “DC Extended Universe” saga which, by most accounts, is the Pepsi to Marvel’s clearly more popular Coke. Our title character is not the comic company's most popular or compelling figure, nor could most casual fans name a single adversary without peeking. Nonetheless, Aquaman was warmly received by most audiences and critics with worldwide box-office totals that surpassed the likes of Wonder Woman and all three chapters of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy (not part of the DCEU, but still…). Yet as Suicide Squad and Man of Steel prove, ticket sales aren’t always a reliable indicator of quality.

So, is this wildly profitable film any good? Not always, but Aquaman has a few things going for it. First, an overview: our story follows Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa, returning from Batman v Superman and Justice League), born to Atlanna, the estranged Queen of Atlantis (Nicole Kidman) and...a lighthouse keeper (Temuera Morrison) who finds her washed ashore. Their idyllic life is shattered when Atlanna’s people come knocking and, to protect the family, she returns to her Atlantean home. Trained by his mother’s adviser Vulko (Willem Dafoe), Arthur’s unique upbringing and abilities -- which include breathing underwater, communicating with marine life, and of course excellent swimming skills -- make him an ideal protector of his oceanside environment. His human side makes him all sarcastic and good at WWF moves. Things get serious when Arthur is approached by beautiful Princess Mera (Amber Heard) who, ignoring her betrothal to Arthur’s snotty half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson), warns him of a potential war planned by her people. Once a massive tidal wave strikes, Arthur must decide if he’s willing and able to unite both sides before the war escalates.

This all sounds like a decent enough plot for what would likely be the first of several Aquaman movies: spend some time on his upbringing, show how Arthur adapts to human life, eventually bring in Mera and, for the big finale, make the decision and head underwater to battle. Space it out a little. But nope, all of this takes place in the first 40 minutes or so of Aquaman’s bloated 143-minute lifespan, of which 12 full minutes are devoted to end credits and one of those bonus scenes that people like for some reason. Its remaining time is spent touring several different underwater kingdoms, a visit to the Sahara Desert and Sicily (lots of roofing repair is needed), sea pirates, and what feels like a dozen other things. It’s like four movies in one, and only half of them are any good. Yet Aquaman has its moments: Jason Momoa’s charisma and pecs will be more than enough for some, the overwhelming amount of CGI is a feast for the eyes -- until you’re stuffed to the gills but forced to keep eating, of course -- and the underwater vistas are truly astonishing. This film also has the good sense to not take itself too seriously and, while the comedy’s a bit thick at times and some of the Game of Thrones-lite politics could’ve easily been dropped, as a whole it’s still pretty watchable. Overall, Aquaman is just a lot to take in and would have been a lot easier to stomach in smaller portions.

In comparison to other big-budget superhero blockbusters, Aquaman might be closer to a 3.5/5 and, on a great day, might even snag a 4. As a regular old nuts-and-bolts story, it's seriously flawed in certain areas and there are far too many seams showing to go unnoticed. But if Aquaman won you over as it did most theater-goers, you’ll certainly enjoy Warner Bros.’ new Blu-ray/DVD combo pack (4K edition sold separately, review forthcoming). Featuring an outstanding A/V presentation and a host of fairly decent bonus features, this is truly fine treatment across the board.

Aquaman Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in a mixed aspect ratio of 2.40:1 with IMAX-formatted scenes framed at 1.78:1, Aquaman looks as good as you'd expect for a recent effects-heavy blockbuster. Not surprisingly, the wide range of locales during this film have their own district appearance: murky underwater depths, warm and inviting interiors at the home of Arthur's father, sun-soaked Sicily and the Sahara Desert, the dark and foreboding Trench, otherworldly Atlantis -- just to name a few -- and they all appear to be represented accurately on Warner Bros.' 1080p transfer. This gives Aquaman a much more varied and visually interesting appearance compared to most modern superhero movies and, while it still relies on the occasional grim-and-gritty palette so common these days (not to mention an abundance of teal and orange), the stray splashes of vivid color are pretty refreshing. Primaries fare extremely well here, from the fluorescent red of Mera's hair to the yellow-gold of Aquaman's "official" gear and, of course, an endless sea of blues, both underwater and above-ground. Black levels are also typically rich, with the disclaimer that most underwater sequences are designed to rarely extend beyond a deep grey. Likewise, fine details and texture are impressive: from fish scales to skin pores, the film's razor-sharp appearance also tends to feel a bit softer by design when we're under the ocean.

In further contrast, the IMAX-framed sequences, which are sporadic early on but dominate the second half, seem to favor a smoother overall appearance and showcase a tremendous amount of depth and clarity. The more expansive compositions give these moments a wide-open atmosphere that, despite their almost random and occasionally jarring contrast when they arrive, feel more comfortable once they've settled in. As a whole, this is clearly an outstanding effort that accurately preserves the film's ambitious and, at times, overwhelming visuals.

Aquaman Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Even better is Aquaman's Dolby Atmos track, which automatically unfolds to TrueHD 7.1 if your receiver or soundbar doesn't support the format. As expected, this is an incredibly dynamic and, at times, aggressive track that features a great deal of atmospheric effects and channel separation. The most obvious highlight is just about anything underwater, as the rear channels are used to great effect and create a convincing level of immersion. There's also a large amount of space and direction during action scenes, particularly the chaotic climax and an earlier fight between Arthur and his half-brother in a vast, crowded underwater arena. Low frequencies are outstanding and extremely deep -- literally and figuratively -- which adds some weight to the punchy explosions and gunfire, as well as the more sustained lower frequencies during several music cues. Speaking of which, the soundtrack and score also get priority treatment when they kick in, whether designed to amplify aggressive moments or blend in more subtly to the background. Dialogue remains clean and crisp throughout with no obvious sync issues. Overall, this is a top-tier effort that fans will adore. Just remember that Warner Bros.' Blu-ray forces you to choose this Atmos track manually; the default is a decent-sounding DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix. Why they continue to author discs this way (and thirteen years into the format's lifespan, no less!) is mind-boggling...so the sooner they catch up, the better.

Optional subtitles are included in English -- standard and SDH, as well as several other languages -- during the main feature, with occasional burnt-in subtitles for Maori translation (seen on one of the extra screenshots). The former are perfectly legible and, due to the shifting aspect ratio, partially sit outside of the 2.40:1 frame during those scenes.

Aquaman Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Warner Bros. supplies a pretty solid cross-section of bonus features on paper, adding up to just over 100 minutes total. While there's nothing especially earth-shattering here in terms of content or presentation, fans should enjoy digging through everything. This series of short to mid- length featurettes includes comments from key cast and crew members including director James Wan; actors Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Amber Heard, and Nicole Kidman; screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick; and several others.

• Going Deep Into the World of Aquaman (19 minutes, 1080p), despite its title, swims closer to the shallow end. Nonetheless, it offers a quick and entertaining run-through of the production process from start to finish including the initial development, building the sets, costume design, CGI, and more. As expected, we also get a few brief comments from the cast and crew, most of which sound more like promotional pull-quotes.

• Becoming Aquaman (13 minutes, 1080p) catches up with star Jason Momoa, who talks about his portrayal of the title character, his physical training for the role, and several other experiences (and clips) from the set.

• James Wan: World Builder (8 minutes, 1080p) sounds like one of those back-patting featurettes that play out more like a resume puff piece, and it pretty much is. Still, there's some interesting on-set clips and comments about his directing style that fans should enjoy.

• Aqua Tech (6 minutes, 1080p) is the first of a few visual-minded featurettes; in this case, we look at a few lighting rigs, set design, and pre-visualization. It's good stuff, and should have been at least twice as long.

• Atlantis Warfare (5 minutes, 1080p) is a like-minded piece that looks as the gadgets and weapons designed for the film, both practical and CGI, while the latter also includes a look at concept art and visual development.

• The Dark Depths of Black Manta (7 minutes, 1080p) - This short interview with actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II provides his own thoughts on the character including his background, arsenal of weapons, and character development, along with obligatory highlight scenes from the film.

• Heroines of Atlantis (6 minutes, 1080p) likewise sits down with Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman discussing their characters Mera and Atlanna. It doesn't go into quite as much detail as the previous piece but is worth a once-over.

• Villainous Training (6 minutes, 1080p) turns its attention towards Patrick Wilson (Orm), who talks about the roles physical challenges and playing the hero's evil half-brother.

• Kingdoms of the Seven Seas (7 minutes, 1080p) is hosted by Dolph Lundgren (Nereus), who provides a quick tour of the six kingdoms featured in the film...as well as a seventh, since we all know a sequel is coming.

• Creating Undersea Creatures (7 minutes, 1080p) - A fairly standard VFX featurette that mostly focuses on the unique animals seen in around the film's six kingdoms. Plenty of concept art and development clips are seen, though it's more of a showcase than a detailed technical rundown of how everything was completed.

• A Match Made in Atlantis (3 minutes, 1080p) is the last of the actor interviews, as Jason Momoa and Amber Heard talk about the fun they had on set and share some outtake footage shot during production.

• Scene Study Breakdowns (11 minutes total, 1080p) includes "Submarine Attack", "Showdown in Sicily", and "The Trench", and goes into slightly more detail about these three key scenes from the main feature.

• "Shazam!" Sneak Peek (3 minutes, 1080p) - A scene from the upcoming DC film opening April 5th.

Aquaman Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bloated but still entertaining, James Wan's Aquaman scored big with audiences and, despite my obvious reservations, is generally considered one of the best DCEU movies to date. It's loaded wall-to-wall with special effects, doesn't always take itself seriously, has a solid central performance by Jason Momoa, and plenty of action and thrills along the way. But it could have been a lot more digestible if trimmed down to a more reasonable scope -- there's just way too much here for an origin story. Nonetheless, Warner Bros.' Blu-ray combo pack looks and sounds great; combined with its decent assortment of bonus features, this is a crowd-pleasing package that fans will enjoy.