Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)

Dir. Ethan Spaulding

It surprised me to learn that Aquaman made his comic book debut in 1941. I'd not given his genesis any thought before now, but if asked I would've guessed that he was a product of the Silver Age. I don't know if the DC universe would be much worse off if he wasn't in it, but the modern (internet) age hasn't improved his profile much. The Throne of Atlantis movie doesn't help his credibility, either.

Before he dons the orange and green duds, he's dry-land dweller Arthur Curry (Matt Lanter). Arthur's father has recently died, leaving the young man lonely and angry as he moves through the stages of grief.

Besides loss and anger, the story explores yearning, belonging, belief, and teamwork, among other things, as Arthur uncovers his true heritage.

From an alternate side, namely the Atlanteans, it tackles themes of entitlement, xenophobia, aggression, and betrayal, etc, all of which perhaps make it sound better than it is.

The dual-heritage aspect is a useful tool, playing a crucial role in the drama, but Arthur isn't the only one to struggle with identity: Cyborg (Shemar Moore) also has thoughts in that direction.

The primary antagonist seethes with negative emotions. Empowered by wrath and hatred, he doesn't want to simply defeat his enemy, he wants to eradicate them - in his own words, to "cleanse" the world of them; it's a strong choice of words, evocative of real-world tyrants.

Yet despite its many heavy themes, the story is occasionally light-hearted. A specific gathering of the 'heroes' springs to mind as one such example. Although, I'm not clear on whether events occur in and around the Atlantic or the mid-Pacific; it claims to be both on separate occasions.

Interestingly, the 'League' members aren't as close-knit or as 'team' focussed as they are in later adventures. Still, each one has his or her strength and/or perspective that benefits the whole best when paired with the others, with Shazam's (Sean Astin) being perhaps the least obvious.

It's not the worst of the DCAMU movies, but I've no plans to ever watch it again. There's a post-credits scene that as far as I know was never referenced again, but I may be wrong.

- Aquaman looking as bored by the whole venture as I was. -

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