Saturday, 29 December 2018

'Aquaman' highly recommended viewing...

On Boxing day, I went with some members of my family to view the much-anticipated movie 'Aquaman' starring Jason Moamoa. To describe the movie in one word without spoiling it for those who are yet to watch it, would be the word 'epic'.

There were many subplots to the movie although the central theme was around Aquaman saving the world through being an heir to the throne of Atlantis, a highly advanced aquiline civilization who's leader wants to wage war on the humans on land for pollution on land and sea.

The neat thing was seeing NZ Maori actor Temuera Morrison playing the role of the father of Aquaman next to Nicole Kidman as the mother and how aspects of Maori/Pasifika culture was seen in a few scenes of the movie: in the hongi that father and son share, aspects of Mau Rakau (Maori weaponry) demonstrated in the trident sword fights and tattooing as depicted on Aquaman's chest.

So for me as a writer, the elephant in the room was that the movie discussed the Western narrative of Atlantis portrayed as being of a highly advanced technological society with the absence of a Pacific narrative that could have been woven into the story about superior navigational peoples who were at one with the sea with father and son having that relationship.

Despite that, the movie was well worth watching although I wouldn't encourage young children to watch it in the movies as some of the aquiline creatures are pretty scary for those who scare easily. There are some plot twists and interesting storylines and would highly recommend it that definitely lives up to the hype...





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