Three words: I. LOVED. IT.
Listen, I'm a simple bitch, okay? Let's establish that right out of the gate. I can make fun of tropes all day long (especially the romantic ones) but in the end, I will eat that shit right up and walk out of the theater with the biggest grin on my face. Arthur and Mera accidentally hold hands and suddenly I turn into your 80-year-old grandma Gladys clutching her pearls and going "oh my". Jason Momoa and Amber Heard are DCEU's new dynamite duo (as much as I love Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, they've been knocked off the top spot for me). Their chemistry makes my skin tingle. Was the romance cliche? Hell yeah it was! And I adored every second of it!
Of course some stuff besides the romance also happens (but who cares about that? Not Gladys, that's for sure). The main plotline of finding the Trident does feel kinda like a treasure hunt with Arthur and Mera hopping from place to place, but because their chemistry and dynamic is just THAT good, it's all very fun and watchable. The villain is... well, he certainly is, eh? Actually there's two of them, but neither really made me feel anything. Still better than Steppenwolf, I guess? Although that's not saying much. The jokes hit more often than they miss and the movie did get a few good laughs out of me. But the more serious moments hit home for me as well, whether it's Arthur's reunion with his mother or his admission that he knows he doesn't deserve the Trident but it's his only hope of saving the people he loves. The tone feels pretty consistent and the transitions between the dramatic and comedic moments don't seem as jarring as in some other DCEU installments. The fight scenes are awesome. Especially the one in Sicily really made me feel pumped.
My favorite scene was by far Mera really experiencing the life on land for the first time. Her wide-eyed wonder (no pun intended, I guess) not only reminded me of Diana arriving in London, but it also had something wonderfully Little Mermaid-like (and not just because of the hair) about it. It was soft. It was pure. It made me feel warm inside. Mera eating the roses and Arthur immediately doing the same? Nobody's ever gonna ride for me this hard. Those are the kind of scenes that ground these huge superhero movies, that make them feel relatable to me and allow me to take a breath and really connect with the characters. And when 20 minutes later Mera goes full Bad Bitch In Charge on those soldiers and kills them with deadly wine spikes? Oh, I just about lost my mind. I want her to murder me. But aside from that entire sequence, there were plenty of other moments that really got my attention: little Arthur at the aquarium, Arthur and Mera's escape from Atlantis (such a fun chase!), our favorite power couple emerging from the ocean looking like they're on Baywatch (it was great, don't @ me), every time Mera used her powers (the glowing eyes!), the list goes on.
The visuals are absolutely stunning. Gone are the dreary grays of some lesser DCEU movies. Instead we get beautiful colors (Atlantis is beyond gorgeous), some great shots (Arthur and Mera swimming with the flare while surrounded by thousands of Trench people is breathtaking) and of course incredible CGI. It's a very aesthetically pleasing movie. And the music! I loved the music. This is one of the soundtracks I'm definitely gonna need to listen to at some point. And it takes some big balls to put a cover of Toto's Africa in your movie. I appreciate that. Some people are definitely gonna cringe when they hear it, but I had the biggest grin on my face.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable ride. It's quite long, but it didn't drag. I was invested in Arthur's journey. I thought the casting was perfect (and gosh darn do Jason Momoa and Amber Heard look good together! That has to be one of the most visually stunning pairings to have ever graced the big screen). And I just... felt super happy afterwards. I still can't stop smiling. It's a good movie not just by DCEU standards, but in general. I'd love to see it again and I'll definitely try to do so over the holidays. I honestly didn't expect to like it as much as I did. What a great surprise.
The showrunners, probably: Okay, guys, this is our big season finale. We're sparing no expense. We need it to be epic. There's going to be a huge fight between Mallus and a perfect being of pure light that the Legends are going to create using their Totems. Any ideas as to how it's going to go down?
A writer: Oh, I don't know, how about A GIANT FUCKING BEEBO KILLING MALLUS WITH THE POWER OF A CUDDLE?
The showrunners, losing their goddamn minds, tears of joy streaming down their faces: Mark, you are a fucking genius.
Basically, whenever I think that we've reached maximum craziness on this show, they go ahead and set the bar even higher. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. I spent the entire final showdown in a fetal position, gasping for air. My stomach still hurts. I fucking love LoT so much. Who would've thought back in season 1 that it would become the most entertaining Arrowverse show, huh? Certainly not this gal! And I have to say, I've never been happier to be proven wrong. These idiots have stolen my heart. I simply adore each and every one of them. The new additions this season, Zari (or, as I like to call her, The Actual Love Of My Life) and Wally (The Flash didn't deserve you, sweetie, but don't worry, LoT is going to treat you right) have fit in seamlessly, just like Nate and Amaya did last season. What a bunch of losers. I would die for them. I can't keep a smile off my face when I'm thinking about them. They deserve an Emmy for Best Ensemble.
Sara Lance is the queen of everything. She's easily one of my favorite characters ever. Her big speech was amazing. I couldn't stop grinning. I would follow her into any battle.
I got sad about Amaya, but Maisie is still set to be a series regular next season, so I guess we don't have to say goodbye to this lovely character just yet. I'm not sure about Rip though. Could he really be dead this time? I... don't know how I feel about this. On one hand, yup, he can fuck right off, but on the other, he did kind of sacrifice himself to help the team, so it feels wrong to trash talk him?
Damien Dahrk sacrificing himself for his daughter made me emotional. He did some truly horrible things, but he managed not to be selfish in the end. Nora's pain was palpable. I've grown very attached to her character, I hope she'll return at some point in the future.
Jax! He's married, and he has a beautiful baby girl named Martina! I'm not crying, you're crying. I was so happy to see him. Helen of Troy, Good Kuasa and Jonah Hex were fun additions as well.
Jes Macallan is coming back next season, which means the Avalance ship is still sailing! Sara doesn't have a great track record with romantic relationships, so I'm delighted that this one is going to stick for at least a little longer. She deserves some happiness.
With Constantine joing the cast full time next season, things are bound to get even more insane. I can't tell you how excited I am. I do kind of feel bad for the Legends, though. They got like what, 2 minutes of peace and quiet? No rest for the wicked, I guess.
Season 4, here we come!
2018-01-01T00:00:00Z2018-12-31T23:59:59Z