10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Back to sleep - with the fishes..., October 31, 2006
This review is from: Aquaman Season 1 (Amazon Instant Video)
Aquaman may have been around for 61 years now (he debuted in MORE FUN COMICS in November 1941) but he was always the Rodney Dangerfield of the superhero community. Even though he was a founding member of the Justice League of America, he never did have a lot of street cred. It didn't help that his superpowers were so *ahem* - fishy. Kinda sucks when you have to constantly douse yourself with water lest your powers become depleted. So, yeah, Aquaman breathes underwater, swims really fast, has a dense body makeup (to withstand the pressures of the watery deep), has a bit of super-strength - and has a form of telepathy which allows him to communicate with the denizens of the sea. While I guess those are pretty neat abilities, they sure didn't keep him from almost being on the lowest spot on the Superfriends hierarchy (thank God for the Wonder Twins, eh, Aquaman?). When I was a kid, because of the comic fans' seemingly universal lack of respect for Arthur Curry back then, I always did adversely kinda root for him - to not only do well but to also not embarass himself (I always cringed when Wonder Woman had to rescue him from some predicament). It really wasn't until recently that Aquaman was made over and became a darker, more powerful character, worthy of more attention - and street cred. Still, I was surprised to see Aquaman guest star on SMALLVILLE. And, as it turns out, pleasantly surprised, because Mr. Curry actually held up pretty well against the Teen of Steel.
So, after making his debut in SMALLVILLE's fifth season ("Aqua"), Arthur "A.C." Curry aka Aquaman, then played by Alan Ritchson, was set to star in his own television series under the series title MERCY REEF (the name of A.C.'s hometown). Unfortunately, it wasn't picked up by the CW network for the fall lineup. However, in July 2006, Warner Brothers offered up what would've been the pilot episode (under the title AQUAMAN) on the iTunes Music Store and it quickly became the most downloaded TV show on its list. So, as long as this show is available somewhere online and is still garnering some kind of buzz, there's still a crazy smidgen of hope for an eventual series...but it doesn't look good.
At an affordable $2.00, it was worth it for me to get with Amazon Unbox and download AQUAMAN. Yes, this show seems to take after the pattern and sensibilities of SMALLVILLE. It's certainly a hipper, more contemporary, and more interesting version of Arthur Curry, now brought to life by Justin Hartley (who also just played Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow in SMALLVILLE). Since we don't know if we're gonna get any more entries, this episode is frustrating because it asks questions to which we probably won't get answers. Questions revolving around his Atlantean mother (did she die or not?), the creepy governmental agency sticking its nose into the weirdness that is the Bermuda Triangle - where fabled Atlantis supposedly is hidden, the pretty military pilot/lieutenant who may've been around on this earth for much longer than her youth implies, how A.C.'s aggresive eco-consciousness will impact his superheroic destiny, etc.
Because this was a set-up episode, things seem to come at you from every direction. You've got the semi-mystical Atlantean aspects, the X-FILES type conspiracy factor, the coming-of-age story, and the genesis-of-a-superhero side of it... It's also hard to get a feel for the actors and their roles. Justin Hartley has the build and the goldilocks looks to be a potential heartthrob but I'm not yet sold on his acting. Ving Rhames seems to be slumming as McCaffery, a crossbow-wielding lighthouse keeper who becomes A.C.'s mentor. Lou Diamond Phillips, as A.C.'s Coast Guard stepdad, was hardly in the show. There are some bonafide hotties here. Denise Quinones (fighter pilot Rachel Torres) and Amber McDonald (Eva, A.C.'s friend and business partner) are two beauties who were probably slated to compete for A.C.'s romantic attentions, while Adrianne Palicki's wicked sex appeal as Nadia the siren was undeniable.
AQUAMAN has a gorgeous look to it, set in scenic, seaside Floridian locales and awashed in the bluest of waters in which you'd wanna swim all day. Coastal towns Tempest Key and Mercy Reef seem to be the perfect vacation resorts. But, anyways, it looks like we'll never know how good this show could've been or if the cast chemistry would've improved. I hear that Aquaman is due another guest turn on SMALLVILLE. Hopefully, down the road, we'll see him again. Meanwhile, I'm giving AQUAMAN a cautious recommendation. Some folks will find AQUAMAN worth watching, but many more might find it tedious...
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5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful to look at, October 28, 2006
This review is from: Aquaman Season 1 (Amazon Instant Video)
The downloaded quality of the video is fantastic. The show has gorgeous cinematography and photography. The productions values -- where the actors are concerned, anyway -- a bit dodgy. I got dizzy from everyone stepping around each other to mug to the camera. And they are always talking to each other's shoulders. What is that? Also, how do you not question that fact that you can swim almost as fast as an F-16 flies? I love the swimming with sharks visual pun at the beginning. Also the name of the boat -- "Quint" -- brilliant! Robert Shaw's character in JAWS.
Everybody is so...so...PRETTY, it makes my eyes bleed. I wish it could have been made into a series -- even a mini-series would have been nice.
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