For years, some comic book fans regarded Aquaman as a joke. Heck, there was a whole Robot Chicken DC Comics Special about it. But then they cast Game Of Thrones‘ Jason Mamoa to play the man from Atlantis, and now no one is laughing at Aquaman. Well, almost no one. As a companion to Mamoa’s Aquaman, that movie’s director, James Wan, executive produced a three-part animated miniseries for HBO Max called Aquaman: King Of Atlantis that presented a rather silly take on the fish king. But while fans of the sea man will enjoy this animated romp (which has since been reconfigured into a movie) on DVD, they’ll find the disc is rather lacking in the extras department.
Set after the events of Mamoa’s movie,
Aquaman: King Of Atlantis follows Arthur Curry on his first day of work…as King. But rather than present a serious look at the challenges of assuming the mantle of power in a place where you’re an outsider, this is a rather silly take on the character. Though unlike the aforementioned Robot Chicken episode, we’re laughing more with him than at him — it’s not a parody of the character, or comic books, or work places — in this rather smarty written goof on the titular superfriend.
It’s a tonal approach mirrored by the somewhat loose and surreal art style, which recalls both the adult ‘toon Superjail and the adults-of-all-ages cartoon Adventure Time.
Further adding to the lighthearted approach of Aquaman: King Of Atlantis is the voice cast, who are decidedly more known for their comedic chops than for serious acting. Which is not to say Mamoa and his Aquaman co-stars Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, and Patrick Wilson couldn’t be funny as Aquaman, Mera, Vulko, and Ocean Master if given the chance, just that they’d never be as funny — and thus as appropriate for King‘s versions of those characters — as The Walking Dead‘s Cooper Andrews, Community‘s Gillian Jacobs, Reno 911‘s Thomas Lennon, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force‘s Dana Snyder.
That said,
fans of Aquaman need not worry that Aquaman: King Of Atlantis might undermine the seriousness of the upcoming live action sequel, Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom. While King follows the events of the first film, it’s (sadly) not cannon.
Though what’s even sadder is how Aquaman: King Of Atlantis is presented on this DVD. While yes, it looks good, even on an HD TV, it’s odd that there’s no Blu-ray or 4K versions, despite being shown in HD on HBO Max and on Cartoon Network.
More egregiously, Aquaman: King Of Atlantis is bereft of any extras. And I do mean “any.” Not only does it not have any deleted scenes, or making-of featurettes, or a running commentary — and man, can you imagine how fun it would’ve been to hear Mamoa and Andrews talk about the character — but this doesn’t even have any trailers, not even when you first put the disc into your DVD player. Not for Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom, not for the recently released animated movie Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem In The Multiverse, and not for the older but still appropriate to mention LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Aquaman: Rage Of Atlantis or The Adventures Of Aquaman: The Complete Collection.
Still,
we buy movies and TV shows on home video so we can enjoy the movie or TV show; the extras are just that, extra. Which is why fans of Aquaman: King Of Atlantis will be disappointed by this disc…as they watch the movie again and again.
SCORE: 7.0/10
