Since the review embargo for DC Entertainment's JUSTICE LEAGUE has been lifted, just about every critic on the planet has flocked to the internet to offer their hot take on the latest superhero slugfest featuring some of comics greatest heroes. Unfortunately, much of the feedback surrounding the film has been negative, and recently, Jason Momoa took some time to tell Entertainment Weekly that he's not hearing any of it.
“I try to stay the f— away from what people say,” the Aquaman actor tells EW. “Some of my friends said, ‘Justice League isn’t doing well’ and it kind of bummed me out. But I didn’t want to look it up. I don’t want to look up the bad and the negativity. I don’t think that’s useful; it doesn’t help.” Without a doubt, Momoa's had one of the tallest orders in the game when looking to portray DC's aquatic superhero, Aquaman – a character that for many years has been viewed as one of the "lamest" characters belonging to the legendary publisher's pantheon.
“I’ve seen [Justice League] twice,” Momoa says. “I loved it the second time even more. I’m actually going to watch it again with my kids and my godchild. I’m going to see it with the perfect crowd of people — a regular crowd instead of at a premiere. So I’m excited. You can’t get into the whole ‘why this, why that.’ I went to [Wizard World Austin fan convention] this weekend and got great praise. Now obviously, that’s a positive place, and I’m not only interested in the positive. But if people love what we did with Aquaman, it’s all [director Zack Snyder] — it’s his brainchild. He came in with, ‘I’m going to make Aquaman a badass and I’m going to change stuff, and change the myths about this guy.’ And I busted my ass.”
Perhaps part of the discontent that fans and critics have with JUSTICE LEAGUE lies in the fact that several scenes were omitted from the theatrical cut. Obviously, there are plenty of good reasons for a film to be trimmed down in post, though eliminating the possibility of catching a glimpse of a fan-favorite character like Nuidis Vulko (played by Willem Dafoe) might not have been the best choice. However, Momoa has something to say about that creative choice as well:
“The challenging part is [the Justice League story] is only about a weekend in Author Curry’s life,” Momoa says. “[Fans] might be like, ‘Why is he that grumpy? Why’s he hiding up there?’ We had it all planned out. A lot of things got cut. But it’s not my movie. It’s a huge movie introducing three new characters, and for myself and The Flash and Cyborg, there was a lot that was there we just couldn’t get in. It could have been two movies. We had some stuff with William Dafoe. The whole Atlantean part, about me being this reluctant king. There was no need for it because you’re going to see it in Aquaman. It’s not an Aquaman movie, it’s a Justice League movie.”
For what it's worth, I saw JUSTICE LEAGUE this past weekend, and I thought it was alright. I mean, it didn't blow my hair back or anything, but I fully admit to smiling on more than one occasion as I watched some of the world's mightiest heroes kick and punch their way through DC's latest theatrical release. And to his credit, I really enjoyed Momoa's radical characterization of Aquaman. My advice is to see the film for yourself and arrive at your own opinion, as opposed to allowing a tomato percentage or film pundit to make or break your desire to experience the spectacle for yourself.
You'll be able to catch Jason Momoa as Aquaman, again, when his solo film surfaces on December 21, 2018.
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