Aquaman Review: 5 Ups & 5 Downs

1. Rupert Gregson-Williams' Dynamic Musical Score

Aquaman Black Manta
Warner Bros.

Though James Wan decides to insert some incredibly ill-fitting music into his movie - Depeche Mode's "It's No Good" plays out as Black Manta prepares his suit, and a remix of Toto's "Africa" is heard when Arthur and Mera arrive in the Sahara Desert - the original score by Rupert Gregson-Williams is mostly outstanding.

Gregson-Williams has conjured up a simple but effective theme for Arthur: a grungy guitar refrain that perfectly encapsulates his scuzzy persona.

He also deploys some terrifically entrancing electronic synth work during both the intense action sequences and the scenes set inside Atlantis, not to mention the required sweeping orchestral swells when the time calls for it.

It's not a classic superhero movie score by any means, but it feels decidedly less generic and more personal than many of the recent DCEU scores.

What did you think of Aquaman? Shout it out in the comments!

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.