Aquaman

[Tyndmyr]

This was my takeaway. Aquaman is pretty dumb, but it is gloriously dumb, and everyone is having enough fun and everything is so flashy and cool that it doesn't much matter how dumb it is, it still works delightfully well.

Pretty much agreed with the film/spectacle breakdown, yeah.

If you're looking for a smart movie, ehhh...but it's fun. I can handle fun and dumb. That's a huge step up for DC.

[Mordar]

Shadow of the Vampire. Opinions are of course opinions, but watch that and tell me he doesn't make it. Last Temptation of Christ and Platoon are good follow-ups.

I have seen it, and frankly it is the only movie of "his" that I actually like. Primarily because I make believe it isn't really him under all the make up, but instead some kind of acting-double. In seriousness, I did really like the whole of Shadow. And he probably helped make it good. I hold my ground elsewhere, and forgive the frequency with which I saw To Live and Die in LA due to my age and the VCR.

Wonder Woman is a better film. Aquaman is a better spectacle.

So if you like, or are at least open to, dumb movies that function primarily as spectacle, then I'd say you should definitely see Aquaman (and honestly, this is one of the few films where the IMAX premium really is worth it), but if spectacle doesn't do it for you, then yeah, the movie's not worth your time.

An excellent way to put it. I didn't think it dumb, necessarily, but as someone else put it...shallow. However, SO glad I saw it in a theater. Visually very exciting!

- M

[Legato Endless]

The script is definitely the weakest part of the affair, you've seen this chosen one plot a million times before without any real twists, but visually there is some flare with how Wan frames the spectacle.

The performance highlight is easily Julie Andrews as a Kaiju. Skipping the Mary Poppins cameo for this was a sage decision. It's only five minutes but it delivers. Especially with the framing, using the darkness of the ocean to obscure the creature and only having Arthur get punched around by a few appendages. More than the trench run, you really see Wan's horror chops on display here.

While I don't love Ocean Master's look, I do hope this starts more of a trend with dynamically emotive visages like Deadpool. Masks have a rich history for depicting intense emotional motifs in live theater and illustrations, but they've never caught on in film. Having that turn around would be artistically welcome, especially if Superhero fare stays the top dog for the foreseeable future.

All 3D is crap and not worth the extra ticket price. But see it in IMAX and its a great time.

Completely agreed.

[Ranxerox]

It was an OK movie. Just below Wonder Woman. But really, what can they do with Aquaman....he is just not that great of a character.

Visually the movie is great....but maybe they over lit Atlantis a bit too much

Spoiler: Spoilers

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The movie dose not do the best job story wise explaining the time frame. So Aquaman was born 20 years ago? So he is 20? Odd he looks a bit more like 40.

Spoiler: Aquaman's Age

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Per the caption, Queen Atlanna washed up by the lighthouse in 1985. Her and Curry seemed to waste little time before getting around to baby making, so Aquaman would be 32 or 33 at the time of the film.

[The Jack]

I liked it, It was a fun movie and if I didn't have a headache at the time, I woulda enjoyed it more. One gripe; aquaman's strength seemed pretty inconsistent.


How're the trench a threat to him if they're vulnerable to thrown harpoons? The Guy lifts submarines and thinks of explosives as a nasty punch. Discounting mera, he could've won that section by using his limbs as bait and bashing skulls in when they got a bite. Sorta undermined how scary that section was supposed to be.

[hamishspence]

How're the trench a threat to him if they're vulnerable to thrown harpoons?

They're tough enough to survive at both surface and depths - maybe that's enough that a bite or claw from them, with all their muscle behind it, will punch through his skin?

[Noldo]

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Plenty of nice scenery but the story was even dumber than I expected.

The final battle felt completely senseless. I just can get my head around the concept that the power of the Ocean Master may be granted to someone as long as four kingdoms agree, but the acceptance may be sought by whatever means. But perhaps it is consistent with the worldview that gods’ views can be derived from the bloodshed and thus might does make one right.

Apparently the Deserters are a new addition to Aquaman lore. I have to hope that whoever came up with the wordplay, if intended, is happy.

[Sapphire Guard]

Honestly, I felt Aquaman's strength and durability was unusually consistent for a superhero film. They didn't bother to pretend that the pirates were a threat.

That's a harpoon thrown with superhuman strength, the Trench wouldn't be troubled by a human throwing it.

[Pippa the Pixie]

So, is Aquaman a good Me Too film?

Aquaman is, in general, a much softer hero in general. And very much so with Mera. Aquaman likes Mera no problem, as she looks just like a Hollywood Actress (amazing)....but Aquaman spends most of the film just treating her like a gender neutral buddy. Mera, in his mind, is just a person...not a woman or female. Aquaman just about never mentions Mera is even a 'she'.

Aquaman never saves Mera in a fight, as she is not a female to be rescued.

And the big thing is Aquaman never makes a move, or nothing even close to a move. Mera is the one that finally does the big kiss. And it's a great kiss. And it's the crowing moment of Me Too awesome: the guy does nothing manly aggressive to the female at all...and just waits for her to do something.

So...big win? Hooray? Well, does it work for anyone?

Though, that being said Hollywood still has a way to go. Mera's default undersea suit is skin tight and low cut in the front. Mera, of course, looks near perfect always..even if in a fight or in a desert.

And Mera, to be an attractive princess is played by an actress just a couple years over thirty. While Aquaman still looks great, and his actor is just shy of fifty. But Hollywood has a problem with near fifty women, even more so when they need to be a pretty princess. Though the near twenty year age gap is normal, even more so for an action movie.

So, other then that, was Aquaman a good Me Too reaction movie?

[lord_khaine]

Though, that being said Hollywood still has a way to go. Mera's default undersea suit is skin tight and low cut in the front. Mera, of course, looks near perfect always..even if in a fight or in a desert.

Mehh.. since Aquaman spend i dont know how long with nothing or very little on his upper body, then i dont think there are any futher way for Hollywood to go.

And Mera, to be an attractive princess is played by an actress just a couple years over thirty. While Aquaman still looks great, and his actor is just shy of fifty. But Hollywood has a problem with near fifty women, even more so when they need to be a pretty princess. Though the near twenty year age gap is normal, even more so for an action movie.

This is something else i dont think can be placed at the feet of Hollywood.
I at least could not see Aquaman were that old. Im directly shocked to hear so. I though he was in the 30-40 range.

[Clertar]

Jason Momoa is 39, he was born in 79...

[Zevox]

Mera's default undersea suit is skin tight and low cut in the front.

That just sounds like they accurately depicted her outfit straight out of the comics:

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[Legato Endless]

This film is definitely leaning into direct translations of the costumes into real life. As an achievement I found that underwhelming as I really think the MCU has figured out a better blend of conceding what actually works in meat space off the printed paged.

I don't miss the faded color mostly black leather early 2000s getups, but I also don't get the purists who clamor for copy pasting across the different visual mediums of comics to movies.

When Arthur walked out in his proper regalia, I heard the musical swell but shrugged because oh look, that's happening. He didn't look awesome in Justice League so admittedly this more a lateral move than a downgrade into goofiness.

[Draconi Redfir]

I enjoyed it, i liked the different types of Atlantians and their designs. Kinda sad we didn't see more of the Prawns but ehh...

The trip into the Trench was amazing though, having the camera pan out further and further, only to reveal more and more trench creatures, and then when you think there's a lot, lighting strikes and reveals even MORE of them! To the point where the ocean looks to be more Trench-creatures then water.

That scene was incredibly Cthulu-esque, and i loved it.


Black Manta was also an amazing villain in my eyes, sucks we didn't get to see too much of him, but i enjoyed the way he's set up and how he plays out. If this were a Marvel movie, i'd hope to see him square off against Ironman of Black Panther sometime.

To be fair, this is the first DC movie i've seen since "The Dark Knight", so i haven't fully experienced the bad-ness of DC films. This one i thought was pretty good though.

[The Jack]

So, is Aquaman a good Me Too film?

Aquaman never saves Mera in a fight, as she is not a female to be rescued.

Aquaman gets in front of Mera to take Manta's energy blast.

...and I think you should not discuss this kind of analysis so haphazardly.

This film is definitely leaning into direct translations of the costumes into real life. As an achievement I found that underwhelming as I really think the MCU has figured out a better blend of conceding what actually works in meat space off the printed paged.

I don't miss the faded color mostly black leather early 2000s getups, but I also don't get the purists who clamor for copy pasting across the different visual mediums of comics to movies.

When Arthur walked out in his proper regalia, I heard the musical swell but shrugged because oh look, that's happening. He didn't look awesome in Justice League so admittedly this more a lateral move than a downgrade into goofiness.

The problem wasn't what they tried to do, the problem was that they didn't do it well enough.
I thought AC's costume was decent, but there's clearly precedent for better costumes in the comics and better ways to do them.

Orm's outfits... Not very nice CG.


The Idea is great, the execution needs work.

[Draconi Redfir]

Aquaman gets in front of Mera to take Manta's energy blast.

To be fair, there is a difference between "Damsel in distress" and "Get down Mr. President!". She does immediately start taking on five or six atlantian elites on her own after that.

but yeah, i was kind of expecting Author to immediately remove that gaudy orange scale-mail once he exited that waterfall. The pants and gloves work fine, and he'd look more badass shirtless anyways.

[Ranxerox]

So, other then that, was Aquaman a good Me Too reaction movie?

For the most part. Mera is a badass as you would want her to be want to be, and Arthur respects her as a person.

The one misstep that I noticed was when in the desert Arthur knocked the map/locator out of Mera's hand. Items in your hands are considered part of your person for purposes of civil assault. Deliberately knock something our a coworkers hand, and expect a trip to human resources where they will decide whether or not to fire you. Moreover, you will have opened yourself up to a lawsuit and maybe criminal charges.

I wish they hadn't included that scene because it sends a bad message about what is acceptable behavior in a movie that otherwise, IMHO, get it right.

[Tyndmyr]

And Mera, to be an attractive princess is played by an actress just a couple years over thirty. While Aquaman still looks great, and his actor is just shy of fifty. But Hollywood has a problem with near fifty women, even more so when they need to be a pretty princess. Though the near twenty year age gap is normal, even more so for an action movie.

Aquaman isn't supposed to be that old, and he's played by a 39 yr old man. Mera's played by a 32 yr old, so...only a seven year age gap. That falls within the bounds of a socially acceptable age gap, so I don't see it as cause for concern.

Do the heroes look good? Well, it's hollywood, so yeah. The original-inspired suit for Aquaman is a bit goofy, but I get what they were going for there. Sure, this is over the top, but on the other hand, it's a comic book movie. I'm not there to see realism.

[Mordar]

I enjoyed it, i liked the different types of Atlantians and their designs. Kinda sad we didn't see more of the Prawns but ehh...

The trip into the Trench was amazing though, having the camera pan out further and further, only to reveal more and more trench creatures, and then when you think there's a lot, lighting strikes and reveals even MORE of them! To the point where the ocean looks to be more Trench-creatures then water.

That scene was incredibly Cthulu-esque, and i loved it.

Did you catch the copy of Dunwich Horror in the lighthouse? They were clearly trying to evoke some C'thulhu elements.

but yeah, i was kind of expecting Author to immediately remove that gaudy orange scale-mail once he exited that waterfall. The pants and gloves work fine, and he'd look more badass shirtless anyways.

But the point isn't to look "badass" - that'd already been completely covered (no pun intended). The point was, I think, to pay homage to the source material that is the sole reason these movies are being made, and to recognize the people (creators and consumers) that brought the characters to this stage.

- M

[The Jack]

For the most part. Mera is a badass as you would want her to be want to be, and Arthur respects her as a person.

The one misstep that I noticed was when in the desert Arthur knocked the map/locator out of Mera's hand. Items in your hands are considered part of your person for purposes of civil assault. Deliberately knock something our a coworkers hand, and expect a trip to human resources where they will decide whether or not to fire you. Moreover, you will have opened yourself up to a lawsuit and maybe criminal charges.

I wish they hadn't included that scene because it sends a bad message about what is acceptable behavior in a movie that otherwise, IMHO, get it right.

I find it totally racist that the fish people react so strangely and with curiosity when concerning land animals. we don't react to fish that way. This sends a really bad message to people because if there were a secretive race of fish people we should assume they would be offended by assumptions of their fishyness.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

For the most part. Mera is a badass as you would want her to be want to be, and Arthur respects her as a person.

The one misstep that I noticed was when in the desert Arthur knocked the map/locator out of Mera's hand. Items in your hands are considered part of your person for purposes of civil assault. Deliberately knock something our a coworkers hand, and expect a trip to human resources where they will decide whether or not to fire you. Moreover, you will have opened yourself up to a lawsuit and maybe criminal charges.

I wish they hadn't included that scene because it sends a bad message about what is acceptable behavior in a movie that otherwise, IMHO, get it right.

Although we've also established that Arthur is a flat-out jerk, even if nobody acknowledges it in the film.

[Draconi Redfir]

yeah, i'm pretty sure that "knocking an item out of her hand" isn't as bad as you're making it out to be.

They were lost in the desert with nothing around, no supplies, no water, and no idea where they were going. I'd knock something out of whoever dragged me there's hands too in that situation. Plus it's such a minor thing to fret about. May as well be upset about the time Gollum knocked the One Ring out of Frodo's hands too.

[eternalshades]

I just saw the movie.

1. It was the very best school recital that Jason Mamoa has ever done. He was so earnest that you can't help but root from him.
2. My nickname for this movie is "Indiana Jones and the Princess of Mars" reflecting the two strongest throughputs on this movie.
3. Aquaman's Dad feels like they really wanted Tony Danza. He was a lovable goomba and I'm half surprised when he met his other they didn't start playing "who's the boss" when he met Nicole Kidman.
4. James Wan obviously saw Young Justice. Black Mantra was both a bloodthirsty pirate and cared incredibly dearly for his family. You can practically hear the "screw you iron man" from the director after he got defeated in the 2nd act.
5. If JJ Abrams has lens flare, James Wan has "bubble cam" and since he didn't go for shaky came it came off far more enjoyable. However, there were at least a few parts where you could swear you wanted to press x to continue. :p
6. I stand corrected on the Indiana Jones part. 2nd act was more romancing the stone. It needed to flow better, but as soon as toto hit, I started giggling.
7. I think I reached peak sharks with lasers with this movie.
8. needed more William Dafoe, Nicole Kidman, and Dolph Lundgren.
10. Cthuhlu stole the show. Somebody obviously loved a certain picture.
11. this movie did a fantastic job laying down ground work for the world and future movies. I don't think I've ever seen a movie put their toys away for sequels better (It's like Thor, but we actually took care of our family at the end).

I think it's safe to say, any future crossover superhero movies will be staring Gal and Jason (because one of the good things about the justice league is their big sister/little brother dynamic). If Shazam is also a success, then you have a really strong throughput of Greek Mythology for a Superfriends movie (think the clash of the Titans meets the goonies). :D

It was a mess, but it was a glorious mess that did what it was expected to do. :)

[The Jack]

I thought Dafoe was a total miscast. The dude's too distinct for his roll.
Also, Young aquaman was awful.

I get you on the Aquaman-WW front, but my fear is that, well, Shazaam doesn't look like it'll play well with others. The child looks great for the part, but the adult looks like too much of a comedic act and I feel he'd be a better plasticman from what I've seen. Adult shazaam should have the facade of a serious grown up.

[The New Bruceski]

I liked that Arthur was a multilingual negotiator. Rather than some muscle brute with a trident it's his ability to communicate that gets people on his side. His superpower is talking to fish and it is awesome.

[lord_khaine]

I get you on the Aquaman-WW front, but my fear is that, well, Shazaam doesn't look like it'll play well with others. The child looks great for the part, but the adult looks like too much of a comedic act and I feel he'd be a better plasticman from what I've seen. Adult shazaam should have the facade of a serious grown up.

Thats what was wrong with the trailer.
Yes. I do kinda think Shazam looks to goofy. And i dont think he should be doing that.

[Mightymosy]

I liked the movie as good "popcorn cinema".

I also liked Mera, Aquaman and his mother, all good characters.

That being said, you know what would have been an awesome twist?


Here we have that guy who is a good guy, but his main abilities are punching villains, who never was in our kingdom, never wanted to be in our kingdom, knows nothing about our kingdom, and, above else, DOESN'T WANT to rule our kingdom.
Over here we have a girl who also is a good girl and goes OVER HER WAY to do what's right for her people and the world as a whole, her main ability - besides also punching villains - is talking and diplomacy, has grown up in our kingdom, loves our kingdom and people enough to go on a heroic quest for its wellbeing, knows alot about it, and belongs to royalty to boot!

Hmmmmmm.......whom should we crown new king queen of the undersea?


Really, it would have been a nice twist, have Mera be queen of the oceans and let Aquaman continue being the heroic savior of sailors against pirates and the like.

To me, the whole "......and then he became king" was expected, bland, and logically not convincing (which I don't necessarily demand from popocorn cinema, but it was a huge opportunity to ascend beyond that!)

[The Jack]

I was always under the assumption that Aquaman as a hero king would heavily use his vizier/wife/mother and even brother because
A- He's a heroic adventurer.
B-He needs to catch up on politics, but that's largely a temporary issue.
C- Kingdoms are typically a small-government deal. A society as old as atlantis , which has been in a high-technology stage for at least two thousand years, would likely require little reworking of existing rules.

Oh, and the vizier did teach him things. So He's not entirely out of the loop.

But it's really not going to do anyone a service to go 'his wife does it all, cause feminism' Let's not date the movie.

[Mightymosy]

The feminism is not the crux. Although it might be a bonus to a lot of people.

The crux is that it would give the ruler role to the most logical character. And I always like when stories do twists that surprise at first (because we are all so well-used to cliches, in this case the "hero becomes king" cliche), but are super logical in retrospect.

I don't mind Aquaman becoming king, especially not in that type of popocorn cinema movie. With or without viziers, mothers and wives and what have you.

I just say that the movie might have been dramatically better and deeper if they had crowned Mera instead.

[Mechalich]

I just say that the movie might have been dramatically better and deeper if they had crowned Mera instead.

The simple problem with that is that Mera is the princess of Xebel, not Atlantis. She's not part of Atlantis' royal lineage and as a result can't become it's ruler. She could, potentially, acquire the superior title of Ocean Master - the acknowledged leader of the united tribes - but she would have the same problem with doing that Orm does, which is that the tribes don't get along and aren't prepared to bow before anyone save through the use of force. Arthur Curry bypasses that by acquiring the glowing trident McGuffin from the long dead king and beating down Orm to do the same. At the end of the movie Arthur has been acknowledged by Atlantis, by beating Orm; the Fisherman kingdom, because the princess watched him beat Orm; the Brine, because he saved them from Orm; and the Trench, because the glow-y trident allows him to command them. He may or may not have the full allegiance of Xebel, King Nereus withdraws without saying anything, but he doesn't need it.

Undersea politics aside, the thrust of the movie is that Arthur needs to become king to bridge the two worlds, and there's something too that. Mera doesn't want war with the surface, but she's just as clueless about life there as Orm is. Arthur may not be politically connected, but he at least knows people who are - like Batman and Superman - and could open a dialogue about stuff like plastic in the oceans, overfishing, and global warming.