Aquaman (2018)

I really don’t see the issue with whole king stuff.

Movie's on track for a 70 million + opening.

The answer is "We're ignoring what happened in the early DCEU movies." Just ask Patty Jenkins.

Except they're not since Steppenwolf is mentioned, which muddles the issue a little bit. I've also seen people mention that Orm was a bit of an idiot for not taking the existence of Superman into account, should he attack the Surface…

It's more of a general issue in movies and literature − the idea that if a king is crazy everything can be solved by putting a less crazy king on the throne, without ever questioning the monarchic system itself. Like, Vulco and Mera were lucky enough that the "true heir to the throne" didn't want a war between Atlantis and the Surface, but what if Arthur was as crazy as Orm instead of a benevolent hero? That'd be an interesting scenario to explore in a different work.

I just got back from seeing it.

and i REALLY loved it. It really was an raiders of the lost ark kind of fun ride as james wan said. the characters were likable,my all time favorite scene of the movie is the encaunter with the totally not deep ones.and that was one of the best finales that i have seen in a while.

Yes it has some really cheesy staff in it. orm's mask,call me black manta,the russian sailors being happy that aquaman saved them

and some unecessary scenes black manta modefying the atlantean weaponry and the cg stands out in some parts but overall i had fun.

Edited by Drakon69 on Dec 22nd 2018 at 11:06:00 AM

The problem is really more that to undo any societal system usually requires extended revolution and war. Peaceful revolutions do happen, but the odds are some anarchy is required to change things. So it's really more of a "Do we want to go to war to change things or just appreciate a better king."

The movie has a number of narrative problems, but no more than those in any other big blockbuster. I was basking in the cinematography (especially the camera work) and, surprisingly, sound design. You can hear and feel every impact and trident clash, and the music reminded me of the Pacific Rim theme if it was underwater. The production design is also incredible, all the clothing, armor and weapons really stand out. End all of everything, a movie with A LOT of personality.

The most brilliant thing is how it explored what "Talk to fish" really means. When Mera expressed surprise when he talks to a whale it was a clue that it is not a common Atlantean trait, while Arthur had no idea it wasn't. That is what made him the proper heir to the throne and why he could take the trident and command of the other seven kingdoms. It also shows that Arthur, despite being rough around the edges, knows how to connect with people (such as the selfie guys in the bar). It reminds me of an underlying theme in Avatar The Last Airbender, as in order to master all the elements the Avatar had to understand not just the fighting style but also the culture and people of each society. So when there is an imbalance between the tribes they know how to connect with everyone.

Edited by KJMackley on Dec 22nd 2018 at 1:12:20 AM

who said that talking to fish is a lame superpower when you can control freaking julie andrews eat shit clash of the titans.

Edited by Drakon69 on Dec 22nd 2018 at 11:17:05 AM

My new favorite DCEU movie. Despite its share of flaws (f.e.: Why are the main character able to breathe on land, but the mooks need those suits?) I really enjoyed it. Atlantis looks absolutely breathtaking and there was nobody from the ensemble I didn't enjoy to some extent.

Yeah, changing the system is admittedly not easy − nor is writing such a change convincingly.

I think it's said at some point that only top-tier Atlantians can easily breathe on land.

Broad Strokes. It's why I said last week or so that even if Henry Cavill does come back as Superman at some point, I expect any future project with the character is not gonna reference the previous movies much, if at all.

We know Aquaman existed before this and he fought a big alien named Steppenwolf. That's about as deep as the reference goes.

That whole scene was masterful. Wan really let his horror background shine there.

Edited by comicwriter on Dec 22nd 2018 at 1:51:18 AM

I was hoping the Lovecraftian aspects of Atlantis lore to show up, and Wan tacked them wonderfully in his depiction of the horrors that lie in the Trench.

And I agree, the selfie scene was a wonderful moment of character for Arthur.

I admit it is a bit of a surprise, but it's not completely implausible that he never learned her name given the disdain he shows for anything connected to Atlantis except Vulko and his mother. The fact he had never been to Atlantis proper despite the Steppenwolf fight in Justice League could also imply the Mother Box was far from the city proper, like the Mother Box in Themyscira being on the far edge of the island.

And it was stated clearly by Mera that only a select few Atlanteans could breathe air and that is why they had an air bubble set up for their meeting with Vulko, I can't remember the exact words she used but something about bloodlines, high born or royalty, hence why the guards all wear heavy armor filled with water.

The more I think about the movie the more I am in awe of how they depicted how they swim. The easy thing would be to show them doing a breastroke really fast, with standard arm over arm and kicking their legs, but they reinvented the body language and instead they move in the water the same way Superman flies in the air.

well to be fair it would look silly if they did breaststrokes only for some steps

Edited by Drakon69 on Dec 23rd 2018 at 8:14:25 PM

They specially said high-borns are only able to breathe on land.

Also man I now want like an epic open-world RPG game or like the Insomniac Spider-Man game set underwater.

It doesn’t even have to be an Aquaman game specifically, it’s just the underwater setting provides so much material for interesting stories, worlds, & gameplay.

There was a semi-open-world Aquaman game on Gamecube but… yeah.

The movie did a fantastic job setting up the societies of the underwater world. They all had fairly clear visual distinctions, and actually visiting the different kingdoms was woven naturally into the plot. In addition, them looking for places on the surface added to the mythology feel, as the signs of the civilization were always there.

Atlantis Is Boring thoroughly defied, eh?

On the contrary: Atlantis is the best part of the movie. It is the surface that is unbearable.

I actually dug the visual contrast between the land stuff looking fairly drab while Atlantis was super colorful and full of personality.

I'm kind of amused how they played with 2-D Space but underwater. They had a central highway leading into the city and even Arthur points out the absurdity of a having a linear road, while Mera explains how the bridge was part of the pre-sunken city and the need for security with tower cannons to dissuade anyone trying to go over the wall.

Wonder why they changed Manta's real name?

They didn't want a lawsuit from Niles.

I like how they gave a justification for his helmet's look.

Nice that they kept in his revenge motivation. Sure they removed his killing of Tom preventing it from becoming a cycle of revenge but Aquaman leaving his father to die gave a very good reason for why he's so devoted to vengeance.

Yeah, I was really afraid they would uncleben Arthur's father for a second, but that was mercifully averted.

And speaking of Manta, I found it quite refreshing to have a vilain get a "McGuyver Montage". This stuff is usually for the heroes.

The actor and the general premise of Black Manta was good, it's just the execution in some areas that lagged off hampered by the abysmal writing and pace.

I do feel they went a bit overly complex with the link between Aquaman and his father's death. Aquaman shows absolutely no issue with killing people before or after that scene, but it seemed like the filmmakers didn't want Black Manta to be too sympathetic so Black Manta's father practically kills himself via a misfired shot. I'd personally just have had Aquaman mortally wounding the father and leaving rather than requiring him to go through the whole process of firing his grenade launcher at Aquaman, missing, subsequently getting impaled by a torpedo (I think?) and then Aquaman coldly leaves him to die.

People can share names.

Edited by Envyus on Dec 23rd 2018 at 2:34:08 AM