DC movies have had a hard time, since the fantastic Dark Knight Trilogy. It all started with Green Lantern in 2011. Wow, that movie sucked. Than Man of Steel came out. Not to bad. A little dark, but we made it out alive. Next was Batman v. Superman, and this movie got some serious backlash. It came out at the same time as Captain America: Civil War, which was much more successful than Batman V. Superman. After that movie, we had a shining moment with Wonder Woman! And then our hopes and dreams were crushed with Justice League, in 2017.
It’s been a bumpy ride. DC had to make these movies to compete with Marvel, but they didn’t have to make them suck. Wonder Woman and Man of Steel are the exception, and Suicide Squad was decent as well.
But Aquaman has been a character in the shadows for a very long time. He made his appearance in Justice League, and did a surprisingly good job. This movie, Aquaman, is the first movie released since Justice League. This movie has been considered, almost like the reboot of the franchise. They’re gonna take a page out of Marvel’s book, and try to make the series more comedic. Shazam looks like it’ll be another example of this.
So today, we’re gonna be talking about Aquaman and his most recent/only movie. We’ll be examining it mostly to other DC movies in comparison. With all this in mind let’s begin
WARNING SPOILERS!
What I Thought of the Movie
Let’s start with asking one simple question: Did I like the movie?
The answer to that question is yes, yes I did. This movie, especially for a DC movie, was well done. It had good visual effects, along with a good story line, but most importantly, there was a good amount of humor. This is directed to my post, a few weeks ago, about how DC, Marvel, and more action films need to add humor to their films or they’ll not succeed as well. Click here for the link to that post. This movie demonstrates that worst case scenario, throw some humor in it, and people will love it. The plot of the story was a little ridiculous, and they were able to pull it off by adding humor, making something blow up occasionally, and creating a sense of adventure throughout the movie. That’s why this movie was so successful.
Aquaman was hilarious as the movie went on. Giving off a type of immaturity throughout the movie was great, and having actor Jason Momoa play him was a great decision. This character did a great job in his role. Transitioning from a laid back drinker to becoming a king of Atlantis, Aquaman was a thrilling and wonderful movie to watch.
Now, into more details, I specifically loved the camera work, in many of the fight scenes. It was unique and special, and it set the movie apart from other films. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, every now and then a fight scene would emerge, and the camera would just travel in a circle during the fight. No cut scenes or anything, and it just spun around the fight as the battle went on. This use of camera work creates an interesting perspective throughout the film, and it’s unique to have this in a film like this. I’m surprised this technique isn’t used more often.
But what was hilarious about this movie, to me, was the story line. This story line was a little ridiculous. I mean the story line is almost like National Treasure with a superhero in it.
Having this character first have a secret meeting in an abandoned pirate ship. Go on the run from the Atlantian government. Walk in the Sahara Dessert until they happen to fall into a ditch. Go to a different continent and put a bottle in a statues hand. Go into the ocean, swim to the bottom, go into a whirlpool, find his “dead” mom, talk to a big fish, and then gets the weapon that’ll save the world.
That’s a very crazy story line, but they pull it off. Through the use of comedy, and action. This movie did a great job keeping you entertained. Especially for how long the movie was: 2 1/2 hrs. For an action film that’s pretty long, but like I said, they made it work.
I had a few funny annoyances in this film, but nothing crazy. Like when he kisses Mera and the battle is raging around them, and the camera spins for like fifteen seconds. What was that about??? I just laughed when I saw that, because it was so ridiculous it made me laugh. I also thought the way they encrypted the message in the Sahara dessert was a little cheesy, but it wasn’t enough for me to get behind it.
But I didn’t have any big complaints with the movie. I thought it was a well done movie, and I’m glad to say that a DC movie impressed me. Of all the DC movies that have come out in the last five years, excluding Wonder Woman, that Aquaman was by far the best movie that DC has made. DC finally, I hope, figured out what they need to inspire their audience, and to make them actually enjoy the movie. When Shazam comes out, we’ll see if they’ve learned anything at all.
Before we end this section I wanted to say how happy I was that they included, Black Manta. Black Manta is an amazing super villain, and Aquaman was a great film to introduce him in. Considering what we saw at the end of Justice League, it looks like he might join Deathstroke and Lex Luther for more sequels. I’m excited to see where he’ll end up. And this movie is giving hope for better DC films!
What This Means For the DC Franchise
Like I said above, Aquaman was almost like a reboot for the franchise. They’ve had a lot of trouble since Batman V. Superman. Some would argue since Man of Steel. Suicide Squad did ok, and Wonder Woman was fantastic, but besides those two, they’ve had a rough road.
DC has been trying to go down a darker path than Marvel has been doing. Like literally, a darker path. Like EVERYTHING in Batman V. Superman was literally and morally dark. They only made a film like, the Justice League, to compete with Marvel. They rushed into something the clearly weren’t ready for, but Aquaman was darker than a Marvel film but just barely. His humor and personality really stole the show, and gave us something to relate too.
This type of movie filming is something they need to contribute into all DC films. Because if you don’t, you’re going to have another Batman V. Superman, where everyone is left disappointed, sad, angry that you ruined two great superheroes, and a rotten tomato score so low you’ll want to kill yourself. I’m hoping that Shazam and Joker are going to change what this franchise is really about. We’ll see…
Well, that’s it for today people! Hoped you enjoyed the post and let me know what you thought of Aquaman and how it’s effecting the franchise. Until next time, see ya!
Jmanthoughts 