Aquaman surely deserves its own spoiler topic, right? Anyone?

[Bastard of Boston]

It wasn't...bad? I don't dislike any of the DC movies -- except maybe Suicide Squad -- and Aquaman falls in line with what I think of the other ones. I'd place it below Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, and Batman v Superman in my rankings. It's dumb fun...literal dumb fun. The fact that Aquaman isn't too bright is a running joke throughout the whole movie. It's an interesting take.

It was fine. This version of Aquaman isn't the Aquaman I'm used to, but I get it. It definitely makes him someone we haven't really seen featured in a superhero movie before. In that sense, Momoa is the MVP of the film. He's fun to watch be stupid and hit shit.

I was surprised with how much I liked Amber Heard as Mera. I wasn't that familiar with her as an actress and saw some not-nice things about her said by people on the internet. She was solid, though. I thought her chemistry with Momoa was strong. If you're going to have a movie featuring a dumb hero, you need a co-star to stand in as the obligatory eyeroller, and Heard was good at that.

I'll tell you who surprised me -- Nicole freaking Kidman. Between Nicole and Michelle P. in Ant-Man, I'm loving that Hollywood's elder stateswomen are not only getting roles in these big action film franchises, but they're actually getting to be action stars as well -- not just action star's mom.

The Dolph Lundgren-aissance continues.

What kept this movie from being strong was sketchy story. I appreciated that there wasn't a ton of exposition to bog the movie down, but the script was unwieldy. Things just seemed to happen because they needed to happen. Some of the lines were really clunky and awkward. Ultimately, the film was probably too ambitious with the story it was trying to tell, but then again, I kinda respect them for having the balls to try...? I'm torn on it. Underwater Game of Thrones is a great fucking elevator pitch. But I'd think it would look better over the course of three films instead of one.

[HexMachina]

23 minutes ago, Bastard of Boston said:

It wasn't...bad? I don't dislike any of the DC movies -- except maybe Suicide Squad -- and Aquaman falls in line with what I think of the other ones. I'd place it below Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, and Batman v Superman in my rankings. It's dumb fun...literal dumb fun. The fact that Aquaman isn't too bright is a running joke throughout the whole movie. It's an interesting take.

It was fine. This version of Aquaman isn't the Aquaman I'm used to, but I get it. It definitely makes him someone we haven't really seen featured in a superhero movie before. In that sense, Momoa is the MVP of the film. He's fun to watch be stupid and hit shit.

I was surprised with how much I liked Amber Heard as Mera. I wasn't that familiar with her as an actress and saw some not-nice things about her said by people on the internet. She was solid, though. I thought her chemistry with Momoa was strong. If you're going to have a movie featuring a dumb hero, you need a co-star to stand in as the obligatory eyeroller, and Heard was good at that.

I'll tell you who surprised me -- Nicole freaking Kidman. Between Nicole and Michelle P. in Ant-Man, I'm loving that Hollywood's elder stateswomen are not only getting roles in these big action film franchises, but they're actually getting to be action stars as well -- not just action star's mom.

The Dolph Lundgren-aissance continues.

What kept this movie from being strong was sketchy story. I appreciated that there wasn't a ton of exposition to bog the movie down, but the script was unwieldy. Things just seemed to happen because they needed to happen. Some of the lines were really clunky and awkward. Ultimately, the film was probably too ambitious with the story it was trying to tell, but then again, I kinda respect them for having the balls to try...? I'm torn on it. Underwater Game of Thrones is a great fucking elevator pitch. But I'd think it would look better over the course of three films instead of one.

I hope Kidman got more than the non-role Pfeiffer had. I’d hardly say she got to be an action star

[Bastard of Boston]

2 hours ago, HelenaExMachina said:

I hope Kidman got more than the non-role Pfeiffer had. I’d hardly say she got to be an action star

Touche, you're not wrong. I think I was more referencing the idea that Michelle was Janet Van Dyne, who in my mind, is the true Wasp. I think my head just automatically inserted her into the role of badass even if she didn't get to do much in the movie -- which is one of the major problems that movie had.

[HexMachina]

6 hours ago, Bastard of Boston said:

Touche, you're not wrong. I think I was more referencing the idea that Michelle was Janet Van Dyne, who in my mind, is the true Wasp. I think my head just automatically inserted her into the role of badass even if she didn't get to do much in the movie -- which is one of the major problems that movie had.

Yep. I love Pfeiffer so I was happy to have heard she was cast, even as a not massive comic movie fan. Spent the entire movie waiting for her to have a presence beyond “SHE’S MISSING OMG HELP”

Was genuinely asking about Kidman though  is her role substantial?

[williamjm]

24 minutes ago, HelenaExMachina said:

Yep. I love Pfeiffer so I was happy to have heard she was cast, even as a not massive comic movie fan. Spent the entire movie waiting for her to have a presence beyond “SHE’S MISSING OMG HELP”

Was genuinely asking about Kidman though  is her role substantial?

I think she is in the film more than Pfeiffer was in Ant Man and the Wasp, but she's still off-screen for most of the film. She does get some good scenes, but the film isn't really about her.

9 hours ago, Bastard of Boston said:

What kept this movie from being strong was sketchy story. I appreciated that there wasn't a ton of exposition to bog the movie down, but the script was unwieldy. Things just seemed to happen because they needed to happen. Some of the lines were really clunky and awkward.

The quest for the location of the trident did feel like it could have been in a National Treasure movie. The bit with the Roman ruins in Sicily seemed particularly random, I don't know why a key clue was somewhere that didn't have an obvious connection with the undersea kingdoms.

[Bastard of Boston]

1 hour ago, HelenaExMachina said:

Yep. I love Pfeiffer so I was happy to have heard she was cast, even as a not massive comic movie fan. Spent the entire movie waiting for her to have a presence beyond “SHE’S MISSING OMG HELP”

Was genuinely asking about Kidman though  is her role substantial?

My bad, I forgot to answer. Like william confirmed, she's not in it a ton -- she opens the film and shows up in time for the climax. But she does make a pretty substantial impression when she's around.

[Martini Sigil]

I enjoyed it, mainly because Jason Momoa and Amber Heard are both terrific... but holy cow DC writers are terrible... this movie was fun, but not great... I was laughing *at* the the movie more for being silly, leaving giant plot holes and generally not making much sense rather than at the intended humor... But I liked it better than Justice league, man of Steal, or BvS...

But as a film, this was no Wonder Woman

[RhaenysBee]

It was GOOD! It was such a pleasant surprise, I never in the world expected to actually enjoy the movie, I just went there for Jason Momoa’s abs. And biceps. And face. And voice. And legs. You know. 

But it was actually an enjoyable movie! There were a couple rocky plot points but it was generally humorous and enjoyable. 

And come on, we basically found out that Drogo is the decedent of the underwater branch of the Targaryen dynasty. That was fun in itself. 

[Knight of Ashes]

2 hours ago, RhaenysBee said:

 

And come on, we basically found out that Drogo is the decedent of the underwater branch of the Targaryen dynasty. That was fun in itself. 

You should hide that spoiler.  

[Spring Bass]

I really enjoyed it. It's a bit over-stuffed on the exposition (and the tone swings all over the place some times), but it works really well because the story is straightforward ("to save the world Arthur needs to become King and stop his half-brother, he needs the trident to do that, go find the trident"), the pacing is very good, and the two leads have some real chemistry (although I am surprised they never made a "Little Mermaid" joke with Mera). 

It also looks really good, too. Not the most gorgeous comic book movie I've seen this year (that's Into the Spider-Verse), but a good-looking movie. 

 

[PetyrPunkinhead]

I  liked this film, but my 11-yr-old loved it. I thought he'd get bored with it, as it's 2.5 hours long, but the visuals and story hit him in all the right spots. However, I felt it was a bit bloated and the script needed more for the two leads. The action is fantastic though. James Wan can direct the hell outta CGI fights. Overall, Aquaman is a win for DCEU--a big win compared to Justice League.

9 hours ago, Winter Bass said:

I really enjoyed it. It's a bit over-stuffed on the exposition (and the tone swings all over the place some times), but it works really well because the story is straightforward ("to save the world Arthur needs to become King and stop his half-brother, he needs the trident to do that, go find the trident"), the pacing is very good, and the two leads have some real chemistry (although I am surprised they never made a "Little Mermaid" joke with Mera). 

It also looks really good, too. Not the most gorgeous comic book movie I've seen this year (that's Into the Spider-Verse), but a good-looking movie. 

 

I agree with almost everything in your post--the love story was limp and lifeless. Maybe you were hypnotized by Mamoa's nipples and/or Heard's cleavage, but their scenes together were the low-point of the film. It's definitely a great looking film worth seeing in IMAX, but you're right that Spider-Verse is the most gorgeous film to look at this year.

[3CityApache]

I'm kinda surprised I liked it, and my 13yo daughter liked it a lot. And I'm even more surprised Jason Momoa can actually act. Stunning visuals covered some of the plot holes (including a place in Sicily I was few years back). Generally it was fun. Not great fun, but fun nontheless. 

[polishgenius]

I enjoyed the shit out of it. It's very very very dumb, but knowingly so, and even the clunky and on-the-nose lines made me grin even as I winced. Plus it was just funny in places, and as mentioned James Wan can direct the shit out of a CGI fight scene (and generally got the hang of making broad-scale CGI look pretty).

I also agree with Winter Bass that the leads had good chemistry. They didn't do a lot with the love story (which was fine, it wasn't a film that needed that) but it worked well enough for me.



In general I think the DCU is at its best when it's being bonkers (that's mostly true of the comics too) so it's good to see them commit to that here. Not everything should be quite this goofy, but mad should be the aim.

[Corvinus85]

I liked it. I agree that the story is a bit all over the place, though I do appreciate them trying to both showcase this complex underwater society (GoT under water as mentioned above), and still do a an action heavy/adventure movie. 

The visuals, were, of course, the highlight of the film. I told my brother after, that this movie could not have been made well even just 10 years ago. It would have looked like crap.

Jason Momoa was fine, I appreciated his enthusiasm for this. I love that he can't help himself inserting a bit of Polynesian warrior movements in his acting, and that Wan let him do it. Amber Heard was ok. There was good chemistry there, but the dialogue wasn't very helpful for them. Nicole Kidman was definitely the highlight for me among all the actors. @Bastard of Boston I share your sentiments on the elder actresses getting back into action. Don't forget Robin Wright and Connie Nielsen in Wonder Woman.

Another strength was the lightheartedness and humor. There were moments when I felt that they paid attention to what made Thor Ragnarok so well received, and tried to emulate that. Even the music score reflected that. I thought the overuse of sudden explosions to mark the transition from a quiet, dialogue scene to an action scene became a running joke. Or maybe Wan & the writers simply don't know how to create that kind of transition in any other way.  

The main thing I disliked about the film was the underwater dialogue. With the added echoes, or whatever they did, I found it hard to understand all the lines. Not a good idea, imo, to give so many lines to Dolph Lundgren, especially in that setting, and in relation to exposition. I was glad for the location subtitles to show the various kingdoms. I do feel the film did a good job at showing the world of Atlantis, and with the nearly GoT setting, and varied peoples; it makes me excited for a sequel. Also, Defoe's character was pretty weak.

 

[Zorral]

It's been kinda funny, seeing the unanimous US critics and reviewers declaring Aquaman dead in the water upon delivery, while racking up box office.

Why Aquaman is a hit = female demographic, duh ya all!  

https://deadline.com/2018/12/aquaman-jason-momoa-marketing-won-women-over-1202525963/

I haven't seen it myself, of course, as superhero comix movies are yet one more sort of flick that isn't my cuppa.

(I did see Wonder Woman and Black Panther in theater, of course, because, one does.  Also the all woman Ghostbusters because one does.  We liked that one the best of the three, btw!.  The other two, were still just comix movie blockbusters, no matter what improvements had been made in some ways -- for BP, particularly in design and music.

 

[Slurktan]

11 hours ago, Zorral said:

It's been kinda funny, seeing the unanimous US critics and reviewers declaring Aquaman dead in the water upon delivery, while racking up box office.

Why Aquaman is a hit = female demographic, duh ya all!  

https://deadline.com/2018/12/aquaman-jason-momoa-marketing-won-women-over-1202525963/

I haven't seen it myself, of course, as superhero comix movies are yet one more sort of flick that isn't my cuppa.

(I did see Wonder Woman and Black Panther in theater, of course, because, one does.  Also the all woman Ghostbusters because one does.  We liked that one the best of the three, btw!.  The other two, were still just comix movie blockbusters, no matter what improvements had been made in some ways -- for BP, particularly in design and music.

 

I don't think unanimous means what you think it does.

[mormont]

Watched this last night. It's... fine. Fun, even. The performances are great, the writing is dumb as a bag of rocks. The plot is somehow simultaneously over- and under-explained. Parts of it don't make any sense, something which the writers are clearly aware of because when that happens they usually have something randomly explode to launch a fight scene. It's literally 'look, a distraction!'

I do have to give props to a film that

just casually tosses in an ocean at the centre of the earth complete with dinosaurs, why not, sandwiched between a one-way portal in a whirlpool guarded by nightmare creatures and an encounter with a kraken.

The wigs are terrible though. And the action movie cliches fly thick and fast. Overall, this is probably my second favourite DC movie but it still doesn't rank above any of the Marvel efforts except perhaps The Dark World.

[Zorral]

11 hours ago, Slurktan said:

I don't think unanimous means what you think it does.

Yes, unanimous does mean what I think it means.  I was just WRONG in using it in that sentence!     I should have said, "all the critics and reviewers and even watchers that I read and talk with"  

[Meera of Tarth]

On 12/21/2018 at 2:26 PM, Bastard of Boston said:

It wasn't...bad? I don't dislike any of the DC movies -- except maybe Suicide Squad -- and Aquaman falls in line with what I think of the other ones. I'd place it below Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, and Batman v Superman in my rankings. It's dumb fun...literal dumb fun. The fact that Aquaman isn't too bright is a running joke throughout the whole movie. It's an interesting take.

It was fine. This version of Aquaman isn't the Aquaman I'm used to, but I get it. It definitely makes him someone we haven't really seen featured in a superhero movie before. In that sense, Momoa is the MVP of the film. He's fun to watch be stupid and hit shit.

I was surprised with how much I liked Amber Heard as Mera. I wasn't that familiar with her as an actress and saw some not-nice things about her said by people on the internet. She was solid, though. I thought her chemistry with Momoa was strong. If you're going to have a movie featuring a dumb hero, you need a co-star to stand in as the obligatory eyeroller, and Heard was good at that.

I'll tell you who surprised me -- Nicole freaking Kidman. Between Nicole and Michelle P. in Ant-Man, I'm loving that Hollywood's elder stateswomen are not only getting roles in these big action film franchises, but they're actually getting to be action stars as well -- not just action star's mom.

The Dolph Lundgren-aissance continues.

What kept this movie from being strong was sketchy story. I appreciated that there wasn't a ton of exposition to bog the movie down, but the script was unwieldy. Things just seemed to happen because they needed to happen. Some of the lines were really clunky and awkward. Ultimately, the film was probably too ambitious with the story it was trying to tell, but then again, I kinda respect them for having the balls to try...? I'm torn on it. Underwater Game of Thrones is a great fucking elevator pitch. But I'd think it would look better over the course of three films instead of one.

It surprised me a lot as well, I didn't know she appeared there till I saw her. And, yeah, great role.

[Jace, Extat]

On 12/27/2018 at 11:52 AM, Zorral said:

It's been kinda funny, seeing the unanimous US critics and reviewers declaring Aquaman dead in the water upon delivery, while racking up box office.

Why Aquaman is a hit = female demographic, duh ya all!  

https://deadline.com/2018/12/aquaman-jason-momoa-marketing-won-women-over-1202525963/

I haven't seen it myself, of course, as superhero comix movies are yet one more sort of flick that isn't my cuppa.

(I did see Wonder Woman and Black Panther in theater, of course, because, one does.  Also the all woman Ghostbusters because one does.  We liked that one the best of the three, btw!.  The other two, were still just comix movie blockbusters, no matter what improvements had been made in some ways -- for BP, particularly in design and music.

 

You liked the 'Ghostbusters' abortion? Dayum.

I mean sure 'WW' is a fine movie hilariously overhyped, but 'Black Panther' stumbles with Great Film Status in its grasp. 

That is an entirely indefensible statement and I demand a retraction. You did NOT "like" the 'Ghostbusters: Queef Edition' I know because I'm telling you that you didn't like it.