Aquaman Spoilers Thread (just in case ;) - please don’t enter if you don’t want to be spoiled)

[Kindred]

It looks like a film with a huge budget. Certainly no letdown on the visual front.

yeah man. it was pretty much stunning! Every penny is clearly on the screen. I sure hope it gets a good run in the box office

 

[Kindred]

so I just answered my own question xD I had a feeling it was Depeche Mode xD

 

[Bagide]

Anyone found that scene where Vulko and Arthur sitting and gazing at the rays soothing? The score at that scene made m smile internally.

 

[Ultra Nolanite]

Haha, I loved the movie but one of my favourite scenes were the Indiana Jones-y/Uncharted desert/Italy scenes.

Especially when they tried to figure out the looking through the bottle part. That was just maximum Uncharted to me and an Uncharted movie like that with similar action would be amazing.

Actually James Wan should direct the Uncharted movie.

The whole Black Manta Italy scene was strangely the highlight of the movie for me. Although the rest was brilliant as well.

 

[jolldan]

Haha, I loved the movie but one of my favourite scenes were the Indiana Jones-y/Uncharted desert/Italy scenes.

Especially when they tried to figure out the looking through the bottle part. That was just maximum Uncharted to me and an Uncharted movie like that with similar action would be amazing.

Actually James Wan should direct the Uncharted movie.

The whole Black Manta Italy scene was strangely the highlight of the movie for me. Although the rest was brilliant as well.

Loved that scene, not gonna lie I actually felt a little bad for Manta at the end of it though that was a hell of nasty fall, plus the sound effects just made it sound even more like things breaking lol.

 

[Iceman]

I liked that scene and they played Manta more sympathetically than I expected.

 

[BH/HHH]

Aquaman was so good! Here’s some spoiler thoughts:

Jason Mamoa was Born to play this part. He’s phenomenal in the film. The actors they got to play the three versions of his younger self all looked just like him too, some great casting there.

Amber Heard was amazing as Mera, she almost stole the film for me. Seeing the full extent of her powers was exhilarating.

My favourite aspect of the film was Black Manta seeking revenge cause Arthur wouldn’t save his Father (not that you can blame him after they both tried to kill him). This culminates in a scene in Italy where Manta seeks his revenge and it’s the best sequence in the film.

Patrick Wilson was great as Orm, I really hated him some of his bastard moves like killing the Fisherman king was brutal.

The parallel moment of Arthur getting his suit and Orm his was such an amazing thrilling moment.

I really didn’t expect to see so much of Dolph Lundgren. He was great in the film too.

If I were to pick any negatives I wasn’t keen on the use of pop songs in certain scenes and some moments of humour didn’t land. Also some of the CGI was ropey (although expected).

 

[Hammer!]

Good to hear about Patrick Wilson being great. Hoping he puts an end to the DCEU villain problem.

 

[Cats]

I liked that scene and they played Manta more sympathetically than I expected.

Yeah, they managed to make both villains really engaging - if not for the circumstances, you tend to think they might actually have been the heroes themselves.

 

[Iceman]

Yeah, they managed to make both villains really engaging - if not for the circumstances, you tend to think they might actually have been the heroes themselves.

They both contributed to the film significantly and had solid motivation.

 

[BH/HHH]

Good to hear about Patrick Wilson being great. Hoping he puts an end to the DCEU villain problem.

Him and Manta were both ****ing brilliant.

I don't know if I'd agre there's necessarily a problem with DCEU film villains anyway, Zod and Faora were great in Man of Steel. I personally didn't think Steppenwolf was bad at all and I liked Ludendorff in WW. I thought Ares says fine too but we didn't see much of him as the villain. Sure Lex wasn't great and neither was Enchantress was awful. But there's ther villains too like Amanda Waller who was great IMO. While they're not exactly rolling out with great villains I'd argue compared to another cinematic universe they're already doing better in that regard.

 

[Jonwo]

I think they've set up Black Manta for a sequel really well. I wonder if Kaldur'ahm/Jackson could potentially be introduced as well, that creates an interesting conflict for Arthur, Kaldur and Manta.

 

[RomanticPenguin]

happy to see lundgren get a decent amount of lines

 

[nyyarod]

Just saw the movie and James pulled it off, just like I knew he would! It wasn't perfect but definitely my favorite DCEU movie. I'm happy!

 

[dennis_3107]

I am just probably nitpicking here, but why does most everyone have to qualify their opinion with “insert dc movie here” isnt perfect but it is good.

 

[Primal Slayer]

This was the epitome of a popcorn movie and I loved it.

Aquaman probably had the best set of villains then any of current DC movies. Orm and Manta were just perfection, especially setting up Mantas hate for Arthur. Everyone had a very good reason to do what they were doing.

I was afraid that we would get to much of Aquabro but I actually liked his characterization in this film compared to JL and how Momoa played him, sure it wasnt to far off from his own personality but it was enjoyable and the audience laughed with him throughout the film. If we get a sequel it'll be interesting to see how they treat his character as King of 7 seas.

Mera was cool as hell and got some cool action scenes though I wish we'd had seen her during her assault on Orm during the trial by fire.

All of the underwater scenes were excellent and Wan did some great things that he deserves to get some awards for.

One of my only problems with the film is that I feel like they were trying to do much in 1 movie. Yeah it was great seeing the other kingdoms and species but it takes away from future films. The Trench should've been alluded to and maybe a quick scare because they deserve to have an entire film dedicated to them, they especially should not be tamed by Arthur even with the Trident. That whole bit I probably wouldve gotten rid of.

I do wish we had gotten a bit more of Orm/Mera besides the 1 scene we got of them and just a general explanation of Mera's powers. I think keeping her origin as assassination of Aquaman probably would give them more story in the long run but it may be better suited for a tv series of some kind.

I was surprised that this was one of the happiest endings of any superhero movie that we've gotten, especially an "origin" movie. Like every body lived, Arthus has both his parents...I was not expecting Atlanna to be alive and there she was in all of her glory. I kept expecting her to die but she got her happy ending.

Definitely an 8/10 superhero film and I hope it is a massive success because it left me yearning for a sequel.

 

[Karelia]

Wow, what an. amazing movie The fight scenes were so brilliant and well done. I don't think this film had a dull moment for me. All the actors were great as well! The score was awesome, aside from the random songs tossed in there.

9/10

 

[Spider-Fan]

I am going to post a review either tomorrow or Monday. But in short, I went into this movie with low expectations. I hated Aquaman in JL. He irritated me. However, this movie was very good. While I think Wonder Woman is objectively the best DCEU movie, this one might be my favorite DCEU movie. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the heck out of it.

 

[hawkflame]

Just came back from it. Overall, a solid good movie. Definitely a step in the right direction for DC.

First of all, the protagonists are great. I really liked the chemistry between Arthur and Mera,and Nicole Kidman pretty much owned every scene she’s in. I didn’t find Orm quite that interesting at first, but somehow the more I watched him the more I bought into the character. I really liked the moment at the end when he saw his mother still alive.

The action adventure elements were also fun. Oddly enough I actually preferred the fights on the land over those on the sea. Sometimes the CGI made it a little hard to be invested at first (the first fight with Orm was only ok) but as I started to get more into these characters, that began to fall by the wayside. When Aquaman showed up at the end with the trident and the orange and green suit, I actually felt a little giddy. Seeing him like that was just really cool!

Overall, this is a film that veers between ok and great. And you know what? That’s not a bad time at the theater. 7/10.

 

[nyyarod]

Best Dceu movie for me hands down

 

[Marvolo]

Well, it was a lot better than I thought it would be. I'll need some time to collect my thoughts but off the top of my head I only have one real complaint: Black Manta.

It was one thing too many. You've got the search for the trident, the fight for the throne, Arthur and Orm's personal sibling conflict, Orm's war, Volko's double dealing, Arthur's training sequences, Mera's engagement and personal conflict with Orm, Atlanna's treason, Orm's conflict with the other kingdom's, Atlanna turning up alive. It all fits together surprisingly well. And then in left field there is this angry butt hurt human trying to fight outside his weight class because his stupid pirate daddy was acting like a pirate and died because of it.

Aside from the fact that I dont sympathize with him at all, he was one thing too many and didnt belong in this story at all. Orm's elite squad could have taken over the sub and used it to attack the parley. And they could have went after Arthur on land by themselves. They didnt need Manta. Should have cut him and saved him for the sequel.

Aside from that tho I had fun and I'd give it an 8/10. I really loved the search for the trident and the various kingdoms and the world they created on screen. Cant wait for the sequel.

Oh and there was one wtf moment...Arthur using that giant sea beast to enter the battle. He wants to stop the war and his brother is attacking and slaughtering the Brine army and Arthur comes tearing through the ocean floor on that big beast and in doing so he pretty much annhiliates all those Brine warriors that were only trying to defend themselves against Orm. It just seemed extremely careless. There had to be another way to enter the battle that wouldnt kill so many of the Brine.

 

[dhandler01]

While you are correct...that scene still made me smile like a 4 year old! I mean one thing people kept saying was they wanted to see Arthur Ride some Cthulu type beast...AND HE FLIPPING DID IT!

 

[dhandler01]

My spoiler review:

I loved this film! As I said in the main thread this is every action film from the 80s and 90s multiplied by 20 and then some! It took the ridiculousness of the concept and gave it a big ole bear hug and took selfies with it!

The opening was so well done. The romance of Thomas and Atlanna was touching and cute. When she left I got a bit of the lip quivers...especially because she had just kicked some major ass!

The submarine scene takes every action movie cliche and just says "LETS DO THIS!". You can tell Wan loves that genre because that scene is a love letter to every action film I grew up watching! All it needed was Stallone or Ahnold running around saying catchphrases and it would be completely on the nose. Watching him pimpslap Manta in that scene was delightful!

The bar scene is the stuff that sets the movie apart from everything else in the DCEU outside of Wonder Woman. Chugging brews with his dad...so great. Then the guys who want to take selfies...and the ensuing pictures CLASSIC! You can almost hear Wan laughing in the background it is so well set up.

One scene I havent seen mentioned yet though is the scene where Mera saves Arthurs father. That whole sequence from the tidal wave to her drawing the water out of his system was just greatness. Mera is a total badass in this film and that scene not only showed off her powers but her compassion for the surface world despite how much the Atalanteans hate the land. Then seeing what Orm did around the world as a warning...again I question the reviewer who said this didnt have an eco-message because the whole idea of attacking the land was because they were destroying the oceans! Christ he threw back tons of the garbage in the oceans back to the surface as part of his attack. I mean I know this isnt Nolan level beating you over the head with it but come on.

The entrance into Atlantis is just gorgeous. Even better was Arthur asking questions that we fans would have nitpicked about like "why do you need a bridge underwater?" or "why cant people just fly over the border wall?". Sure it is a cheesy way of using exposition but we all know plenty of people who would try and sound uber smart by asking stuff like that Atlantis is just awesome though and while yes it is CGI it looks amazing. The ships, the buildings, the people...so awesome. When Arthur fights Orm the first time and they put up the video game style score cards to introduce the fighters to the people it is just awesomely ridiculous. Then he escapes in a whale because he talks to it! That is another thing that is great, the sheer amount of animals that are always around. It feels more real and vibrant because there are mantas and sharks and schools of fish everywhere. Lots of little details.

The Siciliy scene in total is just Wan saying "hey wait...HAVE SOME MORE CLICHES!!!". There is the montage of Amber and Arthur making googly eyes as she smells flowers, there is them doing the slow mo walk out of the water to kick ass music, and the Indiana Jones style figuring out the map. Then Manta comes and goes all "You killed my father PREPARE TO DIE!" and that fight is just awesome! Meanwhile Mera kicks some ass, runs away and then uses wine to save the day! That scene was friggin sick...the entire sequence from Manta showing up to Arthur passing out was like a rollercoaster!

The finale though is what really sets the movie apart in my opinion. This is not just "oh snap it is the third act LETS BLOW STUFF UP!!!" this has been built up all film. Nereus and Orm (along with Fisherman Kings Daughter...not by choice) are putting their final pieces into place, defeat the Brine and unite the kingdoms for the attack. Meanwhile Arthur is finishing his heroes quest and talks to Cthulu Poppins and rides her in to save the flipping day! Meanwhile sharks and massive seahorses are being ridden in battle, giant crab monsters are crushing things and oh by the way DINOSAURS! Then Arthur just destroys Orm but doesnt kill him and Arthur offers to talk to him when he is ready.

And then...just like she said she would Queen Atlanna shows up o the pier in the morning while Thomas is there. (he went there every morning for years) Such a great end!

To me in the modern day (post Nolan) Wonder Woman is my favorite of the films. This film is right behind it though. It is 100% full on comic book bonkers! It doesnt take itself too seriously and it embraces everything ridiculous and cheesy about comics AND Aquaman. It isnt going to win any awards for acting or writing, but I guarantee every time I need a kick ass movie to watch this will be high up on the list. 9/10 and next week when I see it in IMAX it might kill me but I wouldnt be surprised if I like it even more.

 

[frankgutz]

For me they were very good together and very natural. Neither are going to be getting acting accolades lol, but it worked well, was very fun and I am totally up for seeing them as the leads for at least a trilogy. Even the cheesy stuff somehow seemed to work.

Edit- I read your post too fast and was answering just about the chemistry. But Amber was fine - I liked her as Mera and she got some nice action scenes and uses of her powers too. She had a big role overall.

the kiss with the fire as backgroung was dope af

Loved the bar scene after he rescued the marines lol those pics. Curious to see Arthur as the reluctant king. Momoa has played kings before curious if he'll be serious or maintain the " bro" swag

That was funny af + i wasnt expecting that

 

[frankgutz]

While you are correct...that scene still made me smile like a 4 year old! I mean one thing people kept saying was they wanted to see Arthur Ride some Cthulu type beast...AND HE FLIPPING DID IT!

he ride it like a champ