Has this movie redeemed Aquaman’s reputation?

I think pop culture has never really been too kind to AM, always mocking him based on the appearance - underpants, fins, blonde - he was seen as silly, impractical, maybe 'girlie'. Anyone who has read comics in the last 20 know this isn't so. It's basically judging a book by its cover.

What this movie did, is it had an actor that is regarded as bad ass regardless of being an actor - like his roles have always been believable and true to his core and he became AM, made the character his own, with thanks to JL for introducing him and not giving us 'classic' AM. So by the time he was wearing the gold, riding a seahorse, people were already into it - it didn't matter.

It's almost ironically a reinvention using the source material. I'm so happy this succeeded as i wasn't interested in this movie at all... not one bit. JL had ruined my love for DC and i felt the universe was dying and that the bloggers/youtubers, reviewers were going to slate it and sabotage it, i just couldn't bare to go into a movie, hopefully see enough to like what i saw, then walk out and be told it was terrible by the media and see it flop around me.

I wish DC took this approach with superman - before he actually wears the suit, just big him up so much that his character, personality transcended everything, that his disguise worked and that superman and his suit made sense.. anyways, each to their own.

 

Uh... huuuuuh...

 

Before DCEU, WB had "Justice League Mortal" in production stage, they had hired actors, costumes were ready, they pulled the plug just before shooting.


Nevertheless, the actor chosen for Aquaman (Santiago Cabrera) and Aquaman's "look" was not too different from Momoa's Aquaman look. We would have got a bearded Aquaman with long brown hair anyway.

Here he is with the rest of the cast and director George Miller.

 

It's nice to know that Zack Snyder had a time machine and traveled back to the 1990's to write comic books under the pen name Peter David.

 

Could have worked on Aquaman - TV series (like Smallville's Aquaman) but for movies ? No.


Both George Miller and Zack Snyder (and later on James Wan) were for a bearded long haired Aquaman based on Peter David's Aquaman.

 

In my opinion, the surfer hippie islander angle for a water-based superhero works way better than blonde Superman underwater.



This dude is the perfect Aquaman.

 

After the movie, I think of Aquaman with his tremendous physical power and fight skills, how awesomely he commands underwater life, how he earned the classic costume and the trident, and how he helps others as he unites two worlds.

He was always like that, but to see it come to life in such a way and be embraced by the general public is incredibly gratifying for a DC fan.

Yes, there is room for improvement in the movies. There is a chance to build on that, and making it richer and more complex. But it's a great start, and the impact this movie has had is undeniable.

 

Thanks for proving my point.

Caucasian =/= Polynesian
Blonde hair =/= Dark hair
Blue eyes =/= Yellow eyes
No tattoos =/= Tattoos

Not to mention the Aquabro personality. You'd have a point if Chris Hemsworth was playing Aquaman.

Cheers.

 

I think they could have portrayed Aquaman in a more comic accurate way without going full Ken doll. Case point:



I'm not saying that's the guy who should have played Aquaman, but that there are people that have the looks and don't look like boy band members.

 

The movie is making a lot of money because it's a fun blockbuster/CBM with impressive visuals. Not because of Momoa's performance/portrayal.

Although I think he did a good job and was likeable, I don't think Momoa's presence made that much of a difference from a financial standpoint. The movie had all the ingredients to be a box office hit.

 

I think all of the women who went to see it would disagree. My mother would never go see it if Jason wasn't there lol

 

I think not. I know women who don't find Momoa attractive. Plus he's been in films that flopped.

An attractive lead actor alone will simply not take a movie past 1B. Even Chris Hemsworth, who women go absolutely crazy for, has been in movies that flopped. Hell even Brad Pitt has had finacially disappointing movies.

 

Momoa may have helped bring in audience members.
But if the movie was bad, I mean a real stinker, it would not have made a billion dollars.

 

These are all hypotheticals at this point. I understand Aquaman fans who may have wanted a blonde Aquaman very strict to the comics. But that is not what we got. Momoa was chosen to counter some perceived negativity regarding Aquaman as a 'joke' character. Ultimately, Wan and Momoa have succeeded in countering that.

 

I never thought he was a joke character to begin with. Been a fan of the character for 50 years.

 

Aquaman won’t work without Momoa. He is this generation’s aquaman. Recasting maybe 15 years from now fine. But there is a definite X-factor or some genius combination of marketing, playing to Momoa’s strengths and how he was depicted that has helped draw some of the audience in. Actors often need the right platform and things to synergize via marketing, film content, looks and highlighting the USPs of their personalities to become a draw for some audiences

 

Just watched it. Thought it was bad. Enjoyed it to an extent but it was bad. Same as venom.

Was hoping we'd moved beyond this.

 

Uh... huh...

The long hair, the beard, the costuming and styling... NOTHING like those pics of AM from closing in on 20 years ago, right?

I bet you've never even once so much as read one single issue of any run of Aquaman.

The pose of authenticity. Scourge of the fanboy world.

 

It's very easy to say now that Momoa's casting made no difference and someone like Charlie Hunnam could've been in the role and it still would've have made over $1billion. I really don't think you can underestimate Momoa's casting i.e. Polynesian, multi-ethnic, diverse...and the effect that would have had on international audiences, in places like China, where it owes so much of its success. You may not think so but the proof is in the pudding and the studios would likely see it as a major factor in its success in terms of international marketing.

 

Was that even necessary though?

Aquaman wasn't ridiculed for being blonde, otherwise The Flash, Cap, Thor, etc. would all be ridiculed. Aquaman jokes were about his powers, which were considered silly and useless on land. You know like talking to the fishy....

Ironically, Momoa's Aquaman still has those same powers and even the traditional suit, which means changing his looks was completely unnecessary. I think Snyder kinda misdiagnosed Aquaman's credibility problem. He went like "Aquaman is a joke then I'll get a dude that is big and imposing to fix that", but again, the jokes were about his powers, not his physique.

 

RDJ financial success as Iron Man was build up and had a big franchise to back it up. First 2 Iron Man films both made less than 700M. The 3rd made over 1B because it was ridding the massive success of The Avengers, in which RDJ had a major role.

So RDJ wasn't this billion dollar king when he first started, even when his portrayal has been widely embraced. To suggest Momoa is the reason the first Aquaman movie ever has made over 1B is groundless and silly.

Aquaman is a very fun movie and it has very impressive visuals that people never saw before. That's a perfect recipe for success.