Anyone else kind of looking forward to this Aquaman movie? The trailers make it seem like it will be pretty cool.
Of course, the Suicide Squad trailers also made it look like that would be an awesome movie, so it's hard to tell. I enjoy good comic book movies, though, so I hope my expectations are actually met by this one.
Lots to unpack.
For me, the main problem with the DCEU is that prior to Wonder Woman, they kept trying to make everything have the same dark 'n gritty tone as the Nolan Batman movies, which I think was a huge mistake. Part of what makes the MCU so appealing is that each movie has a different tone, often different themes, and borrows from different genres.
The DC universe has such incredible depth and breadth that it deserves similar treatment. Each property should be distinct, have its own tone, map to different subgenres, appeal to slightly different people, etc.
But no, they had to make everything as much like fucking Nolan's Batman as fucking possible. Ugh.
Anyway, Walter Hamada is supposed to be the hot new executive at WB who is going to be the DCEU answer to Kevin Feige. He's producing DC comic book movies and nothing else. While it's way too early to say what effect Hamada will have on the DCEU, both the Shazam trailer and the Aquaman trailer suggests to me that Hamada understands that each property needs its own tone.
From the trailer, the tone of Shazam and Aquaman seem not only distinct from all the other DCEU movies, but also from each other, and I think that's a promising sign. Shazam seems like a goofy kids' empowerment fantasy, and that's appropriate. The Aquaman trailer feels like someone put Star Wars and Indiana Jones in a blender, then poured the result into the ocean, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Not only do they have to worry about being distinct from the other DCEU properties, but they also have to avoid comparisons to Black Panther given that they are both monarchs in a society that allows the throne to be dueled over by people of the appropriate lineage.
[YOUTUBE]WDkg3h8PCVU[/YOUTUBE]
So yeah, I am really looking forward to Aquaman, and I desperately hope it does well.
- I'd love to see the DCEU get saved. I'm a Marvel fan. That doesn't mean I like Marvel and dislike DC, it means I like Marvel better. I still read my share of DC comic books as a kid, it still has nostalgic value for me, and hey, competition is good for the consumer, right?
- I really like the actor playing Aquaman even if his acting chops aren't exactly top notch. He's likable, dammit. Plus the decision to cast a half Polynesian was pure genius.
- It would be nice to see an Asian-American producer succeed in Hollywood. For all that both Marvel and DC have been famous for pushing diversity issues sooner than other parts of popular media, the movie versions of Marvel and WB-DC have been kind of lacking in Asian faces on either side of the camera (FOX did better in that department with their X-Men stuff).
