this movie reminds me more of a bad FPS game than an actual film. Some FPS's like a few of the Call of Duty games will just have your character get knocked unconscious whenever they need a scene transition, which is ok for a game since the bar is set pretty low. The problem is the writing for even a great game doesnt transition well for movies so when your movie has writing on par with a poorly written game...
For most of the movie, you're right, but the scene where they dove into the trench got pretty tense, I thought. Unsurprisingly, it's by far the most horror-y sequence of the entire film, Wan was clearly in his wheelhouse there.
I feel that it was a better decision. The guy who wrote the script wrote also Venom and Gangster Squad, none of which are any competent. Making action a cheep jump scare worked in the favor of this movie resembling aa corny action show from 80s.
Sharks with frickn laser beams attached to their heads is why I loved this movie. It was DC embracing the weird rather than trying to work around it. (The story was lacking though. Thanks for pointing out the non-competing motivations.)
As a writer aspiring, I appreciate your attention to how storytelling is often based in patterns, not merely gut feelings-and how balance between characters and plot channels is crucial. Kudos!
This is a really good point. They go hand and hand. If you get the patterns right, it will subconsciously work in the viewers mind. They may not know how it all works, but whatever reason it does.
Aquaman learning diplomacy was the thing that the movie most needed IMO...Because that would give him a proper arc to grow... Some people say that he learned mercy and that was his arc, but I disagree...I don't think he was going to kill his brother in the first fight even if he had the chance, he just wanted to kick his ass... So Aquaman went from a guy who wanted to solve things by punching...to a guy who have solved things by punching. And I'm not saying that he shouldn't fight his brother at the end, but the movie would have been better if he also used worlds during the fight.
It's also a weird way to write a movie about the Rightful King narrative. Arthur doesn't want to be King, he's not really all that good at it, and most important he hasn't done anything to earn it. Orm is shown to be a bad King because he solves all his problems with violence. But so does Arthur!
@@ojwh1933 Exactly! And it's a really, really old idea about kingship and royalty. Why is someone "allowed" to be king? Because they are born to it. A good king relies on advisors to advise him. They make decisions based on the info they have. Hopefully, that info itself is good and not biased. And hopefully, the king makes good decisions. (BTW - this is also how one can define a good leader: listen to honest advisors, then make a decision. And learn from your mistakes. It's why I liked Weir as leader on Stargate: Atlantis and hated Sam Carter. Robert Picardo (I forget his character's name) was the third type of leader, someone thrown into the role, with no experience, who just tries to do the best he can. Um, that sounds like how people are seeing Arthur. We do see Arthur learning in the movie, though, and hopefully that will continue in the sequel. By the way, if you look at history- there is a "self-correcting factor" for bad kings. A truly bad king is usually overthrown. There's a revolution, or parliament removes the king, locks him up, and declares a Regency, or the king is killed. Historically, it's easier to get rid of a bad king than an elected dictator. (For one thing, everyone usually knows who the king's successor is.)
@@Ineddiblehulk Success is not directly tied to quality. I mean the movie was enjoyable but at some points I could literally say the lines with the characters. I've only seen it once. It was just really, really cliche.
Arthur having to convince the other Kingdoms to join him would have been a much better movie IMHO. As it is, he doesn't really learn anything and he doesn't really earn anything. He becomes King, but not because he's a better ruler or a more popular one or anything like that. He becomes King because he beat up everyone who might stop him. And the weird thing is, by the end of the movie he doesn't even really want to be King, so not only does the conflict fall flat, the resolution does too.
His seen in the Trident room goes his way when he stops trying to use force and starts talking to the monster. He also learns the importance of showing Mercy. For those reasons I think this beasts most MCU Origin stories.
Plus we would have seen more of the under water shit, which is kinda a big deal for a movie about Atlantis. We hardly even saw the main city never mind any of the other kingdoms.
The whole "no agency, gets things explained to him, punches things" angle *could* work really well, if you actively make the film about Mera and Vulko trying to carry Arthur through the crisis because he's the only claim to legitimacy they've got. This theme is kinda present, but it's more of a subtext.
And then actually have the turning point of the film be about him taking control of things for himself and changing the course of both his life and his kingdom.
Aquaman didn't really need agency, since Mera had it. It was in many ways her story with Aquaman along for the ride. Which I was fine with because she was a really interesting and fun character.
I've always been baffled at how professional screenwriters can miss some of the basic building blocks of making a good story. Like utilizing character motivations to weave a coherent plot. But as I learn more about the industry, it seems to me that they aren't untalented fools who failed their way into high-prestige writing jobs. They're probably limited by the studio. You *have* to have this many action scenes. You *have* to include these villains, because surveys show that's what fans like. You *have* to end the movie with a fight. I'd have gone to see this movie in theatres if they had made Aquaman have to learn diplomacy. Great idea. Love your videos.
This is what happens when you use brain. You figure things out. William Goldman, one of my favourite screenwriters of all time, and two time academy award winner for Butch cassidy and sundance kid and All the president's men, said the same thing for hollywood movies. He hated them. He didn't like them for having unnecessary things against character and plot. I too, feel the same, although there have been exceptions.
I enjoyed the movie but was also so ... disappointed, I guess ... that Mr Eye-Candy didn't have to learn diplomacy. At all. Especially because then we'd have an interesting character arc, or at least a proper learning curve for the protagonist. You mentioned "developping the story organically" at some point. I'd love to hear more about that specific topic, in case you need any more video ideas :)
I Liked aquaman, thought it was amazing, but i understood the problems with the screenplay. It looked like it had limitations. It looked like studio executives were the ones calling the shots. Because you know, Audience. Fights sell, CGI sells, Hero bod sells. But importantly, it's the screenplay. THAT sells. So i was happy knowing that James wan actually learned from the flaws in the first film and is trying to weave a more better narrative this time around with the second one. But, a little message to wan: KEEP THE STUDIO OUT FROM THE MOVIE. They will shit on it. Don't do that. This is what i had to say. By the way, are you really a woman or a man pretending to be a woman with a glossy thumbnail? It kinda bugs me.
I can't disagree with any of the points you made. But at the same time I loved how enjoyably dumb the movie was. The spectacle alone kept me invested. My only complaint is that we didn't see enough of the crab people at the end. Hopefully in a sequel?
Loved the movie even though it wasn't perfect. But it will be interesting to see how it expands going forward. (Not only a Aquaman 2 but a Trench movie too.)
The writing was particularly weak at times but something about this movie, I don’t know exactly what, maybe the music, the visuals, the concept or the fact I’ve always been so intrigued with the idea of “Atlantis” that made me love this movie... it was just fun to watch, I found myself not minding the flaws of the writing because I just loved the world I was watching.
I think it does well as a legit comic book movie. Not too serious but not overly cheesy. Nice balance of effects and acting do this movie solid. I'm so glad they kept Black Mantace with the same ridiculous oversized head.
When I first saw it, I felt they super-glazed over all the emotional parts that were supposed to make us care about characters. That was my biggest disconnect. It seemed like we were being told to care about characters that the writing did nothing to set us up for. That & the sub fight scene was a little ridiculous.
With the exception of Black Manta :) The love that we saw between the father and son at the beginning felt so much more real than the love we generally see between two villains, and the villainous son's desperation to avenge his villainous father's death was probably the most compellingly human part of the whole movie for me.
Was I the only one who felt like all of William Defoe’s lines in this movie were just minutes of exposition? It felt like he was the tutorial npc if this was a video game.
I hate it when movies or games just strap you to you're seat for 5 minutes to force feed you a big chunk of the plot like a last minute lecture before a pop quiz.
I just think the movie is deserving of more praise because it felt like a breathe of fresh air from the Snyder vision of the DCEU and was more of a real coherent story than a teaser for a Justice League movie
im not saying a coherent story is all that is needed, and Man of Steel just felt pointless after the hour and a half mark because it was just invincible people hitting eachother for an hour, killing civilians and destroying a city in the process. im not a dceu fan. I hated all the movies they have made up until aquaman. the characters were more relatable and charismatic, the interactions and motivations felt genuine, and the acting was solid for the most part. The coherent story, plot, and dialogue are what made it work.
@@coot33 It's not the same movie because, unlike in Aquaman, the characters in Black Panther actually had clear transformative arcs, and the story is much more realistic too.
What I thought was really interesting about the Aquaman movie is it was basically shaped as a comic book instead of a movie. I don't think the script was weak because of the different stories and then BAM sudden action, it felt like reading an episodic issue after issue, which was such a cool take on a super hero movie.
Actually, I thought this movie was amazing and really made sense as a whole, but that's because I really like to focus on characters and I felt that the whole plot about the story was really about Arthur developing as a character. In the beginning, Arthur doesn't want to be the king, he just wants to live his life and maybe beat up some bad guys along the way, but then he sees the danger that the world is in and so goes along with Mera and Velko's plan, but screws it up because all he knows about solving problems is punching them with his fists, he even admits that to Mera. His pursuit of the trident isn't about claiming a powerful mcguffin, it's about proving to the people of Atlantis, and ultimately himself, that he is worthy of being king. The pursuit of the trident isn't Arthur's motivation, his motivation is stopping Orm from using his power as king to destroy the world and the trident is just a tool to do that. So, saying that Arthur and Orm had motivations that don't conflict is actually kind of a mischaracterization, or at least a very shallow reading, of the film. They do conflict, actually, Orm wants to use his power as king to convince the Atlantean world to attack the surface, and Arthur wants to prove himself to the Atlanteans so he can stop it. Orm wouldn't have captured Arthur and challenged him to a duel if they're motivation hadn't conflicted. Ultimately, Arthur's story is about him becoming worthy to lead Atlantis as its king and proving himself rather than Orm who inherited the throne from his father, and Arthur proves he's worthy of the throne by learning to think, learning to have mercy, and learning that most problems can't be solved with violence, that they sometimes have to be solved with compassion.
You could add to that the scene where he solves the riddle with his knowledge of Roman history. The scene impacted me mostly because I'm a history buff and I like seeing stuff like that in movies. More importantly, though it shows to the viewer and the character that he can solve problems in ways other than just punching them. That's kind of journey moment for him because, though he knew that he knew history, he never thought something like that could be useful in the way it was.
I don't see that arc playing out at all. Apart from Mera's pep talk, there's very little in the movie to suggest that he's having any kind of internal struggle with his role as king, and it's not convincing that he makes such a dramatic shift. He hates Atlantis and is never shown to find a reason to love it.
@@eduardosp2024 Arthur never hates Atlantis, he's rejected by it, but he's embraced by it at the end because he was able to prove himself to them by recovering a precious artifact, the Trident, and by defeating Orm. And his arc is kind of there if you listen for it, he starts off refusing to become king, then agrees to safe the world, then sees that Orm needs to be stopped and a better king needs to be put in place, but is unsure if he is really up for the role (see the scene in the boat before the Trenchers show up), and then finally proves to Atlantis and himself that he can be a good king by defeating and sparing Orm.
Great vid! I thought you will mention something about Aquaman being the only one who can comunicate with sea creatures, solves his principal quest with it, and no give a philosophy or explanation to the power (Sorry if i wrote poorly, i am not english native)
The telepathy has never been explained in the original comics either. It's just something that makes Aquaman different from all other Atlanteans, like Mera's water power.
@@Kevin_Street A friend that's a comic geek told me it's actually an Atlantean curse, but it's a complete different plot and story only for that. About Mera's powers i think you can justify them in the movie by telling every atlantean have them at some level but they are about control flux and volume not effective as a giant fork or a shark,. No one really has a good chance to use them in a strong way. Just a thought
They vaguely explained it by having the monster say that no one has spoken to him since King Atlan. So it could be hereditary. Still doesn't explain why Ornn doesn't have it, I guess.
What's interesting watching this video is that its perspective on Aquaman and his villains gives another view on how certain elements can be so good, yet so flawed. the channel filmento made the claim that in part, aquaman works well enough, because Aquaman's goals are in constant opposition to his villains, and in doing so, there's no room for compromise, and thus no easy resolution to the conflict. Black Manta wants to kill Arthur, Arthur doesn't want to die. Orm wants to invade the land, Arthur wants to protect it. Strong conflict, easy way to push each other. What you're getting at though is that the means in the macro sense don't quite line up, and that makes the overall narrative weaker. I'd actually say that despite the logistical weakness this creates, it gives the film an interesting take on the nature of power and almost something controversial in the "modern" world. That the true power to rule always comes from a "divine mandate" of sorts, and the only way to reach that mandate is through humility, compassion and having the right people to keep you in check. Orm goes about doing his work through manipulations. He barely gives Vulko any time of day, and relies off trickery and force to enforce his will. He has what could be considered a noble goal of protecting his kingdom from man's evil, and nobody ever disputes that this isn't a thing. But the means by which he does this with a false flag, assassination, and outright invasion of a rival kingdom make him a vicious and unjust king. Arthur was pulled into this situation because Mera and Vulko came to him for help. He didn't want any part of helping the place that sent his mother to die, but after seeing the potential consequences of losing his father, he felt obligated to go down and fight. He even tried to make a trial by combat in order to show he was a worthy warrior to overthrow Orm. But, when that part of his agency failed, he was compelled to go along with this other plan, though as mentioned after the fight with Manta, it was against his character to have something like losing happen so often. To the commandos, to orm, even barely fighting a draw with Black Manta. In the end, he reached the trident, guarded by a "great beast", and through conversation, spoke that he wanted to serve instead of gain power for itself. And in his attempt, was granted the power he needed, and was granted not only a new weapon, but also brought forth a beast so impossibly powerful, nothing the manipulator through at him could stop it. So that by the end, the greatest trickeries of the finest manipulators were nothing against the mandate of the gods. I don't deny that there's a LOT of flab that could be trimmed in this process, but I actually find the structure pretty interesting in that way.
It was a great movie - the second DCU movie after Wonder Woman actually worth watching, really - but yeah, Aquaman learning diplomacy sounds even more fun, because Aquaman trying to talk his way out of stuff was always hilarious. You can still have the action scenes when THAT goes wrong or Orm tries to interrupt it with violence.
@WhoDarestheMAN gamer Why bring up Marvel? They weren't the ones nominated. Compare Suicide Squad's makeup to other movies from that year, or to past nominees, if you must. And no, not a lot of people care about the makeup award. Whenever award season roles around, it's the movies for best picture, director, lead/supporting actors/actresses, and screenplay that are talked about. The rest are not as prestigious and not focused on.
Yess I was so excited when I saw this! I loved Aquaman but you're definitely right about how there were a lot of disjointed motivations. I *thought* Aquaman was going to go and ask the other kings but yeah didn't turn out that way...Maybe in the next one...(also the spectacle was definitely...worth it)
INTERESTING TRIVIA: Joss Whedon re-wrote most of the entire script for Aquaman after his Justice League movie cause Warner Brothers wanted the tones and executions to be similar. But James Wan (Going against Warner Brothers' rules) went back to Zach Snyder for his approval with the script and Snyder re-did most of what Whedon wrote. And according to Wan, he said that the script Joss Whedon wrote had a ton or way too much of Sexy, Funny, Inappropriate Jokes, Flirtation, bathos, scenes between Arthur and Mera and the majority of the movie. And it was Snyder's idea to add the "Atlantis backstory" to give the movie some level of depth and interest, instead of a 2 hour movie about Aquaman and Mera trying to hookup with each other with abrupt action scenes.
So wait, which version is better in your opinion? I kinda like the one we got and don't think I'd like that other version, but I thought Zach Snyder was what was wrong with the DCEU...
I honestly really liked the film, even the script, despite its flaws. The main reason being the incredibly fun pacing (and yes, that includes the action scenes every 10 minutes and Arthur having a pretty solid character arc, which is pretty rare in non-MCU superhero movies.
What's his arc? I never really saw anything that convinced me he had a change of heart to go from reluctant loner to wanting to be king of Atlantis (which he's always hated)
@@eduardosp2024 I'd have to rewatch the movie to remember everything, but if I remember right he became king because he saw that Atlantis was in dire need of guidance by someone like him (as Orm and his planned war on the surface shows), while seeing its potential (likely in Mera). Finally, he blamed Atlantis for taking his mum away, but comes to realize it was the fault of individuals, not the whole people (as Orm's love for her and resentment for her supposed death shows). I believe his conversation with the giant kraken monster near the end elaborated more on it, I think something along the lines of "if I don't become king someone worse will". Again, some details might be wrong.
The arc was him realizing that his duty to be king was more important than his fear/not wanting to. He tells the Karathen that Atlantis needs him even though he thinks he isn't worthy. That is his story in this movie.
Gui Caldo i just don’t see that articulated at all. For me he never voices any particular reason to rule an entire civilization. It’s too much inference and not much character work.
I don't really mind exposition, so this movie was pretty enjoyable and not boring for me and I loved it! And yeah, those explosions were annoying but... who doesn't like explosions (especially the underwater ones) I am not supporting the idea of overusing explosions for EXCITEMENT but those explosions were cool and also led us to cool action scenes so I don't have a problem with them...
The problem was that they didn't really give any time to grow and love the characters. They were too busy explaining things and never really living or making decisions. Just explaining the next plot point.
Well I did like Aquaman when he came out and stopped the war with the help of his trident near the end. I did like Mera when she used her water manipulating powers in Italy to stop those Atlantic Guards! I did Black Manta when he made a cool entrance and also he had got a great motivation for wanting revenge on Aquaman! King Orm was ehhh, not that good, but still, okay... The rest of the characters were pretty average but also forgettable, at least for me!
watching this on DVD makes you realize just how poorly done this movie is, if critics had to watch this on a laptop I guarantee you it's MetaCritic score would be closer to 25 than 55
People just really, really don't know how to enjoy a story these days. Lol Anyway, Aquaman felt very comic booky to me, and I loved it for it, it managed to show a story that would surely take up about 30 chapters or so. Now we have this whole entire world build for us in one single movie, I think that between the dialog and the action, it was all built up very nicely. And seriously, how perfect do you need the story to be to enjoy a live action Atlantis!? It looked beyond awesome!
Very insightful! I think most writers ignore the Marvel films when looking for advice on how to write. While you might not take advice from it if you're trying to write a psychological thriller, there's a lot that can be learned (good and bad) from these films that are able to connect with so many people.
Side note: When Aquaman came to "save the day" at the end - Aquaman and Mary Kraken burst through the sea floor in which the battle was taking place between Orm's army and the...crab...people (the brine?) But when they did, they came right up under the side of the battlefield where the crab people, who essentially were the only army stopping Orm, were stationed. I mean how many thousands of crab soldiers did he kill in that attempt to stop Orm? It wasn't like it was small scene. it was the scene right where Orm was going to fight the Crab King one on one. The fight being interrupted by....an explosion. technically an eruption I guess.
My main problem with the film is how the script ignores the conflict Arthur has about being king of Atlantis: "you need to be the king and the ruler of the seven seas.... even tough they won't accept you". And before you comment: yes I know he became that at the end of the movie but my problem relies on the lack of conflict about him being a King; Thus, there's no development or any change for Arthur, consequently the title of king isn't something he earned. Let me explain. The whole idea of finding the mcguffin (aka "Poseidon's Trident") is to be the TRUE king of Atlantis and everyone should accept him and that's.... too lazy. You could argue it's on their traditions and works as a mirror to the legend of King Arthur (the medieval one, not the DC superhero) where whoever gets the Trident/Sword is a signal that he's worthy. Yet, I fail to see any struggle for Arthur and his journey. Heck, he even says that he will do it only because Mera saved his father. There's no real motivation rather than "I'm contractually obligated to do so". In contrast another film with a similar structure and journey handles this "accept you're a King" story in a satisfactory way: Black Panther. On the first act, there's "the ceremony" where T'challa gets to fight for the trone (while he was taken away of his stregn) with any tribe to prove he's the true protector of Wakanda and King-worthy. No mcguffins, no superpowers or suits, only his abylities. I'm not saying they should've gone in that direction step by step but in T'Challa's story arc he's "legally" the protector of Wakanda by the end of first act and it's not until he defeats his cousin and makes a substancial decision for his kingdom to open the boundaries that he becomes the true King. He learned his mistakes and overcome the ones his father did in the past. He did not want to kill Erick, and didn't want to be a murderer to his family like his father T'Chaka. He could save Erick and offered assistance, we know that the antagonist rejects him but you can't deny that his last wish was respected. Desicion taken not as a superhero, as a King. It's not a innovative or original plot but it works. Whereas in Aquaman Arthur just gets the pointy thing, fights his brother, everyone in the sea just accepts he's the new king and BOM problem solved. I don't see him showing mercy to Orm as an act of what a "true king" would do. This was only paid off because he let someone die at the beggining of the film and felt guilty. Arthur could've killed his brother and nothing would've changed, he got the Trident, he's the king know and it doesn't matter what happens to the legitimate king (Orm). I know I'm being nitpicky but spectacle over substance is not something that the audience should accept just because "it's a movie". Entertaiment and good story telling shouldn't be trown away and I'm talking about every genre. Even the blockbuster-ish movies.
I completely hated everything about this movie but I loved the Trench people (?) because they reminded me of the Deep Ones. Edit: I couldn’t tell if this movie took itself seriously or not, and then I realized that it did. Just my opinion
MikeAnthonyVEVO There was way too much CGI and the scenes were ‘too big’ if you know what i’m saying. There was too much on the screen at once. And the story was not really too interesting, mainly because the characters weren’t interesting.
A very big THANK YOU for this video! Since the beginning there was something wrong in the writing of Aquaman for me, but I just couldn’t figure out what it was. You teach me a lot!
Cinematographers and designers should also learn a lot from Aquaman, it's so beautiful that I can't even watch other movies without comparing it to Aquaman.
This is an excellent video! Imo, you're the best movie critic (Movie academic?) on UA-cam. I liked Aquaman, but you're totally right about the movie. The episodic feel of it, with three different characters engaged in different quests, may be a consequence of its fairly close adaptation of a specific comic book series: Geoff Johns's Aquaman comics from around 2013-2014. I was surprised by how much of the comics they included in this movie, since DC films haven't been particularly faithful to specific storylines before now. It's like they tried to jam *every* character and plot from two or three years of comic book stories into one movie.
I really enjoyed this movie, I thought the script was rediculously brilliant. it didn't slow the action down, and it was exagerrated on purpose. This movie doesn't take itself seriously which is a quality I wish more comic based movies would adapt.
Great video. I got onto your wavelength very early as soon as you pointed out that Wan was a horror director. Everything else fell into place as you began to explain it I saw where you were going. Excellent script and your points were very well put. Again, great video.
This was a fun movie , writing wasn’t perfect but tip of the hat to James Wan on taking the biggest joke of superheroes and making him the biggest DC box office hero 🧜🏽♂️🍺
Omg your proposed alternate storylines would have made the film so much better. That way the characters could actually be fighting over the same thing rather than completely different things.
I’m biased, coz Aquaman is my-man, I absolutely loved this movie. Enough to see it 4x in theaters. But eventually I noticed what you were pointing out in this vid. Still love it
I just watched Aquaman yesterday, and you summed up a lot of my issues with the film. The dialogue was pretty terrible throughout (especially the clunky exposition scenes), and having scenes constantly interrupted by explosions was laughable by the end. Really the action sequence in the Greek(?) coastal town was the only one that I really liked. The final CGI fest did nothing for me. As you pointed out, the movie really just happens to Arthur. I never thought I'd be saying this, but I preferred him in Justice League. He had more of a personality there.
By the time the Italy sequence kicked off, the group I saw the movie with were laughing. The movie’s formula is built around exposition...BOOM! Explosion. It’s like a parody of an action movie
I actually LOVED Aquaman, and honestly I think part of the reason why is precisely what you cite as "faults". I like the exposition. Aquaman isn't a character most people know that much about. His story, specifically ANY version of his origin story are pretty much a blank slate that hasn't been done to death (like Superman, Spiderman, or Batman). Without exposition, we don't care about the characters - and all the action scenes in the world aren't going to change that. Aquaman is actually closer in story structure to Wonder Woman - it's an origin story about the character learning who they truly are, accepting that knowledge, using their knowledge to create change, and helping people. And you've also forgotten that Orm doesn't simply want to become king in this version of the story - Orm's seen the destruction of the oceans caused by humans - and he wants revenge. This is why Orm works with Black Manta. In this version, Aquaman let Manta's father die, so, in a phrase, "it's personal" and Manta wants revenge. BTW - I recommend that you watch Justice League Throne of Atlantis, an animated movie that's actually very close to this Aquaman movie. I'm curious to know what you think of it.
Wonder if there is also a super hero called landman. He lives on land, has a kingdom there, can talk to land animals. Has the ability to breathe air, and run on land very fast. What about airman? That would be nice.
I wish Just Write had addressed the source material as part of the script and film analysis. The comic series Geoff wrote is a direct basis for the film. Still, great work, as always, on the video Just Write...they could have done better with the dialogue and explosion issues.
Awww yes, it would seem Aquaman has come down with a terrible case of Bleach (the anime) syndrome. Where in the main character is stuck in a constant state of reacting to unexpected attacks and things that keep happening one after the other for no explicit reason.
i can see your points. But i really like those "Origin storys" and the"World building". But thats likely just because i personally like this kind of stuff
I just thought this movie was a heck of a lot of fun but something I couldn't really articulate tweaked me about it. It does rather have a lack of focus, doesn't it. It had a bit of that Indiana Jones/Uncharted-type feel, but it was lacking because the focus was so split. I liked the adventure and I liked the worldbuilding of all the kingdoms but neither one got enough time to shine on their own. Now I really wish I could've seen a movie where they leaned all the way into one or the other. Heck I'm pretty sure "Unite the Seven" was on a poster with Aquaman on it at one point...
I love the way you subtlety don't like this movie and you tell us why, but don't seem like a jerk. Very educated as well! I agree 100%, though I wouldn't praise it as much myself.
Could the sudden explosions also relate to how the oceans life is constantly being interrupted by human actions? Also, keep your analysis up dude. Keep it up.
Thank you for this video! After watching Aquaman, I knew there were things wrong with it that took away from it--which you voiced in here, and then some!
My absolute favorite thing about the Aquaman movie is how much it doesn't hold back the comic book wildness. The armies of laser shark and seahorse riders fighting against crab people, the swarm of terrifying swamp creatures, the tidal waves, the octopus playing the drums. For the longest time it felt like superhero movies were kind of ashamed of their origin. Supernatural elements were toned down, characters made sly remarks about not wanting to wear spandex. And here we have a movie that treats Aquaman donning his full neon orange and green costume with epic fanfare. And then he sends an army of fish and marine mammals to save the day. No one treats any of the things that are happening as corny or stupid, they just roll with it. I'd been craving a superhero movie like this. Infinity War and Thor Ragnarok got close, but this and Into the Spiderverse took the cake.
I've never seen this movie so after talking about slow motion with guitar over it, I thought this guy at 3:19 was jumping into the scene holding a futuristic electric guitar.
This movie reminds me of a joke that Yahtzee from Zero Punctuation made in one of his Metal Gear Solid reviews. he said he wished that he could end awkward conversations by pulling a ripcord and getting sucked out of the room, similar to the Fulton Recovery System featured in the game. Whenever the writers have a boring scene or dont know how to end a scene they just write *insert explosion here* and cut to something unrelated.
Careful dude, WB goes after channels like yours and I love seeing your content. The Closer Look and Nando V. Movies have had experience and had their videos taken down, flagged, etc.
This film is carried almost entirely on the pure spectacle and natural charisma of the cast (Wilson hams it to a 11 in a way that even Lee Pace's Ronan would be proud of lol) and it completely works for me haha. These are all valid critiques that would've made a more interesting movie on a narrative scale but I loved how bonkers it was, warts and all. The best summer movie I've watched in the winter in a long time lol
Tbh, I thought the movie sucked besides the aesthetics...which leads me to what I believe is the reason why this movie received so much love - Ppl were more subconsciously swayed by the aesthetics, including the 2 "pretty actors" which may have been the biggest reason why ppl were sooo into this movie. Will start with the lead - Jason Mamoa. Overall, women/gay men think he's gorgeous and straight men, depending on where they are mentally, subconsciously may aspire to "look as good as him" or in the case of a married with children, "straight" male fellow employee, he doesn't hold back on how good he thinks he looks, espousing profusely about how attractive he is. There are some straight who can openly admit that another man is highly attracted. I can admit, I've done it and used that as fuel for myself to look as good as possible but never spoke on a good looking guy as profusely as my associate at work. There's rules to this, but I digress. Heh. Amber Heard - Same deal but in reverse but women are soooo much more to willing to openly admire another woman's looks, depending on the culture. These 2 spark ppl's aspirations. It's natural but to let that blind u to a certain reality, case in point, how bad this movies was, is not good. Then there were the beautiful shots and colors. That speaks to the basic ppl's appreciation of beauty and how it makes them feel. The colors thing I believe is just more innate as even as infants, colorful things grab our attention more and that may have a stronger effect than just beautiful shots. For me, Mamoa is a good looking guy but no one that inspires me with their looks. Amber is a pretty woman but avg and her look in this movie was more distracting than anything else. There was some great action to boot but not all the action was so great. I'll leave that there. Anyway, I will continue watching...
I wish for Jason Momoa to be in other big or small movies where his role is not to "Aaararrggggg", his face and expresions can be such an interesting adherence to a deeper role... He even complained about the lack of opportunities after Drogo, some people even thought he couldnt speak like a regular person.
Damn straight all is forgiven. That movie was batshit crazy. God I wish I saw it on the big screen. No one told me the drum playing octopus! I would have taken some acid and booked out an entire frickin' IMAX.
glad someone else noticed the same explosion interruption over and over
Screen Junkies did
Literally every one did lol it’s one of the most mentioned things about the movie
this movie reminds me more of a bad FPS game than an actual film. Some FPS's like a few of the Call of Duty games will just have your character get knocked unconscious whenever they need a scene transition, which is ok for a game since the bar is set pretty low. The problem is the writing for even a great game doesnt transition well for movies so when your movie has writing on par with a poorly written game...
Every explosion interruption was actually just a shockwave triggered by Topo the octopus sending forth an epic DRUMSPLOSION. :-)
It’s odd that James Wan didn’t set up the tension better since his horror movies are often noted for their impeccable buildup of tension.
There probably wasn't time at all to build up tension, so we go straight from "normal" to "payoff"
For most of the movie, you're right, but the scene where they dove into the trench got pretty tense, I thought. Unsurprisingly, it's by far the most horror-y sequence of the entire film, Wan was clearly in his wheelhouse there.
@@jeffm7007 but then it's over in like 30 seconds and we go back to mediocre action movie
I feel that it was a better decision. The guy who wrote the script wrote also Venom and Gangster Squad, none of which are any competent. Making action a cheep jump scare worked in the favor of this movie resembling aa corny action show from 80s.
@@jeffm7007 Yep, I specifically said after the movie that was by far my favorite action sequence. It makes sense in hindsight with Wan as director.
You've taught me more about proper narrative structuring than I've learned in every creative writing class I've ever taken.
real talk. my college creative writing class was shite.
😂 honestly though that little infodrop about the Mission Impossibles? Imma be remembering that shit
See my reply to GalacticCrafter.
@@jodhod1498 why specifically "male" writers?
@@turifast5065
It's a guy thing. Testosterone and all that. I can attest.
Sharks with frickn laser beams attached to their heads is why I loved this movie. It was DC embracing the weird rather than trying to work around it. (The story was lacking though. Thanks for pointing out the non-competing motivations.)
Jonathan Eby “You can’t like a whole movie for an animal on screen
To me, who grew up with Saint Seiya manga and anime, Aquaman feels like the best live-action adaptation of Saint Seiya I never knew I wanted.
As a writer aspiring, I appreciate your attention to how storytelling is often based in patterns, not merely gut feelings-and how balance between characters and plot channels is crucial. Kudos!
This is a really good point. They go hand and hand. If you get the patterns right, it will subconsciously work in the viewers mind. They may not know how it all works, but whatever reason it does.
Aquaman learning diplomacy was the thing that the movie most needed IMO...Because that would give him a proper arc to grow...
Some people say that he learned mercy and that was his arc, but I disagree...I don't think he was going to kill his brother in the first fight even if he had the chance, he just wanted to kick his ass...
So Aquaman went from a guy who wanted to solve things by punching...to a guy who have solved things by punching.
And I'm not saying that he shouldn't fight his brother at the end, but the movie would have been better if he also used worlds during the fight.
It's also a weird way to write a movie about the Rightful King narrative. Arthur doesn't want to be King, he's not really all that good at it, and most important he hasn't done anything to earn it. Orm is shown to be a bad King because he solves all his problems with violence. But so does Arthur!
@@theobenzmiller5522 Yeah!! The only difference is that Arthur was choseen one...So he won because of that...
Hue Hue But Pow and Boom
Learning diplomacy- that will be in the sequel. Besides, no one ever minded Capt. Kirk knowing nothing about diplomacy.
@@ojwh1933 Exactly! And it's a really, really old idea about kingship and royalty. Why is someone "allowed" to be king? Because they are born to it. A good king relies on advisors to advise him. They make decisions based on the info they have. Hopefully, that info itself is good and not biased. And hopefully, the king makes good decisions. (BTW - this is also how one can define a good leader: listen to honest advisors, then make a decision. And learn from your mistakes. It's why I liked Weir as leader on Stargate: Atlantis and hated Sam Carter. Robert Picardo (I forget his character's name) was the third type of leader, someone thrown into the role, with no experience, who just tries to do the best he can. Um, that sounds like how people are seeing Arthur. We do see Arthur learning in the movie, though, and hopefully that will continue in the sequel.
By the way, if you look at history- there is a "self-correcting factor" for bad kings. A truly bad king is usually overthrown. There's a revolution, or parliament removes the king, locks him up, and declares a Regency, or the king is killed. Historically, it's easier to get rid of a bad king than an elected dictator. (For one thing, everyone usually knows who the king's successor is.)
MY MAN.... uploading again. Great vide.... (explotion interrupts comment).
I don't know if the misspelling of explosion/exposition was intentional or not but I'll assume yes and chuckle at the joke
@@spencerpowell9289 Explosition!
@@OMGmyFACE LMAO!
i want to like this comment but it would change from 420 (insert explosion here too)
The script was the weakest aspect imo. Wan's vision and visuals really propelled the film.
I agree but the script is more or less the most important thing.
I think the enormous success of this film proves that’s not true.
You can't rely on the visuals to get the audience's attention
Look what happened to Jupiter Ascending
The charisma of the lead helped too.
@@Ineddiblehulk Success is not directly tied to quality. I mean the movie was enjoyable but at some points I could literally say the lines with the characters. I've only seen it once. It was just really, really cliche.
Arthur having to convince the other Kingdoms to join him would have been a much better movie IMHO. As it is, he doesn't really learn anything and he doesn't really earn anything. He becomes King, but not because he's a better ruler or a more popular one or anything like that. He becomes King because he beat up everyone who might stop him. And the weird thing is, by the end of the movie he doesn't even really want to be King, so not only does the conflict fall flat, the resolution does too.
Theo Benzmiller actually, he becomes king because he shows his humility and understanding to a creature who was easily wiping the floor with him.
His seen in the Trident room goes his way when he stops trying to use force and starts talking to the monster. He also learns the importance of showing Mercy.
For those reasons I think this beasts most MCU Origin stories.
Plus we would have seen more of the under water shit, which is kinda a big deal for a movie about Atlantis. We hardly even saw the main city never mind any of the other kingdoms.
He learned that his actions have consequences. He literally admits he caused Black Manta.
Literally haven't watched the movie lmao
"Giant squid voiced by mary poppins"
*goes to watch movie*
Squid: I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!
The whole "no agency, gets things explained to him, punches things" angle *could* work really well, if you actively make the film about Mera and Vulko trying to carry Arthur through the crisis because he's the only claim to legitimacy they've got. This theme is kinda present, but it's more of a subtext.
It was there though, and it actually made Mera's investment more rational than is often the case for most female love interests.
And then actually have the turning point of the film be about him taking control of things for himself and changing the course of both his life and his kingdom.
Good point, their reason for believing in him and particularly Vulko's relationship is really hollow. There's no real reason to believe in him.
Yeah I think Aquaman having no agency was a must considering he doesn't really want to be king or know any of the lore/stuff.
Aquaman didn't really need agency, since Mera had it. It was in many ways her story with Aquaman along for the ride. Which I was fine with because she was a really interesting and fun character.
I've always been baffled at how professional screenwriters can miss some of the basic building blocks of making a good story. Like utilizing character motivations to weave a coherent plot. But as I learn more about the industry, it seems to me that they aren't untalented fools who failed their way into high-prestige writing jobs. They're probably limited by the studio.
You *have* to have this many action scenes.
You *have* to include these villains, because surveys show that's what fans like.
You *have* to end the movie with a fight.
I'd have gone to see this movie in theatres if they had made Aquaman have to learn diplomacy. Great idea. Love your videos.
This is what happens when you use brain.
You figure things out.
William Goldman, one of my favourite screenwriters of all time, and two time academy award winner for Butch cassidy and sundance kid and All the president's men, said the same thing for hollywood movies. He hated them. He didn't like them for having unnecessary things against character and plot. I too, feel the same, although there have been exceptions.
Really enjoyed this video man :)
I enjoyed the movie but was also so ... disappointed, I guess ... that Mr Eye-Candy didn't have to learn diplomacy. At all. Especially because then we'd have an interesting character arc, or at least a proper learning curve for the protagonist.
You mentioned "developping the story organically" at some point. I'd love to hear more about that specific topic, in case you need any more video ideas :)
I Liked aquaman, thought it was amazing, but i understood the problems with the screenplay. It looked like it had limitations. It looked like studio executives were the ones calling the shots. Because you know, Audience. Fights sell, CGI sells, Hero bod sells. But importantly, it's the screenplay. THAT sells.
So i was happy knowing that James wan actually learned from the flaws in the first film and is trying to weave a more better narrative this time around with the second one. But, a little message to wan: KEEP THE STUDIO OUT FROM THE MOVIE. They will shit on it. Don't do that. This is what i had to say.
By the way, are you really a woman or a man pretending to be a woman with a glossy thumbnail? It kinda bugs me.
I can't disagree with any of the points you made. But at the same time I loved how enjoyably dumb the movie was. The spectacle alone kept me invested. My only complaint is that we didn't see enough of the crab people at the end. Hopefully in a sequel?
maxxe2 the entire movie was epic, those crabs were dope!!!
Loved the movie even though it wasn't perfect. But it will be interesting to see how it expands going forward. (Not only a Aquaman 2 but a Trench movie too.)
The writing was particularly weak at times but something about this movie, I don’t know exactly what, maybe the music, the visuals, the concept or the fact I’ve always been so intrigued with the idea of “Atlantis” that made me love this movie... it was just fun to watch, I found myself not minding the flaws of the writing because I just loved the world I was watching.
I think it does well as a legit comic book movie. Not too serious but not overly cheesy. Nice balance of effects and acting do this movie solid. I'm so glad they kept Black Mantace with the same ridiculous oversized head.
When I first saw it, I felt they super-glazed over all the emotional parts that were supposed to make us care about characters. That was my biggest disconnect. It seemed like we were being told to care about characters that the writing did nothing to set us up for. That & the sub fight scene was a little ridiculous.
With the exception of Black Manta :) The love that we saw between the father and son at the beginning felt so much more real than the love we generally see between two villains, and the villainous son's desperation to avenge his villainous father's death was probably the most compellingly human part of the whole movie for me.
Was I the only one who felt like all of William Defoe’s lines in this movie were just minutes of exposition? It felt like he was the tutorial npc if this was a video game.
I hate it when movies or games just strap you to you're seat for 5 minutes to force feed you a big chunk of the plot like a last minute lecture before a pop quiz.
Waste of a brilliant actor is what it is
"The politics of the seven kingdoms" so, not only did they have khal drogo, they also have the whole Westeros. Huh
Hahaha. Crossover?
MICHAEL SCOTT!! That's so hilarious and soooo accurate
I like CorderyFX's term "explosition," for when an exposition scene is interrupted with an explosion.
I just think the movie is deserving of more praise because it felt like a breathe of fresh air from the Snyder vision of the DCEU and was more of a real coherent story than a teaser for a Justice League movie
It should have been nominated for best picture after all black panther was and it is the same movie.
I think I'm in the minority that actually liked Man of Steel.
You think MoS is shit? Really ? Did you get too bored ?@@danielalmodovarrico8134
im not saying a coherent story is all that is needed, and Man of Steel just felt pointless after the hour and a half mark because it was just invincible people hitting eachother for an hour, killing civilians and destroying a city in the process. im not a dceu fan. I hated all the movies they have made up until aquaman. the characters were more relatable and charismatic, the interactions and motivations felt genuine, and the acting was solid for the most part. The coherent story, plot, and dialogue are what made it work.
@@coot33 It's not the same movie because, unlike in Aquaman, the characters in Black Panther actually had clear transformative arcs, and the story is much more realistic too.
What I thought was really interesting about the Aquaman movie is it was basically shaped as a comic book instead of a movie. I don't think the script was weak because of the different stories and then BAM sudden action, it felt like reading an episodic issue after issue, which was such a cool take on a super hero movie.
"I wonder if he'll talk about the running theme of interrupting scenes with explo- oh it's literally the first sentence."
Lol I made my comment before watching about how my gripe was talking then explosion the whole movie.
I really liked the movie but I did notice after about the 5th time that conversations kept getting interrupted by explosions.
5th time?
Actually, I thought this movie was amazing and really made sense as a whole, but that's because I really like to focus on characters and I felt that the whole plot about the story was really about Arthur developing as a character.
In the beginning, Arthur doesn't want to be the king, he just wants to live his life and maybe beat up some bad guys along the way, but then he sees the danger that the world is in and so goes along with Mera and Velko's plan, but screws it up because all he knows about solving problems is punching them with his fists, he even admits that to Mera. His pursuit of the trident isn't about claiming a powerful mcguffin, it's about proving to the people of Atlantis, and ultimately himself, that he is worthy of being king. The pursuit of the trident isn't Arthur's motivation, his motivation is stopping Orm from using his power as king to destroy the world and the trident is just a tool to do that. So, saying that Arthur and Orm had motivations that don't conflict is actually kind of a mischaracterization, or at least a very shallow reading, of the film. They do conflict, actually, Orm wants to use his power as king to convince the Atlantean world to attack the surface, and Arthur wants to prove himself to the Atlanteans so he can stop it. Orm wouldn't have captured Arthur and challenged him to a duel if they're motivation hadn't conflicted.
Ultimately, Arthur's story is about him becoming worthy to lead Atlantis as its king and proving himself rather than Orm who inherited the throne from his father, and Arthur proves he's worthy of the throne by learning to think, learning to have mercy, and learning that most problems can't be solved with violence, that they sometimes have to be solved with compassion.
You could add to that the scene where he solves the riddle with his knowledge of Roman history. The scene impacted me mostly because I'm a history buff and I like seeing stuff like that in movies. More importantly, though it shows to the viewer and the character that he can solve problems in ways other than just punching them. That's kind of journey moment for him because, though he knew that he knew history, he never thought something like that could be useful in the way it was.
I don't see that arc playing out at all. Apart from Mera's pep talk, there's very little in the movie to suggest that he's having any kind of internal struggle with his role as king, and it's not convincing that he makes such a dramatic shift. He hates Atlantis and is never shown to find a reason to love it.
@@eduardosp2024 Arthur never hates Atlantis, he's rejected by it, but he's embraced by it at the end because he was able to prove himself to them by recovering a precious artifact, the Trident, and by defeating Orm. And his arc is kind of there if you listen for it, he starts off refusing to become king, then agrees to safe the world, then sees that Orm needs to be stopped and a better king needs to be put in place, but is unsure if he is really up for the role (see the scene in the boat before the Trenchers show up), and then finally proves to Atlantis and himself that he can be a good king by defeating and sparing Orm.
I loved Aquaman man even though the script is really weak I think Moama and Wan really help the film.
If it wasnt for Moama this movie would be more on par with Green Lantern or Catwoman
Great vid!
I thought you will mention something about Aquaman being the only one who can comunicate with sea creatures, solves his principal quest with it, and no give a philosophy or explanation to the power
(Sorry if i wrote poorly, i am not english native)
The telepathy has never been explained in the original comics either. It's just something that makes Aquaman different from all other Atlanteans, like Mera's water power.
@@Kevin_Street A friend that's a comic geek told me it's actually an Atlantean curse, but it's a complete different plot and story only for that.
About Mera's powers i think you can justify them in the movie by telling every atlantean have them at some level but they are about control flux and volume not effective as a giant fork or a shark,. No one really has a good chance to use them in a strong way. Just a thought
They vaguely explained it by having the monster say that no one has spoken to him since King Atlan. So it could be hereditary. Still doesn't explain why Ornn doesn't have it, I guess.
Watched Aquaman a week ago and, oh my God, it's so cheeky. But the fact that they ain't ashamed of it is also my favorite part 😅
this movie is the cinematografic version of the "FBI open up " meme
What's interesting watching this video is that its perspective on Aquaman and his villains gives another view on how certain elements can be so good, yet so flawed.
the channel filmento made the claim that in part, aquaman works well enough, because Aquaman's goals are in constant opposition to his villains, and in doing so, there's no room for compromise, and thus no easy resolution to the conflict. Black Manta wants to kill Arthur, Arthur doesn't want to die. Orm wants to invade the land, Arthur wants to protect it. Strong conflict, easy way to push each other. What you're getting at though is that the means in the macro sense don't quite line up, and that makes the overall narrative weaker.
I'd actually say that despite the logistical weakness this creates, it gives the film an interesting take on the nature of power and almost something controversial in the "modern" world. That the true power to rule always comes from a "divine mandate" of sorts, and the only way to reach that mandate is through humility, compassion and having the right people to keep you in check.
Orm goes about doing his work through manipulations. He barely gives Vulko any time of day, and relies off trickery and force to enforce his will. He has what could be considered a noble goal of protecting his kingdom from man's evil, and nobody ever disputes that this isn't a thing. But the means by which he does this with a false flag, assassination, and outright invasion of a rival kingdom make him a vicious and unjust king.
Arthur was pulled into this situation because Mera and Vulko came to him for help. He didn't want any part of helping the place that sent his mother to die, but after seeing the potential consequences of losing his father, he felt obligated to go down and fight. He even tried to make a trial by combat in order to show he was a worthy warrior to overthrow Orm. But, when that part of his agency failed, he was compelled to go along with this other plan, though as mentioned after the fight with Manta, it was against his character to have something like losing happen so often. To the commandos, to orm, even barely fighting a draw with Black Manta. In the end, he reached the trident, guarded by a "great beast", and through conversation, spoke that he wanted to serve instead of gain power for itself. And in his attempt, was granted the power he needed, and was granted not only a new weapon, but also brought forth a beast so impossibly powerful, nothing the manipulator through at him could stop it. So that by the end, the greatest trickeries of the finest manipulators were nothing against the mandate of the gods.
I don't deny that there's a LOT of flab that could be trimmed in this process, but I actually find the structure pretty interesting in that way.
It was a great movie - the second DCU movie after Wonder Woman actually worth watching, really - but yeah, Aquaman learning diplomacy sounds even more fun, because Aquaman trying to talk his way out of stuff was always hilarious.
You can still have the action scenes when THAT goes wrong or Orm tries to interrupt it with violence.
@WhoDarestheMAN gamer . Oscar for best makeup. Who gives a damn about that, best movie and actors is where it's at.
@WhoDarestheMAN gamer Why bring up Marvel? They weren't the ones nominated. Compare Suicide Squad's makeup to other movies from that year, or to past nominees, if you must. And no, not a lot of people care about the makeup award. Whenever award season roles around, it's the movies for best picture, director, lead/supporting actors/actresses, and screenplay that are talked about. The rest are not as prestigious and not focused on.
Yess I was so excited when I saw this! I loved Aquaman but you're definitely right about how there were a lot of disjointed motivations. I *thought* Aquaman was going to go and ask the other kings but yeah didn't turn out that way...Maybe in the next one...(also the spectacle was definitely...worth it)
I don't care about these flaws since I believe they are in the source material. This movie had me almost crying of joy.
How are movie-specific narrations and editing choices a part of a broad decade-long ocean of source material?
We laughed about the interrupting Aquaman explosions as we walked out of the theater. It was really bad!
INTERESTING TRIVIA: Joss Whedon re-wrote most of the entire script for Aquaman after his Justice League movie cause Warner Brothers wanted the tones and executions to be similar. But James Wan (Going against Warner Brothers' rules) went back to Zach Snyder for his approval with the script and Snyder re-did most of what Whedon wrote. And according to Wan, he said that the script Joss Whedon wrote had a ton or way too much of Sexy, Funny, Inappropriate Jokes, Flirtation, bathos, scenes between Arthur and Mera and the majority of the movie. And it was Snyder's idea to add the "Atlantis backstory" to give the movie some level of depth and interest, instead of a 2 hour movie about Aquaman and Mera trying to hookup with each other with abrupt action scenes.
So wait, which version is better in your opinion? I kinda like the one we got and don't think I'd like that other version, but I thought Zach Snyder was what was wrong with the DCEU...
I honestly really liked the film, even the script, despite its flaws. The main reason being the incredibly fun pacing (and yes, that includes the action scenes every 10 minutes and Arthur having a pretty solid character arc, which is pretty rare in non-MCU superhero movies.
What's his arc? I never really saw anything that convinced me he had a change of heart to go from reluctant loner to wanting to be king of Atlantis (which he's always hated)
@@eduardosp2024 I'd have to rewatch the movie to remember everything, but if I remember right he became king because he saw that Atlantis was in dire need of guidance by someone like him (as Orm and his planned war on the surface shows), while seeing its potential (likely in Mera). Finally, he blamed Atlantis for taking his mum away, but comes to realize it was the fault of individuals, not the whole people (as Orm's love for her and resentment for her supposed death shows). I believe his conversation with the giant kraken monster near the end elaborated more on it, I think something along the lines of "if I don't become king someone worse will". Again, some details might be wrong.
The arc was him realizing that his duty to be king was more important than his fear/not wanting to. He tells the Karathen that Atlantis needs him even though he thinks he isn't worthy. That is his story in this movie.
@@emc246 Couldn't have said it better.
Gui Caldo i just don’t see that articulated at all. For me he never voices any particular reason to rule an entire civilization. It’s too much inference and not much character work.
I don't really mind exposition, so this movie was pretty enjoyable and not boring for me and I loved it!
And yeah, those explosions were annoying but... who doesn't like explosions (especially the underwater ones) I am not supporting the idea of overusing explosions for EXCITEMENT but those explosions were cool and also led us to cool action scenes so I don't have a problem with them...
The problem was that they didn't really give any time to grow and love the characters. They were too busy explaining things and never really living or making decisions. Just explaining the next plot point.
Well I did like Aquaman when he came out and stopped the war with the help of his trident near the end.
I did like Mera when she used her water manipulating powers in Italy to stop those Atlantic Guards!
I did Black Manta when he made a cool entrance and also he had got a great motivation for wanting revenge on Aquaman!
King Orm was ehhh, not that good, but still, okay...
The rest of the characters were pretty average but also forgettable, at least for me!
i really enjoyed and loved this movie in the theater, the spectacle did it for me there
watching this on DVD makes you realize just how poorly done this movie is, if critics had to watch this on a laptop I guarantee you it's MetaCritic score would be closer to 25 than 55
Don't call him Orhm... Call him... "Ocean Master."
I'm not being serious, this line just killed me in the movie. I laughed out loud.
TheDMLO pretty sick line tbh
That's his name in the comic books. I'm deadass
People just really, really don't know how to enjoy a story these days. Lol
Anyway, Aquaman felt very comic booky to me, and I loved it for it, it managed to show a story that would surely take up about 30 chapters or so. Now we have this whole entire world build for us in one single movie, I think that between the dialog and the action, it was all built up very nicely.
And seriously, how perfect do you need the story to be to enjoy a live action Atlantis!? It looked beyond awesome!
Very insightful! I think most writers ignore the Marvel films when looking for advice on how to write. While you might not take advice from it if you're trying to write a psychological thriller, there's a lot that can be learned (good and bad) from these films that are able to connect with so many people.
Side note: When Aquaman came to "save the day" at the end - Aquaman and Mary Kraken burst through the sea floor in which the battle was taking place between Orm's army and the...crab...people (the brine?) But when they did, they came right up under the side of the battlefield where the crab people, who essentially were the only army stopping Orm, were stationed. I mean how many thousands of crab soldiers did he kill in that attempt to stop Orm? It wasn't like it was small scene. it was the scene right where Orm was going to fight the Crab King one on one. The fight being interrupted by....an explosion. technically an eruption I guess.
Desmond Solomon LMAO pls stop saying "crab"
@@titusxp lol how about "beings of crustaceaus origins" ;p
Khal Drogo and Diplomacy? No way
"resuscitate the pacing" is such a great phrase I think I'll be using that one in the future
Heh, I thought of that Chandler quote as soon as you cut to that first Michael Scott scene. :p
My main problem with the film is how the script ignores the conflict Arthur has about being king of Atlantis: "you need to be the king and the ruler of the seven seas.... even tough they won't accept you". And before you comment: yes I know he became that at the end of the movie but my problem relies on the lack of conflict about him being a King; Thus, there's no development or any change for Arthur, consequently the title of king isn't something he earned. Let me explain. The whole idea of finding the mcguffin (aka "Poseidon's Trident") is to be the TRUE king of Atlantis and everyone should accept him and that's.... too lazy. You could argue it's on their traditions and works as a mirror to the legend of King Arthur (the medieval one, not the DC superhero) where whoever gets the Trident/Sword is a signal that he's worthy. Yet, I fail to see any struggle for Arthur and his journey. Heck, he even says that he will do it only because Mera saved his father. There's no real motivation rather than "I'm contractually obligated to do so". In contrast another film with a similar structure and journey handles this "accept you're a King" story in a satisfactory way: Black Panther. On the first act, there's "the ceremony" where T'challa gets to fight for the trone (while he was taken away of his stregn) with any tribe to prove he's the true protector of Wakanda and King-worthy. No mcguffins, no superpowers or suits, only his abylities. I'm not saying they should've gone in that direction step by step but in T'Challa's story arc he's "legally" the protector of Wakanda by the end of first act and it's not until he defeats his cousin and makes a substancial decision for his kingdom to open the boundaries that he becomes the true King. He learned his mistakes and overcome the ones his father did in the past. He did not want to kill Erick, and didn't want to be a murderer to his family like his father T'Chaka. He could save Erick and offered assistance, we know that the antagonist rejects him but you can't deny that his last wish was respected. Desicion taken not as a superhero, as a King. It's not a innovative or original plot but it works. Whereas in Aquaman Arthur just gets the pointy thing, fights his brother, everyone in the sea just accepts he's the new king and BOM problem solved. I don't see him showing mercy to Orm as an act of what a "true king" would do. This was only paid off because he let someone die at the beggining of the film and felt guilty. Arthur could've killed his brother and nothing would've changed, he got the Trident, he's the king know and it doesn't matter what happens to the legitimate king (Orm). I know I'm being nitpicky but spectacle over substance is not something that the audience should accept just because "it's a movie". Entertaiment and good story telling shouldn't be trown away and I'm talking about every genre. Even the blockbuster-ish movies.
Very well put, there is no arc and no real reason to believe he's had a change of heart.
I completely hated everything about this movie but I loved the Trench people (?) because they reminded me of the Deep Ones.
Edit: I couldn’t tell if this movie took itself seriously or not, and then I realized that it did. Just my opinion
MikeAnthonyVEVO There was way too much CGI and the scenes were ‘too big’ if you know what i’m saying. There was too much on the screen at once. And the story was not really too interesting, mainly because the characters weren’t interesting.
A very big THANK YOU for this video! Since the beginning there was something wrong in the writing of Aquaman for me, but I just couldn’t figure out what it was. You teach me a lot!
Cinematographers and designers should also learn a lot from Aquaman, it's so beautiful that I can't even watch other movies without comparing it to Aquaman.
Also all movies should have dialogue interrupted by explosions. It's a comic book movie, it should be exciting and it definitely is.
9:11
Lego Movie quote:
"Sharks, Laser Sharks, and overbearing assistance.
This is an excellent video! Imo, you're the best movie critic (Movie academic?) on UA-cam.
I liked Aquaman, but you're totally right about the movie. The episodic feel of it, with three different characters engaged in different quests, may be a consequence of its fairly close adaptation of a specific comic book series: Geoff Johns's Aquaman comics from around 2013-2014. I was surprised by how much of the comics they included in this movie, since DC films haven't been particularly faithful to specific storylines before now. It's like they tried to jam *every* character and plot from two or three years of comic book stories into one movie.
I really enjoyed this movie, I thought the script was rediculously brilliant. it didn't slow the action down, and it was exagerrated on purpose.
This movie doesn't take itself seriously which is a quality I wish more comic based movies would adapt.
The explosion thing was exactly what I was thinking 😂
That interruption explosion better return 10 fold for every sequel
Great video. I got onto your wavelength very early as soon as you pointed out that Wan was a horror director. Everything else fell into place as you began to explain it I saw where you were going. Excellent script and your points were very well put. Again, great video.
This was a fun movie , writing wasn’t perfect but tip of the hat to James Wan on taking the biggest joke of superheroes and making him the biggest DC box office hero 🧜🏽♂️🍺
I love this movie and don't get bored with the exposition lol so thats probably why i love it from start to finish
Fair points. I loved the film. Thoroughly enjoyed it except for the desert scene.
Dude your the best UA-camr I’ve seen construct this movie.
Omg your proposed alternate storylines would have made the film so much better. That way the characters could actually be fighting over the same thing rather than completely different things.
Loved this. Esp the sharks with fricking laser beams bit. Waiting for your full take on the mission impossible series.
What I liked about Aquaman:
- Cool ACTION!!!!
- Enjoyable characters
- Cool visuals
What I don't like:
- Romance could've been better
I’m biased, coz Aquaman is my-man, I absolutely loved this movie. Enough to see it 4x in theaters. But eventually I noticed what you were pointing out in this vid. Still love it
Just because you spend good money on this movie it doesn't make it good. You simply enjoy bad movies.
I just watched Aquaman yesterday, and you summed up a lot of my issues with the film. The dialogue was pretty terrible throughout (especially the clunky exposition scenes), and having scenes constantly interrupted by explosions was laughable by the end. Really the action sequence in the Greek(?) coastal town was the only one that I really liked. The final CGI fest did nothing for me. As you pointed out, the movie really just happens to Arthur. I never thought I'd be saying this, but I preferred him in Justice League. He had more of a personality there.
honestly, I don't know if I can handle this movie because of its action scenes. they just felt like a sped up video game.
I usually watch youtube videos sped up but i really had to slow it down because the beginning part explaining the transition scenes made my head spin
Altough I agree with your point, I think your analysis ignores the fact that the movie was fun... stupid fun... but tons of fun nonetheless
By the time the Italy sequence kicked off, the group I saw the movie with were laughing. The movie’s formula is built around exposition...BOOM! Explosion. It’s like a parody of an action movie
I actually LOVED Aquaman, and honestly I think part of the reason why is precisely what you cite as "faults". I like the exposition. Aquaman isn't a character most people know that much about. His story, specifically ANY version of his origin story are pretty much a blank slate that hasn't been done to death (like Superman, Spiderman, or Batman). Without exposition, we don't care about the characters - and all the action scenes in the world aren't going to change that. Aquaman is actually closer in story structure to Wonder Woman - it's an origin story about the character learning who they truly are, accepting that knowledge, using their knowledge to create change, and helping people. And you've also forgotten that Orm doesn't simply want to become king in this version of the story - Orm's seen the destruction of the oceans caused by humans - and he wants revenge. This is why Orm works with Black Manta. In this version, Aquaman let Manta's father die, so, in a phrase, "it's personal" and Manta wants revenge.
BTW - I recommend that you watch Justice League Throne of Atlantis, an animated movie that's actually very close to this Aquaman movie. I'm curious to know what you think of it.
Wonder if there is also a super hero called landman. He lives on land, has a kingdom there, can talk to land animals. Has the ability to breathe air, and run on land very fast.
What about airman? That would be nice.
Fireman?
Aqua-Land
You mean Tarzan?
Long ago, the four element men (aquaman, earthman, fireman, and airman) lived together in harmony, but everything changed when the fireman attacked.
I wish Just Write had addressed the source material as part of the script and film analysis. The comic series Geoff wrote is a direct basis for the film. Still, great work, as always, on the video Just Write...they could have done better with the dialogue and explosion issues.
I have an idea for an episode: Fallout Equestria - How to seamlessly combine two radically different universes
Awww yes, it would seem Aquaman has come down with a terrible case of Bleach (the anime) syndrome. Where in the main character is stuck in a constant state of reacting to unexpected attacks and things that keep happening one after the other for no explicit reason.
i can see your points. But i really like those "Origin storys" and the"World building".
But thats likely just because i personally like this kind of stuff
I just thought this movie was a heck of a lot of fun but something I couldn't really articulate tweaked me about it. It does rather have a lack of focus, doesn't it. It had a bit of that Indiana Jones/Uncharted-type feel, but it was lacking because the focus was so split. I liked the adventure and I liked the worldbuilding of all the kingdoms but neither one got enough time to shine on their own. Now I really wish I could've seen a movie where they leaned all the way into one or the other. Heck I'm pretty sure "Unite the Seven" was on a poster with Aquaman on it at one point...
I love the way you subtlety don't like this movie and you tell us why, but don't seem like a jerk. Very educated as well! I agree 100%, though I wouldn't praise it as much myself.
Could the sudden explosions also relate to how the oceans life is constantly being interrupted by human actions? Also, keep your analysis up dude. Keep it up.
Thank you for this video! After watching Aquaman, I knew there were things wrong with it that took away from it--which you voiced in here, and then some!
When you said sharks with laser beams I thought you were referencing Lego Movie.
Totally agree with you about the ''outburst'' of actions appearing suddenly and randomly at certain scenes, for me it was too much and unnecessary.
My absolute favorite thing about the Aquaman movie is how much it doesn't hold back the comic book wildness. The armies of laser shark and seahorse riders fighting against crab people, the swarm of terrifying swamp creatures, the tidal waves, the octopus playing the drums. For the longest time it felt like superhero movies were kind of ashamed of their origin. Supernatural elements were toned down, characters made sly remarks about not wanting to wear spandex. And here we have a movie that treats Aquaman donning his full neon orange and green costume with epic fanfare. And then he sends an army of fish and marine mammals to save the day. No one treats any of the things that are happening as corny or stupid, they just roll with it. I'd been craving a superhero movie like this. Infinity War and Thor Ragnarok got close, but this and Into the Spiderverse took the cake.
5:22 Large action set piece. Well played gentlemen, well played
Just Write grew up learning from Aquaman
Nice pfp
Discussion Interrupted by Explosion: The Movie
Great video, mate!
I've never seen this movie so after talking about slow motion with guitar over it, I thought this guy at 3:19 was jumping into the scene holding a futuristic electric guitar.
When I read the title of the video I immediately thought: "end conversations with an explosion". Didn't think you'd actually talk about that, hahahaha
This movie reminds me of a joke that Yahtzee from Zero Punctuation made in one of his Metal Gear Solid reviews. he said he wished that he could end awkward conversations by pulling a ripcord and getting sucked out of the room, similar to the Fulton Recovery System featured in the game. Whenever the writers have a boring scene or dont know how to end a scene they just write *insert explosion here* and cut to something unrelated.
jumpscare in today's Hollywood are always cheep.
Careful dude, WB goes after channels like yours and I love seeing your content. The Closer Look and Nando V. Movies have had experience and had their videos taken down, flagged, etc.
You had me at sharks with frickin laser beams attached to their heads.
I honestly think the scene with those monstrous fish people in aqua man was really scary and the tension was built pretty well
0:22 Right?! RIGHT?! Oh my lord the interruption explosions are freakin rampant!
Never clicked so fast in my life. Love your videos, man!
This film is carried almost entirely on the pure spectacle and natural charisma of the cast (Wilson hams it to a 11 in a way that even Lee Pace's Ronan would be proud of lol) and it completely works for me haha. These are all valid critiques that would've made a more interesting movie on a narrative scale but I loved how bonkers it was, warts and all. The best summer movie I've watched in the winter in a long time lol
I think they will explore the Aquaman learning to be a king aspect in the sequel.
Tbh, I thought the movie sucked besides the aesthetics...which leads me to what I believe is the reason why this movie received so much love - Ppl were more subconsciously swayed by the aesthetics, including the 2 "pretty actors" which may have been the biggest reason why ppl were sooo into this movie.
Will start with the lead - Jason Mamoa. Overall, women/gay men think he's gorgeous and straight men, depending on where they are mentally, subconsciously may aspire to "look as good as him" or in the case of a married with children, "straight" male fellow employee, he doesn't hold back on how good he thinks he looks, espousing profusely about how attractive he is. There are some straight who can openly admit that another man is highly attracted. I can admit, I've done it and used that as fuel for myself to look as good as possible but never spoke on a good looking guy as profusely as my associate at work. There's rules to this, but I digress. Heh.
Amber Heard - Same deal but in reverse but women are soooo much more to willing to openly admire another woman's looks, depending on the culture.
These 2 spark ppl's aspirations. It's natural but to let that blind u to a certain reality, case in point, how bad this movies was, is not good.
Then there were the beautiful shots and colors. That speaks to the basic ppl's appreciation of beauty and how it makes them feel. The colors thing I believe is just more innate as even as infants, colorful things grab our attention more and that may have a stronger effect than just beautiful shots.
For me, Mamoa is a good looking guy but no one that inspires me with their looks. Amber is a pretty woman but avg and her look in this movie was more distracting than anything else.
There was some great action to boot but not all the action was so great. I'll leave that there.
Anyway, I will continue watching...
I wish for Jason Momoa to be in other big or small movies where his role is not to "Aaararrggggg", his face and expresions can be such an interesting adherence to a deeper role...
He even complained about the lack of opportunities after Drogo, some people even thought he couldnt speak like a regular person.
Damn straight all is forgiven. That movie was batshit crazy. God I wish I saw it on the big screen. No one told me the drum playing octopus! I would have taken some acid and booked out an entire frickin' IMAX.
I took the explosions as a running gag. they made me laugh, especially the romance one