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PopEntertainment.com > Miscellaneous > Aquaman's Keys to Success

Aquaman

 

Aquaman's Keys to Success

The Warner Bros./DC film empire has been built clumsily over the last several years, but it seems at this point it’s too late to turn back. The connected franchises that make up the DC Extended Universe are pushing forward, and if Wonder Woman was any indication, it may just have some new legs in the form of individual films based on specific heroes. Aquaman is next up, and now that the first trailer has dropped, it’s time to think about what this film needs to do in order to be a success on its own as well as an asset to a struggling franchise.

Several key factors come to mind.

A Sense of Purpose

One thing that has largely plagued the DC movies to this point is that they’ve been devoid of purpose. While they have at times faithfully adapted tales from the DC Comics, they’ve also relied on fans understanding those tales for there to be any sort of meaningful stakes. Wonder Woman was different in that the film established a reason for her to turn superhero and to engage with the mortal world from the start. In a vacuum, devoid of comic knowledge, the film was compelling and made sense. Aquaman needs to operate similarly to succeed.

A Connection to The Present

One of the most notable things in the first trailer for Aquaman is that Jason Momoa, who plays the lead role, speaks in a decidedly modern vernacular. That’s good, because much of the rest of the trailer looks wholly unrelatable, including the borderline cheesy underwater scenery. This film is almost inherently a reach for people who want to take superhero movies somewhat seriously, and having Aquaman himself appear to be a real person from 2018 thrust into underwater adventures would go a long way toward solving that problem.

Compelling Combat

Something that helped to set Black Panther aside among superhero movies was that the bulk of its combat was realistic, based in actual martial arts and war-fighting styles. The film’s stunt coordinator was inspired by Jackie Chan, ancient Sparta, and Zulu spear-fighting. This gave the combat a decidedly tactile feel, as opposed to the zappy, laser-y building-smashing that takes place so frequently in superhero films these days. If Aquaman can learn this lesson it will at least be in line to produce some compelling action sequences.

Game Potential

DC has actually done rather well with video games. The Injustice series ropes in all of the key characters, and there are some popular online slot arcades with DC themes as well. Casino sites these days specifically invite players to investigate the game offerings to find unique choices and thus choose where to play, and this makes DC a valuable licensing partner. Even there however, Aquaman doesn’t stand alone. This film and the potential series to follow will be more successful if it’s able to spawn a few games - be they slots, apps, or even full console quality.

Costume & Toy Potential

Costumes and toys reach a different audience than games in some cases (and a younger one), but don’t think they can’t speak to a film’s popularity with adults as well. Cosplay has been mainstreamed to some extent, and plenty of people still love their film and comic book collectibles as well. So, as with games, one key factor to gauge Aquaman’s success could be what sort of market it leads to with costumes and toys.

A Logical Follow-Up

We know now that Wonder Woman essentially earned itself a sequel through its quality and popularity among moviegoers. This is significant not just in that it means more money and another adventure, but specifically because it allows the character to build a sub-franchise aside from the relative train wreck of the collaborative DC efforts. Aquaman will be a success if it can do the same, and to do so effectively there needs to be a logical path toward a sequel with the way this first installment ends.

A Star Turn from Jason Momoa

To put it bluntly, not everyone is thrilled with the selection of Jason Momoa as Aquaman. Sure, he looks the part in that like Chris Hemsworth he’s almost beast-like in his physical appearance, and he’s more feasible than most actors as an amphibious hero wielding a scepter. But some believe more seasoned actors would have been better suited to the role. We Got This Covered even made a list of actors who “deserved” it more. As he proved in Game of Thrones however, Momoa’s got chops, and a star turn in this movie would quiet the criticism and build a lot of excitement.

Posted: September 11, 2018.

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Posted: September 11, 2018.