If the first trailer for Aquaman looked really familiar, it’s because we already saw that movie when we watched Black Panther earlier this year. I mean, the underlying story was presented as basically being the same thing, except with 100% more Jason Mamoa and almost assuredly not as good of a villain (since Killmonger is the best villain in pretty much any comic book movie ever).
This longer extended cut shows off that DC is clearly making some different choices with this movie. First… there’s more color in this movie than probably ever single other DC Extended Universe film to date (and that’s giving them credit for all the color that Wonder Woman brought). It’s bright and warm, which is kind of great to see. It also seems to be leaning heavily into Jason Mamoa’s strengths, which are sarcastic comedy and being sexy. More importantly, this trailer seems to be trying to highlight that the story is different between Aquaman and Black Panther, and may be trying to beat Marvel before they can set up a Black Panther vs. Namor story.
My expectations for this movie aren’t super-high. I like to make fun of Aquaman, but he’s actually a pretty awesome hero (and that trident can kill Superman easily… something Comic book Arthur Curry reminds him about from time to time). I would be happy if DC could deliver something on the level of the first Thor or Captain America movies… which had their flaws but are still a fun watch. Maybe this will extend the Wonder Woman magic, and not the Snyder junk, and put DC on the right path. Because we all win when DC and Marvel are competing at the same level…
