‘Aquaman’ Trailer Breakdown: The DC Film Delivers Goofy Jason Momoa and Goofy CGI Fish

aquaman trailer breakdown

The one-two punch of Aquaman and Shazam! signaled a new era for Warner Bros.’ DC Extended Universe. No longer will the DCEU be solely dark, gritty, and brooding — here are two male heroes who are bright and, dare I say it, goofy. The Aquaman trailer in particular may have been a little too goofy for the audiences at the Warner Bros. panel at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend.

But if you were skeptical after seeing the Aquaman trailer for the first time, dive into our Aquaman trailer breakdown to find out if James Wan‘s movie holds water.

Exposition time! Even though we met Aquaman/Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) in Justice League and got a glimpse of his strained existence between the sea and the land, Aquaman will delve into his origin — which means we’re going all the way back to the beginning. And Aquaman’s story begins with the meeting of a human and the queen of Atlantis. New Zealand actor Temuera Morrison plays Thomas Curry, Arthur Curry’s father and a lighthouse keeper, who discovers Nicole Kidman‘s Queen Atlanna washed up ashore during a terrible storm.

Queen Atlanna washes up injured and unconscious, and curiously, laying next to King Atlan’s trident. In a set visit report from JoBlo, it was reported that the majority of the Aquaman movie will chronicle Arthur Curry’s search for the trident, with the help of Mera (Amber Heard). The pair embark on this quest after discovering an artifact from the dead king saying, “The time has come to pass on my legacy … If you seek my power, you must prove your worth.” However, Arthur’s not the only one on the hunt: They will be pursued by Patrick Wilson‘s Orm, a.k.a Ocean Master, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II‘s David Hyde, aka Black Manta.

“You could unite our worlds one day,” Queen Atlanna tells an adorable baby Arthur Curry. It seems more than just love that brought Thomas and Atlanna together, but a necessity to stop growing tensions between the people of the land and the kingdoms of Atlantis.

Here is the scene that had everyone scoffing. Yes, the CGI for the sharks and fish all look very rough, and yes this moment is not quite as epic as this movie seems to think it is, but look at how cute baby Arthur Curry (Kaan Guldur) is! How could you bully him!

Here we have Mera emerging from the seas with a task for Aquaman: to take back the throne from his half-brother King Orm and stop his war against the surface world. But I have to wonder: does Amber Heard’s costume designer have it out for her? Or maybe her wig supplier does? Because I’m guessing whoever her costume designer is just pointed at a picture of Ariel from The Little Mermaid and said, “That, but radioactive.” Yes, it’s nice to have something brighter than the desaturated look that we got in Justice League, but does it have to be quite that bright?

When Aquaman’s poster first hit the web, fans speculated that the tag line “Unite the Seven” referred to the members of the Justice League. But that theory quickly fell apart when the League only came to six members. It turns out the “Seven” refers to the seven kingdoms of Atlantis, which fractured into several kingdoms when it sank into the ocean. King Orm’s army (riding the white sharks) faces off against King Nereus’ army aboard sea dragons at an ancient meeting place called The Council of the Kings, which once used to be the ruling place of the single king of Atlantis but has since fallen into disarray.

“Your half-brother King Orm is about to declare war upon the surface world. The only way to stop this war is for you to take your rightful place as king,” Mera tells a reluctant Arthur Curry, who argues that he has no ties to the world of Atlantis. But when King Orm presumably sends a tidal wave that sends a fishing boat crashing against the road that Arthur, Mera, and his father are driving along, Arthur changes his mind.

Arthur, Thomas, and Mera survey the wreckage that King Orm has wrought upon the land, with Arthur’s face turning to anger. They stand in front of the crashed car they were driving in, but thankfully all three seem to be unharmed — perhaps thanks to Arthur’s heroics.

In what looks like a scene from the past, the dead King Atlan strikes his trident on the floor in front of his throne. I’m going to assume it’s King Atlan because of the flowing hair and golden cape. Perhaps this is a vision that Arthur receives which sends him on his quest for the trident.

Arthur dons damaged armor very unlike the one he wore in Justice League — instead of the green and gold scaling, this one is gold and red and more along the lines of traditional armor. I thought at first it was the armor that he wears to challenge King Orm to the throne, but as we see later, that’s not the case. Which makes me wonder: where did Aquaman get his battle armor for Justice League? In the early action scenes of this trailer we mostly see him fighting shirtless. Perhaps we’ll find out in the next trailer.