The king of the seas has arrived: Warner Bros. has released the first trailer for Aquaman, the Jason Momoa-led aquatic solo superhero movie. The trailer showcases Momoa as reluctant hero Aquaman, Amber Heard reprising her role as Mera, and the main conflict of the movie: Aquaman’s half-brother has assumed the throne of Atlantis, and the only thing standing in the way of Earth becoming an (under)water world is Aquaman. There’s a gladiator-type fight, young Aquaman talking to sharks, flowy hair, and a spirit of silliness. After all, we are dealing with a superhero who can psionically communicate with fish. The trailer is the first look at Momoa as Arthur Curry, a.k.a. Aquaman, since 2017’s Justice League. That film, save a few moments, was largely a mess and underperformed at the box office. But Momoa’s Aquaman, despite being handcuffed by some questionable scenes and lines, was one of the better things about it. (He even made silly dialogue like “My man!” seem vaguely acceptable.) Directed by James Wan, Aquaman will function as an origin story for Curry, showing audiences how this hero learns that he’s part of the Atlantean royal family and then comes to terms with his duty to protect the world. Given Wan’s track record — Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring, Furious 7 — there’s a sense (and, if you’re a Warner Bros. executive, a hope) that he could give Momoa and Aquaman the perfect platform to shine. The best-case scenario for fans and everyone involved would be an Aquaman that’s not only a breakout hit but also a great movie, like Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman. Aquaman hits theaters on December 21, 2018.<doc-sep>Warner Bros. and DC’s “Aquaman” made a splashy debut on the biggest stage in pop culture Saturday at Comic-Con, where the first glimpse of star Jason Momoa shirtless in a newly premiered trailer drew screams so loud that they drowned out the superhero’s dialogue. Fans lined up overnight outside the 6,500-capacity Hall H to preview the Dec. 21 DC Universe standalone film, which explores the origins of the “Justice League” teammate — the half-human, half-Atlantean hero Arthur Curry — as he becomes embroiled in a war between his two worlds. Director James Wan, joined by stars Momoa, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Yahya Abdul-Mateen and Patrick Wilson, debuted an action-packed first trailer to a huge audience response. Fans cheered at expansive underwater battle scenes, at glimpses of nemesis Black Manta in his high-tech suit with glowing red eyes, and at Momoa’s tattooed — and shirtless — rock star charisma. Advertisement FULL COVERAGE: San Diego Comic-Con 2018 » Kidman, in her maiden voyage to Comic-Con, fondly remembered filming her first scenes as Aquaman’s mother, Queen Atlanna. “I was so lucky because I got to lie on a rock,” she said of her character’s onscreen introduction, which required the actress to be pummeled relentlessly with water. Abdul-Mateen revealed that he’d kept a huge secret up until the “Aquaman” shoot: He didn’t know how to swim. “I secretly learned and taught myself how to swim during the mornings and the evenings,” he laughed of his covert sessions spent in the hotel pool. “I also don’t really like to swim,” added Heard, who as fearless Atlantean warrioress Mera spent a lot of time in stunt harnesses, but frequently had to be wetted-down by costumers for her scenes. “Beach is fine. The ocean? No interest. So, of course, I got cast in ‘Aquaman’ … I’d be hosed down, every morning. Grown [...] woman, here at work, getting hosed down.” For all his cool, long-tressed onscreen swagger, Momoa revealed that his costumes didn’t quite wear well when his character had to appear wet — which, in an “Aquaman” movie, was often. “You’re in armor or you’re half-naked in tattoos and it was a bad choice looking back to wear denim. They look like leather pants, but they’re not,” he said, mimicking Wan’s on-set commands: “‘Do it cooler!’” “Bro, I did tell you to take your pants off,” Wan answered. Headlining a busy Warner Bros. panel that included previews of “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “LEGO Movie 2,” “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” the “Aquaman” crew delivered not one, but two footage previews for the Comic-Con crowd. Advertisement After watching the first “Aquaman” trailer, which was subsequently released online, Wilson, who plays Aquaman’s half brother and rival, raved about their director. “This guy understands story and character more than any guy that I know,” he said of Wan, with whom he previously worked on the hit “Insidious” and “Conjuring” horror movies. “You guys are going to be so thrilled with us pushing the envelope.” Wan surprised fans with a second extended reel, exclusively for those in Hall H. The footage for Comic-Con eyes only was filled with even more underwater and desert-set action, banter between Momoa’s Aquaman and Heard’s flame-haired Mera, an above-ground rooftop chase in which the two heroes are hunted by Black Manta and a glimpse of a trident-wielding Kidman fighting in action hero mode. The money shot seen only by those in Hall H and making those long lines worth the wait was the climactic reveal of Momoa, wearing his iconic gold and green Aquaman suit, trident in hand. “What could be greater than a king?” the reel prompted. “A hero.”<doc-sep>
Warner Bros. It's taken way too long, but we finally now have the first trailer for James Wan's Aquaman stand-alone, which could well be the second real saviour of the DCEU. If it's even to continue to be an ongoing concern for Warner Bros in the same way, that is. It's safe to say that the trailer - which debuted as part of Warner Bros' panel at Comic Con - landed with a splash. And it's quite stunning to note that reaction, given how cynical a lot of comic book movie fans were for so long about the idea of an Aquaman movie at all. After all, it's a hero who talks to fish and rides a giant sea horse: even Marvel would probably avoid that sort of material. But it definitely looks like it's going to shut up a lot of those vocal detractors. Sure, the trailer looks a little... sillier than we've come to expect of the DCEU, but that's not a bad thing, considering the huge issues with tone so far. Let's just hope the final movie delivers on the promise of this teaser. Here's the trailer: But it's not all flawless, by any means. So, first let's explore the negatives... Downs 3. There Might Be Too Much To Balance Warner Bros. Looking at just the sheer number of characters (and apparently SPECIES) involved in trailer, it looks like Aquaman is going to be absolutely stuffed with story. Obviously we have the central conflict between Aquaman and Orm that will end in war, but then there's the pursuit of Arthur by Black Manta, his younger years, him coming back home to rediscover his true calling, and the introduction of all of the key supporting characters. It's hard to see how all of that can exist in a two hour movie and for there to be sufficient space for every element. Which is perhaps why Black Manta ends up being so sparingly used in the trailer, when he surely deserves to be a key figure? There have, of course, been comic book movies that do manage to balance a lot of elements, but such bravery always inspires Spider-Man 3 style anxiety.