Kevin Smith is among the latest in a long line of noted comic book fans to heap praise on Aquaman, commending director James Wan for his faithfulness to the source material while reflecting on the film’s phenomenal run at the box office in his recent review of the DC flick.
It’s strange to think that a movie about Arthur Curry is currently on course for a higher global gross than any DCEU entry to feature Batman or Superman, but according to the Clerks helmsman, the film’s success makes sense given the ride it has to offer viewers.
“Can you believe, this movie is at about $750 million right now,” Smith said. “Aquaman‘s going to make a billion dollars. Go back in time and tell somebody that. That Aquaman’s going to make a billion dollars. Makes sense now, because my God, it’s visually sumptuous. Aquaman is everything a movie is supposed to be. When you put down your two bits or 10 bucks or 20 depending on where you go, you want to escape. Take me somewhere. Show me some s*** I’ve never seen before. That’s what you want in a movie. I never made movies like that, I was like I’m going to show you a convenience store, something you saw probably right before you went to the cinema.”
Smith attributes much of the movie’s appeal to the world created by James Wan, comparing the underwater environment of Aquaman to the strange new territory that the Guardians of the Galaxy movies introduced to the MCU.
“Talented filmmakers like James Wan take you diving into the ocean, showing you a world you’ve never seen before,” Smith said. “Same way James Gunn, Marvel, owned outer space, took us to space with Guardians of the Galaxy and claimed outer space as their own, James Wan and DC, and Warner Bros. now claimed the seas for themselves with Aquaman.”
Smith met with Wan last year at the San Diego Comic-Con, and in reflecting on this encounter, the filmmaker and podcaster recalled asking Wan about his loyalty to the imagery of the comics.
“I said ‘dude, you make Orm look like Orm. Ocean Master looks like Ocean Master,” Smith said. “Black Manta looks like Black Manta, and I saw, at that point, we hadn’t seen the footage yet of Arthur in his full regalia, but there was a LEGO sculpture of Arthur wearing the orange shirt, and I was like ‘word is he wears the orange shirt in this movie. Like what the f*** happened? How did you get away with this?’ And he said ‘there was no point in changing the designs.’ He said ‘those designs have lasted decades. Classic, wonderful designs, so we kept with what it looks like.’”
From the sound of things, Aquaman may not quite edge out Avengers: Infinity War as Smith’s pick for best movie of 2018 (or best movie ever when smoked with two joints), but it’s safe to say that he’s a fan, and he’s certainly not alone, with everyone from Marvel Comics editor-in-chief C. B. Cebulski to Shazam! director David F. Sandberg taking to social media in recent weeks to share some enthusiastic thoughts about Arthur Curry’s solo debut.
What’s more, the filmgoing public seems similarly keen on the flick, with Aquaman just recently surpassing Wonder Woman at the global box office. At this rate, a sequel is inevitable, but first, we’ll find out if the DCEU can keep this momentum going when Shazam! hits theaters on April 5th, 2019.
