*SPOILERS*

I saw Aquaman with my family last year and I really enjoyed it. From the opening scene onwards, I realized there were a lot of things I could learn from this movie. So I got out a black pen and scribbled on my hand in the dark.

And let me tell you that it did not turn out good. From the near-illegible writing I was able to identify and remember 12 points (and I sincerely hope those were all the points I thought to jot down).

The funny thing is, I think I’d do it again. Write on my hand in the dark, that is. We’ll see how that goes *winks*

So here are the 12 things you can take away from DC’s Aquaman – spoiler warning, since I will analyze some of the scenes in-depth as well as look at the movie as a whole.

 

 

1. Start off with a bang

Okay, the movie literally starts off with a thunderclap. What better way to open a story than with some action?

It varies with readers, but many people are picky on how books begin. You want to hook the reader and reel them into your amazing work of art, so you’ll want to start your story with the best possible beginning.

And here’s a tip for you: your beginning should set the mood for the rest of the story. Aquaman is an action movie, so starting off with a thunderstorm is absolutely appropriate to set the tone for lots of intense, fast-paced scenes that’ll set readers on edge.

 

2. Worldbuilding

I loved the worldbuilding of Atlantis in the movie. The mixture of technology with animals when we first see the city was really interesting and I loved how it wasn’t purely futuristic, or purely ‘under the sea’ themed. Although a little bit unoriginal, I loved the city and the lights. That was top notch *nods*

 

 

And it wasn’t just how Atlantis looked. I admired the development the culture and traditions got, like the Ring of Fire duel, the fashion, and the bits and pieces of history we got. (Can we talk more about that duel? I loved the idea of that duel!)

Plus, it was amazing how the kingdoms, lore, and species were so different. It makes so much sense to have more than one kingdom underwater – I mean, the earth is about 70% covered by water, right?

AND THE DINOSAURS. The idea that an island untouched by humans would have dinosaurs was epic and I loved how it wasn’t emphasized either as if the audience was completely oblvious – nope, they just showed a couple of shots. Quality stuff, that worldbuilding.

 

3. Strong female characters

I believe that in some ways, Aquaman does show us a couple of examples of how strong female characters could be written. (Not should, could.)

Queen Atlanna is a primary example here. Sure, she’s a queen and a warrior, and that’s cool and all, but the thing I value more about her is that she’s a wife and a mother. She’s a fighter, but she still fell in love. Atlanna isn’t a cruel jerk that only cares about herself. No, she’s portrayed as kind, yet firm – a total queen.

The other example is Mera, who just so happens to be the female lead. She doesn’t possess a lot of feminine traits at first glance – mainly because she’s always caught in the middle of a fight scene, but… she’s a princess. She may be a rebel, but she never renounces her title. She’s got long hair and she’s all right with wearing dresses (or well, one dress).

And taking a closer look at the movie, she’s in awe with the land once she reaches Italy (in a couple of scenes which reminisce of Disney’s The Little Mermaid). I see that she’s into flowers and likes children. Sure, she’s a total boss, but to me, Mera seems like a secret marshmallow on the inside.

 

 

4. Inflicting pain

Right, maybe this is just a thing with action movies, but oftentimes the boundaries of how much pain a character can take are pushed to the limit, sometimes even more. You can only hold suspension of disbelief for so long.

Be realistic. How many times can your character take crashing into walls or being burned or falling from the sky or whatever?

Arthur definitely pushes these limits. I get that being half-Atlantean means he’s able to take in more than the average human, but he falls from large heights, gets caught in explosions, and frankly I wasn’t sure how he’d survived the whole thing.

 

 

And how did Mera come out of the whole ordeal in Italy only scratched? She literally shattered a ton of glass! Not to mention the injuries she might have gained in that scene where a roof collapses beneath her.

Both Arthur and Mera are somewhat injured by the time they get off the shores of Italy, but it is a little bit unbelievable that none of the two have any serious injuries.

 

5. Balance action

And speaking of too much pain, the number of action scenes in Aquaman far outweigh the number of calm scenes. Okay, so it’s a action movie. What could I expect?

But action movies aside, taking a break from action is super important. It gives time for your audience to breathe a little bit and makes way for the plot and characters to develop!

In Aquaman, I felt like every time things seemed okay, there’s an explosion.

I’m not kidding.

 

 

You really don’t want to be predictable. Action scenes are great and all, but after I lose track of how many explosions there are, I start to get a bit bored.

 

One thing I do appreciate, however, is how much drama action and explosions add to the story. They definitely spice things up so much.

 

 

6. Use of humor

Humor can be such a lifesaver in dark-toned stories. When the tension becomes all too much, humor is one of the best tools you can use to lift the mood a little. Used wisely, you could definitely make your story so much better.

I mean, that’s probably why comic relief characters are so popular, right?

 

 

 

7. The things we fear

One thing I noticed about the creatures in the Trench after Arthur and Mera sail away from Sicily was that, well, the writers knew how to write things that we can fear.

Although very animal-like indeed, the Trench (as I believe they are known) possess almost human like characteristics. They have four limbs that resemble arms and legs, and they walk upon two feet. Anatomy-wise, the head to body ratio is pretty similar to a human. Why is this unnerving? It turns out that some of the scariest things are the ones that look human, but aren’t really.

But aside from looking barely human, there are a couple more genius details they possess. Sharp spines add to the overall hostile effect, and the fact that they have dark-colored scales really make them more fearsome. I mean, come on. If they were rainbow-colored instead they wouldn’t look half as fierce. And to top it off, sharp teeth. There’s this thing about teeth that we tend to fear as people. If an animal has sharp teeth, it means it can bite hard and it means it can hurt. And the teeth that the Trench possess are long and sharp, almost knife-like. Even the thought of those teeth sink down into flesh is horrifying.

One last thing about the Trench. The numbers. Just as Arthur and Mera finally jump ship, the camera pulls back to show us just how many of the Trench hide beneath the surface. The answer? So many we can’t count (unless we pause the movie but that’s cheating). There are so many of the predatory creatures that we can barely even see the water. From a rough estimate, there are probably hundreds just waiting for their prey to come to them.

 

 

It’s at that moment when you start to wonder how our main characters are going to survive this, which is absolutely perfect because everything can’t all be fun and games, can it?

 

8. The art of flashback

I felt that flashback was used fairly well in this film. I’m not exactly describing the opening scene here – I’m referring to Arthur’s childhood. The scenes where he discovers he’s Atlantean and where he trains to fight for the throne.

There are probably a lot more things we don’t know about Arthur’s backstory, but these few scenes are enough and are used well for one main reason: context.

From these scenes, we learn that Arthur has been exposed to the sea for forever, almost. He has known Atlanna’s adviser Vulko for years – the one person who introduced him to the sea and taught him to use his powers. Why is this important? From this we better understand the link between Arthur and the sea as well as his connection with Vulko.

What’s more, the flashback scenes aren’t just there because. No, they come back to hit us later and allow us to understand the story better.

So when it comes to flashback, you don’t always have to avoid it like so many writers say. Just do it well, and use it for the story. Anything is possible 😀

 

9. Foreshadowing (and Chekhov’s Gun)

And through flashback comes the use of foreshadowing. Foreshadowing doesn’t always come through flashback, but the scene where Vulko teaches Arthur how to make a shield using water is necessary in order to better understand the scene where he faces off his half-brother Orm.

So not only does the flashback scene cleverly foreshadow this final battle between half-brothers, but it also gives customer satisfaction.

Because here’s the thing. Why bring in a new fighting move when you can reuse one the audience is already familiar with? By doing this, you can tie a story more tightly together. This way, every little detail is important as it comes back in the future, and as a bonus, we get to see Arthur’s past failures with that particular move morph into a success.

This cohesive, reusing of little details is called Chekhov’s Gun, referring to something Anton Chekhov once said: “if you have a gun on the wall in Act 1, it must be fired in the last act.” (That was paraphrased, by the way.)

A simple breakdown of this is to use what you have. If your story is in need of, say, a medicine that can only be made using very specific ingredients, have your character be gardening that specific ingredient, or have someone mention it as an offhanded comment. This makes a story feel so much more whole, and as a reader, it’s so satisfying to watch all the little pieces fall in place as the story progresses.

 

 

10. Talking to people

So maybe this is just an action movie thing, but I find that most, if not all conflicts are solved with violence. I mean, this is fine and all, but it’s not realistic to solve all arguments with fighting. Why not just talk it out sometimes?

 

 

There is a reason why peaceful ways of solving conflict exist. Sometimes a simple misunderstanding can clear a lot of things. It may not work all the time, but seeing characters try different ways to solve conflict show the wide range of options we truly have when it comes to problem solving.

And I mean what are diplomats for anyway?

Aquaman shows a whole lot of conflict solving via violence, but in the end he manages to talk it out with Orm and discuss each other’s points of view. It’s a nice nod to the fact that violence doesn’t always solve all problems.

 

11. Character growth

I can’t speak for the side characters, but I know Arthur went through a good amount of character growth in this film. When the story begins, Arthur only truly cares about himself, the people he loves, and the earth. Atlantis and the other half of his roots mean nothing much to him apart from the powers they give him.

But even though he’s a hero, he still has flaws. He’s arrogant and self-righteous. When Arthur defends a submarine from the pirates, he leaves David’s – otherwise known as Black Manta’s – father trapped and doomed to drown. Faced off with a choice to save the man or let him die, Arthur decides the lives David’s father had taken outweigh the price of the pirate’s life and leaves him to drown. This, of course, sets David bent on avenging his father and killing Arthur.

And he does pose a large threat indeed. David manages to badly wound Arthur and damage a ton of buildings in Sicily, which in turn makes the half-Atlantean realize his mistake. If he had chosen mercy in the beginning and saved David’s father, it’s altogether possible that none of this conflict would have happened.

So when Arthur finally defeats Orm in the final scenes, he’s faced again with the same choice, just under different circumstances. Life or death? Blood or mercy? In a satisfying turn of events, Arthur spares his brother’s life. This shows that although killing Orm would be all right, Arthur’s learned that choosing mercy is the better option.

 

12. A story that comes full circle

One more thing I appreciated about Aquaman was how the story finished with the beginning. If that doesn’t make sense, I’m referring to the beginning scene, where Arthur’s father, Thomas, rescues Queen Atlanna. When Atlanna is forced to leave to ensure Thomas and Arthur’s safety, she promises one thing: that when it was safe, she would return to Thomas’ lighthouse at dawn.

She does not return for years – until Arthur takes his place as king of Atlantis, freeing Atlanna and ensuring that the ocean remains peaceful. This is when Atlanna can return to Thomas, so after all the tension we’ve gone through as the audience, we’re is rewarded by a heartwarming reunion between the two.

Of course, this brings back memories of the beginning scenes, which not only makes the story more cohesive but also brings about viewer satisfaction. Because full circles are satisfying, right? In the same way, stories that end full circle are bound to make audiences happy 😉

 

 

Summary for skimmers

In case you’ve just been skimming, or just want a quick review, here’s a super speedy summary:

1. Start off with a bang.
2. Have fun worldbuilding.
3. Strong female characters can still have feminine qualities.
4. Don’t hit your characters with so much pain it becomes unrealistic.
5. Balance your action-filled scenes with calm scenes.
6. Use humor to lift tension.
7. The secret behind scary creatures are sharp teeth, human qualities, and numbers.
8. Use flashback when it relates to the story.
9. Tie minor details together for foreshadowing and to create a more cohesive story.
10. Conflict can be solved by peaceful means.
11. Make sure your characters grow in your story.
12. Satisfy your audience with a story that comes full circle.

 

Back to you!

Have you seen Aquaman? What did you think about the film? Did you / did you not like it? What are some things you took away from the movie?

(Also tell me about the spacing in this blog post. Was there too much white space? Too little?)

Let me know in the comments below!