The DC Extended Universe has been a mixed bag in terms of fan reception. In particular, a lot of the negativity has been directed towards both versions of Justice League or Man of Steel's overly-destructive third act. Even as one of the more popular cinematic depictions of a Justice League member, Aquaman is not immune to online chatter both positive and negative.
Aquaman's place in the DCEU is fairly secure by now. His first movie did gangbusters at the box office and was highly regarded by both the central fanbase and moviegoers in general. Still, some things about James Wan's film, or the character himself, have struck a select few audience members as "odd."
DCEU Aquaman Vs. MCU Thor
On Reddit, a scenario has been posed in which there is a fight between the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Thor and the DCEU's Aquaman. Aquaman is allowed his trident, Thor is allowed his Stormbreaker, and the fight is divvied up to two locations.
This user thinks that Thor wins "9.5-10/10." Technically, this would be the figure for round one (on land). For round two (underwater), the Redditor believes that Aquaman might stand a chance, as the sea is his stomping ground. This proved to be an unpopular opinion, as another user pointed out that Thor was able to breathe in space, so breathing underwater would probably be fine as well.
Jason Momoa Wasn't Even Playing Aquaman
In a post detailing the merits of the DCEU's Aquaman, most people seemed to agree. However, this user felt something quite contrary.
They felt that Aquaman had more personality in the comic books whereas in the movie the character's personality just isn't there. Furthermore, they wished for Patrick Wilson (who played the film's villain) to be in the title role. In their opinion, Jason Momoa was playing himself as opposed to the character of Arthur Curry.
Aquaman Isn't A Good Guy
Aquaman positioned the title character as a man unsure of his place in the world. As a part of both the land and sea - though Aquaman has few friendships in either - Arthur Curry is torn between two very distinct paths for his future.
One Redditor's thread goes into detail about how Aquaman didn't exactly come across as the nice guy. The user feels that the film engages in a "stereotypical hero's journey" that culminates with Aquaman receiving his trident and the title of king. However, the user believes that, upon receiving the trident, Aquaman becomes an overpowered warlord on the verge of becoming corrupt. Most others didn't see Aquaman's triumph as tyranny though, especially considering his compassionate treatment of the widely-loved Black Manta early on in the film.
Unfocused Direction
Aquaman was a movie with lavish and complex action set pieces. James Wan also shoots these massive set pieces through a creatively unique lens. However, one Reddit user seems to disagree with the merits of the sequences.
The user goes so far as to ask whether or not the film had multiple directors, citing "some fantastic camera moves" during the first fight scene (as well as the attack in Greece), but, save for these two set-pieces, they believe that the film was shot in a run-of-the-mill manner.
Cringeworthy
Overall, Aquaman was very well-received, both critically and commercially. However, in the main discussion thread for thoughts on the 2018 film, one Redditor didn't mince words: "I just saw and thought it was awful. Cringeworthy throughout. Stiff acting."
Another Redditor was quick to disagree, though they partially ceded the main point. While they agreed with the cheesy accusation, they found the movie to be "...the best kind of cringe and cheese there is." Aquaman was never going to win Best Picture, and it seems that the majority of people agree with the latter user over the former.
The Villain And His Ending
Aquaman's primary villain, King Orm, is yet another cinematic tyrant on a mad-dash for as much power as he can get his hands on. Behind his conquest, though, is a deeper motive. To Orm's knowledge, his mother was killed for giving birth to his half-brother, Arthur.
One (since-suspended) Reddit user thought that the ending, where King Orm is reunited with his mother, was hackneyed. In the post, the user states that Orm is too old to be so happy to see his mother, whom he thought deceased. More than a few other Redditors jumped on the comment in disagreement.
Heinous Costumes
While there were plenty of viewers who found the movie's acting stilted, few had negative opinions about the production design. In conjunction with all of the CGI, James Wan's film also featured elaborate and beautiful costumes for every hero and iconic Aquaman villain.
Nonetheless, one Redditor, in a very loud post, stated: "What a d**n mess...Amber Heard's acting? APPALLING. Plot? NONSENSE. Costuming? HEINOUS? Casting? Okay." Other Redditors have mentioned the plot and Amber Heard (who will return for the sequel), but attacking the film's costume department is unique to this user.
Plot Holes In Aquaman's Journey
Most of the worldwide audience sat back and enjoyed Aquaman. Still, some people, like this Redditor, found no merit to the film whatsoever. In fact, the user didn't even finish the movie, saying: "Am watching this right now but can hardly be bothered to finish it. There's just so many plotholes in it...."
While a few other users found something to agree with, there was uniform rejection to the plothole remark. It wasn't that viewers found the script perfect, they just didn't see the point in criticizing a movie called Aquaman for gaps in its logic.
Aquaman's Dad Wasn't That Great
One Aquaman casting decision that audiences fell for was Temuera Morrison (from Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith) as Arthur Curry's father. He had the look and the stoicism for the role and didn't disappoint.
Apparently, not everyone agreed. One Reddit user even went so far as to say "The submarine scene was awful, kidman at the start had the weirdest take on her character and aquaman dad was unconvincing." When it comes to Temuera Morrison playing Aquaman's father, "unconvincing" isn't the first word to typically pop into an audience's mind.
Redundancy
Few would accuse Aquaman of being the most original film in cinematic history. In fact, it's far from being even the most original comic book movie. However, many viewers found that the film did enough unique things in its narrative to justify at least one watch.
This Redditor felt differently, stating: "It's like we seen this story again and again...So I thought it was trash." These harsh words were not shared by the majority of the viewing public, who found the film to be a fun romp, even if it did delve into cliches.