Vincent Has No Scales is a French drama that almost plays a realistic version of Aquaman. While movies like Superman and Batman proved there was an audience for comic book movies, it still took studios a long time to figure out how to approach them. The 1990s led to a string of duds like Spawn and Barb Wire, but Blade eventually turned that around. It made superhero movies cool again, while the success of both X-Men and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man proved they'd be sticking around.
Two decades later comic books movies are the most popular genre in Hollywood. Given the prevalence of superhero movies, it's little wonder several movies have tried to take a lower-key approach to the subject. One of the key movies to try this was M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable, which came out long before the genre hit its stride. The story followed a security guard (Bruce Willis) who discovers he's superhuman, with the film taking a grounded look at what that would mean in the real world. Willis would return to the role for 2019's Glass, while James Gunn's Super took a blackly comic approach to the concept of a "real" hero.
One movie that definitely didn't take a grounded approach was Aquaman. James Wan's blockbuster starred Jason Momoa in the title role and featured bombastic action and special effects. The movie was a success for the DCEU, with Momoa already signed for Aquaman 2. On the flipside of the aquatic hero coin is French drama Vincent Has No Scales. The movie was written and directed by Thomas Salvador, who also plays the title character. Vincent is a shy, unassuming man who also happens to gain super strength when touched by water.
Don't expect to see costumes or a world-ending plot in Vincent Has No Scales, however, since all Vincent wants is to be left alone. His quiet life is complicated when he falls for Lucie (Vimala Pons), and after a while, he reveals his secret to her. While she takes the reveal of his abilities quite well, he accidentally reveals his powers during a fight at his job. Despite clearly not wanting to hurt anyone, his powers mean the police soon give chase.
Vincent Has No Scales is a nice, short drama that just happens to feature a character with incredible powers. There's no fancy effects or CGI to speak of though, and its really a character study at heart. Its unlikely Vincent Has No Scales will turn into a franchise where he teams up with Batman or Wonder Woman, but for fans seeking something a little different from the genre, it's worth checking out.