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‘Aquaman’: The Weird, Sort of Good (?) Future of Comic Book Movies | Exit Survey (Ep. 111)

December 21, 2018/ 40 min/ Sean Fennessey · David Shoemaker

Sean Fennessey and David Shoemaker run an exit survey on 'Aquaman,' James Wan's DC detour: the most beautiful superhero movie yet, welded to dialogue they figure a 14-year-old wrote. Then they look ahead at the DC slate: Shazam!, Birds of Prey, and a Cyborg movie nobody asked for.

5 films across 2 segments.

AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.

'Aquaman': the exit surveygood, not great, and trying to be six movies at once

Aquaman poster

Aquaman 2018

Both land on 'good, not great.' James Wan directs it as purposeful schlock (bad dialogue, psychedelic set pieces), and the hosts count six films it's cribbing from at once. They call the CGI undersea work the most beautiful in any superhero movie, with the trench sequence and its flare as the single best shot, but the surface scenes look faker and the straightforward story drags once you can see every beat coming. Jason Momoa recast as a 'rock' instead of the blond, chiseled Arthur; Patrick Wilson as half-brother Orm; Nicole Kidman underused; Dolph Lundgren stiffening the mythology; the Sicily trident detour is the designated popcorn/bathroom-break stretch. Julie Andrews voices the giant sea creature at the climax.

The DC slate aheadwhat comes after Aquaman

Shazam! poster

Shazam! 2019

Due April 2019, from horror director David Sandberg. The hosts expect a jokier, teen, almost-Netflix tone, and note the character's odd tension with Superman (originally a rival Captain Marvel).

Birds of Prey poster

Birds of Prey 2020

Margot Robbie developing and starring, first-time feature director Cathy Yan. Framed as low-IP-risk, high-star bet: extend Harley Quinn without a 10-picture lock-in. Cast floated: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez. Sean reads the full parenthetical title aloud.

Dead Pigs poster

Dead Pigs 2018

Cathy Yan's feature before Birds of Prey, cited as why handing her a tentpole reads as a risk.

Suicide Squad poster

Suicide Squad 2016

Where Harley Quinn / Margot Robbie came from; the template for luring big stars into DC at low IP risk (the Will Smith model).

Also mentioned raised along the way

The movies it's trying to be 20,000 Leagues Under the SeaRomancing the StoneOrdinary PeopleRaiders of the Lost ArkJurassic ParkThe Bourne IdentityThe Bourne UltimatumAvatarThe Little MermaidUnder the Tuscan SunThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingUnder SiegeGangs of New YorkMasters of the Universe

Superhero touchstones Justice LeagueWonder WomanBlack PantherGuardians of the GalaxySpider-Man: Into the Spider-VerseIron ManThorCaptain America: The First AvengerCaptain America: The Winter SoldierBatmanBatman BeginsThe Dark KnightBatman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeCaptain Marvel

In passing Three Days of the CondorMary Poppins ReturnsCreed IIThe RevenantInsidiousTerminator 2: Judgment DayBack to the FutureRoboCopFurious 7Annabelle: CreationLights Out

Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads

TV This Is UsGame of ThronesJessica JonesTeen TitansEntourageFargo

Ads A Star Is BornThis Is Bus