The First Reactions To ‘Aquaman’ Compare The James Wan-Directed Movie To Marvel

Warner Bros.

If you’ve been to a movie theater at any point in the last two months, you’ve probably seen (and seen and seen) the trailer for A Star Is Born, Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut starring himself and Lady Gaga. The film doesn’t come out until October 5, but ahead of its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival later this week, the website Talkhouse.net accidentally published a review before the embargo was lifted. The article has since been removed, but because nothing is ever truly deleted on the internet, you can still read how A Star Is Born is an “instant classic” that belongs among the “all-time greats,” with Cooper being favorably compared to Scorsese, Kubrick, and Hitchcock.

But A Star Is Born wasn’t the only highly-anticipated 2018 movie to recently screen for critics. The initial reactions to DC’s Aquaman, starring Jason Momoa as the titular water daddy, are here, and while no one is calling the James Wan-directed film the next Boogie Nights, the early word is mostly promising.

It’s worth mentioning that this was just a test screening, so a lot could change between now and when the movie is released. DC might feel conflicted about the comparison, but it’s probably a good thing that Aquaman is being favorably measured against the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 1 films (which include Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger). That’s already more promising than Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, at least.

Aquaman, which also stars Nicole Kidman, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, and Patrick Wilson (and no one from the Justice League), opens on December 21.

(Via Slash Film)