Aquaman and the lost comic-book genre: How the DCEU and MCU sank in 2023 and what the future may hold for both
Is there any hope left for comic book films?
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Review
So, let’s get this out of the way: I loved the first Aquaman film. LOVED it. To me, it was an outstanding encapsulation of the comic-book genre and it felt like a comic book. Yeah, sure, there was some silly stuff and a terrible cover of “Africa” by Pitbull, but it was exciting, action-packed, and made full use of director James Wan’s signature style and camerawork. It was a fun-as-hell superhero movie that shocked the hell out of naysayers, becoming the highest-grossing film in the DCEU slate (and will likely remain so).
Fast forward five years later to Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, a long-in-the-making sequel to the billion-dollar original that faced delays, reshoots, and the ever-growing shift of adoration for the genre. Wan returned to helm the follow-up, which took much longer to come together for whatever reason (constant leadership shifts at DC/WB and a massive merger didn’t help), losing any momentum that could’ve been won after the tremendous success of the original.
The trailers for Aquaman 2 looked solid, capitalizing on the wild, bombastic style that Wan employed, along with the vibrant visual punch and lean toward the more monstrous and horror-themed creatures and villains. It looked like a promising return to the well, which would be the curtain call for the DCEU before James Gunn and Peter Safran reboot the whole DCU in 2025.
So, did the long wait, reshoots, hype (or lacktherof) pay off? In a word, yes.
In an online world where people swear by Rotten Tomatoes scores and pounce on ridicule over praise…not so much.
For me, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom is a perfect sequel to the original. Now, that doesn’t mean it’s a perfect sequel or the best sequel or however you want to spin it to make it sound like I just said it’s the Terminator 2 of comic book movies. No, it’s the perfect sequel to what Wan, star Jason Momoa, and the creative team behind the franchise laid out with the first film.
It’s silly, cheesy, cool, loud, explosive, expansive, creative, goofy, and unapologetically comic book-y in all its glory. It’s a B-movie with a massive budget that calls back to the old Ray Harryhausen flicks with shades of Clash of the Titans, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, and put in a blender with the 80s buddy-action movie genre. It’s Tango & Cash Under The Sea. It’s got all the trimmings of a big, dumb spectacle movie with a little bit of heart and a whole lot of explosions.
It also suffers from sequelitis, which is a common additive in the 80s when every new Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Under Siege, etc. tried to outdo or, in the least, recreate the spirit of the original, while trying to feel original itself. Sequels, in case it’s unclear, are never easy. Sometimes they are amazing and best the original (Godfather 2, Captain America 2, Terminator 2, Empire Strikes Back, etc.) and sometimes they are duds (Independence Day 2, Batman & Robin, Speed 2, etc.). And, sometimes, they’re perfectly fine follow-ups that don’t best the original, but keep the first burning (Die Hard 2, Blade Runner 2049, Lethal Weapon 2, Blade II, etc.).
For me, Aquaman 2 falls in the latter category. It’s not as sharp or focused as the first film and lacks the same level of suspense and conflict, but it’s a fun ride with returning characters that recaptures the spirit of the original, while neither elevating or lowering the standard and it’s juuuust fine in that way.
If released even a few years ago, I think the reception to Aquaman 2 would be quite different than right now. Many critics are skewering it and some moviegoers saying they even left the film without finishing it because it was so bad. As someone who truly scrutinizes everything he watches, I just don’t understand those responses. At all. So, am I just “off” on this one? (Or is it all that money that WB is sending me to say good things about it?)
DCEU and MCU in 2023: What Happened?
The answer to that comes down to the last few years with the DCEU and MCU, collectively, who have both faced a downturn in quality with an uptick in quantity. Audiences have been both spoiled and bamboozled at once, creating a superhero fatigue that ultimately boils down to indifference. Having seen it all at this point, what on Earth could possibly wow them anymore, let alone make up for the smorgasbord of misfires from both studios?
The knee-jerk answer is, “I don’t know, good movies?” but that’s a broad stroke and a cop out. That’s obvious, but what is “good”? I wrote about this in my Shazam: Fury of the Gods review, which suggested that George McFly, the 1950s set character in Back to the Future, would LOVE that movie, simply because he would have nothing to compare it to. It would be a revelation to him, because nothing has come before that could come close to topping it.
But modern audiences are much harder to please and, having been beaten over the head with everything and the comic-book movie kitchen sink over the last decade plus, there’s not much out there to move the needle. Aquaman 2 is exceptionally similar to the first film, which made a billion dollars, but for some reason it’s being crucified as a lesser film. And, to a small degree, I’d agree. I think the first is better when held up together, but the second one is no less entertaining and on par with the original in terms of VFX, acting, action, etc. It checks all the boxes. So, why the shift?
Well, quite simply, it’s too little, too late, and the folks that spend a heaping amount of time on the artist formerly known as Twitter are eating up the spoon-fed narratives that the DCEU is done, over, kaput, and joining the Titanic at the bottom of the ocean with Aquaman 2 the last to hit the floor. The biggest curse to come out of this “shared universe” model is that follow-on movies are being viewed as part of a whole, rather than as an individual effort, so if there’s no promise of sequels and/or spin-offs and connective tissue galore then it’s not worth the effort.
Look at this past summer’s The Flash. Prior to opening, critics and even professionals were speaking out about how much they loved it and how great it was, and then it was released with a thud. True, it was exceptionally long-delayed, coupled with the offscreen antics of star Ezra Miller and some very ill-conceived VFX in many parts of the film that left viewers boggled, but it was otherwise a fun, funny, and often exciting and emotional superhero flick. In the pre-Covid era, I believe The Flash would’ve been a massive hit, but something has shifted in the hivemind zeitgeist that has seemingly put superhero films on notice.
Shazam: Fury of the Gods was a massive disappointment as well, which was another early warning sign that the genre has hit a ceiling. As a sequel it was fairly on par with the original and could fairly be compared to Aquaman 2 (same cast, director, and creative vibe), but the story, action, and lame villains (and even lamer cameo) made it a complete wash for me. I just wanted it to be over and couldn’t help but feel that it sullied the fun of the first film. I doubt I’ll ever revisit either.
And while the smaller Blue Beetle wasn’t as horrendous as I anticipated, it’s not something I ever need to see again. It was a blip that felt like a made-for-TV movie, but benefitted from a charismatic lead in Xolo Mariduena, which is the nicest thing I can say about it.
So, that was the DCEU in 2023, which everyone knew was coming to a close when James Gunn and Peter Safran were hired by new WB CEO David Zaslav to spearhead an all-new, fully rebooted DCU, starting in 2025 with Superman: Legacy. What will come of that is completely unknown and perhaps a full year of no new live-action DC films will give audiences the breather they didn’t know they needed, paving the way for a fresh perspective and new hunger for superhero antics, which have seemingly grown stale in the last few years. We’ll see if the appetite remains (or resurfaces).
It’s easy to pick on DC, as they have struggled from the drop to find the sure footing that Marvel Studios has. The MCU has been a phenomenal success, undoubtedly being the biggest influence on the rise of superhero films at the box office. Sure, there were Batman and Superman films, a Blade Trilogy, and Fox’s Mutant films (including the mega-popular Deadpool films), but it was the MCU that really put superhero films on the map and up until Avengers: Endgame (with a hail Mary from Spider Man: No Way Home) it was an unstoppable force.
Then, it met the immovable object of Disney+ and a live-action slate that didn’t include Iron Man or Captain America (or the creators that brought them to life). 2023 was not kind to the MCU (or those that followed it), as it was a mostly downtrodden, dragged-out, and uninspired mish-mash of content that only slightly moved the needle, like a dying patient’s hopeful heartbeats before flatlining.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels ranged from abysmal to ho-hum, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 being the only bright spot on the live-action theatrical calendar. That’s a far cry from Phase 3 (or 2 or 1) and it wasn’t helped by the onslaught of dredge from Disney+, including shows like Hawkeye, Loki season 2, She-Hulk, and the snooze-fest that was Secret Invasion.
It’s almost impressive how awful the MCU 2023 line-up ended up being, not helped by the massive influence of progressive and vocal minority groups that have pressure-cooked them into a woke agenda nightmare that runs every movie and show with one committee after another giving “feedback” on loop over what is currently socially acceptable and what isn’t, leaving creators with their hands tied and minds warped over what the creative battles they can even fight.
It’s not a filmmaker’s world at Marvel anymore, not that it always was. But, the Favreau’s, the Gunn’s, the Russo’s, etc. have all moved on, paving the way for shadow puppet, DEI hires that have neither the experience nor the understanding of what makes a superhero film/show a superhero film/show, instead treating the material like a soapbox for every social cause hashtag they can squeeze in, while stunt performers and VFX crews do the heavy lifting, which doesn’t matter anyway, since they aren’t being asked to do anything particularly visionary or specific that hasn’t been done before a thousand times.
In that way, the MCU has the hardest road forward, I believe, unless they finally lean into the last ace up their sleeve: The X-Men. That’s a likely play, especially with Deadpool 3 making its splash in 2024, which I think will be the film to open the MCU doors back up and clear the path for a new “mutant” era. Marvel could easily milk that for another decade, leading to an Endgame-level finish that will bring out the masses (and the box office). But, will they trust filmmakers to push the boundaries and honor the things that make the X-Men great, or will it be more filmmaking-by-committee prattle that leaves fans disillusioned? As with all things, we’ll see.
The Future of Comic-Book Films
So, are we all just sick of this shit? Have we been so spoiled that nothing amuses us anymore? Are we desensitized to laser rays, power blasts, and mass city-wide destruction that we no longer care about men and women in tights performing feats of superheroics?
Well. Maybe. Or, maybe the powers that be just forgot what makes it all special to begin with. Maybe they focused too much on eye-roll social commentary instead of the bombastic action and heroism we tuned in for. Maybe they all got too big for their britches and lost sight of what they had. Maybe it’s all of those things.
I can remember a time, say 1989, when I was so ridiculously hyped to walk into a movie theater and see Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as The Joker. I was in Florida and in the fifth grade and I was swept up in the magic of what we were about to see. At that point I’d seen trailers, posters, and toys, and had already taken the plunge into comics, reading everything Batman, Punisher, GI Joe, etc. that I could get my hands on.
There was no Internet to tell me how wrong I was for liking what I liked. There were no social issues (at least not overt) in the film to take me out of the fantasy universe I yearned to escape to. There were no social misfits out to rob me of my joy in experiencing art without feeling guilt or shame for even existing in this world. No, I ventured out, full of hope and hype to escape into another world, to feel inspired and entertained. And that’s what I got.
The older I got, the more “real life” I experienced and my perspective shifted. Then, the Internet arrived, both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it united me with fellow fans and enthusiasts, a curse because it was filled with just as many degenerate, hateful, and psychotic morons that live to steal the good from everyone’s lives to toss it into the void that is their keyboard warrior souls.
Still, amidst it all, from terrorist attacks to war to marriage to children to divorce and beyond, I found my way back to the escape that filled me with hope, with inspiration, with an escape that spoke of the gods and monsters of our infinite imaginations. I never stopped collecting comics (and still do), and never stopped pursuing my passion for great films, great art, and great visions. The greatness of humanity is represented in the best works of art, and some of those come from our modern myths: the comic book superhero.
That’s where the genre thrives. That’s where it was born. A bunch of men, many of them Jews (Stan Lee, Bill Finger, Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel, Jack Kirby, etc.), created the kind of heroes the world needed to combat the hate, violence, and villainy of the world, mostly born out of the rise of Nazi Germany leading into WWII. The heroes were created to save the innocent, to protect their people, their world, and their planet. They were the new Gods. From Superman to Captain America to Batman and beyond, they emerged as symbols of our human aspirations.
So, for me, I have to look at the broader picture of where the genre is headed. In 2024 there is only one live-action theatrical film from Marvel, which is Deadpool 3. I firmly believe it may well be the biggest film of the year in terms of blockbusters. It has every advantage and the perfect team to make it happen. With DC taking a year off (unless you count the “elseworlds” Joker: Folie à Deux), I can only hope that James Gunn will assemble something that recognizes, pays tribute, and honors the legacy that was created with the genre, rather than trying to take it somewhere it doesn’t belong. Superman: Legacy will set that stage, but we have a long wait till that is revealed.
Either way, we’re getting a break in 2024, and perhaps that’s the biggest thing we need. Perhaps it will allow us to revisit some of the superhero films of 2023 with new eyes (for better or worse), and reshape our perspectives for what’s to come next. Hopefully, what comes next is what we need, rather than what we’ve gotten the last few years.
Up Next for Way of the Shirey will be my Year in Review (aka Best of). Stay tuned and please make sure to subscribe for free or consider subscribing at a paid rate, which helps support my work here. Thank you for reading and we’ll see you on the next one!