Funny / Aquaman (2018)

Movie

I'm detecting some bias in this.

• Atlanna's and Thomas's awkward introduction to each other. The former matter-of-factly tells him that she is a Queen of Atlantis. Not really sure how to process it, the latter responds that he is "Keeper of Lighthouse".
  • Just before, Atlanna eats Thomas's live goldfish whole, looking very ecstatic while at it. The guy who can talk to fish was born from a woman who eats fish on sight!
  • When Thomas catches her in the middle of it, Atlanna very quickly swallows up the goldfish as if she's just been caught stealing food from the fridge but refused to be stopped.
  • Thomas reacts by telling Atlanna not to eat the dog and the dog reacts to the warning by fleeing.
  • And the night before, before she collapses from her injury, she throws her quindent at Thomas's television set because she is startled by its noises.
    • As the Atlanteans construct subs shaped like sea creatures, and the program playing at that moment showed a Stingray-shaped sub, perhaps she mistook the TV as a two-way monitor that would have given away her location.
• After his Three-Point Landing inside a submarine, Aquaman nonchalantly asks the pirates who hijacked it for a "permission to come aboard". Two of them give a look of surprise at each other... then he proceeds to kick their asses.
  • At one point during the fight, one of the pirates stupidly tries pimp-slapping Aquaman. It doesn't work, but it does get a wide-eyed "Are you serious?" expression from him.
  • Another pirate hides in fear behind one of the submarine's inner doors. Aquaman simply slams the door on him.
  • When he rescues the crew, he tells them to hurry up, because he missed happy hour to do this.
    • Considering drinking has long been equated with manliness in Russia, that probably means quite a bit to the sailors.
  • Jesse Kane fires a grenade launcher at Arthur, thinking he’s finally killed the Aquaman. He manages to pick himself up within a matter of seconds and delivers a small but genuine "ow".
• Arthur and Thomas go out for a drink. Turns out Thomas can hold beer better than Arthur can as the heir King of Atlantis is already looking woozy while his human father stares with amusement.
  Thomas: You want me to have them put that in a sippy cup for you?
  Arthur: How is it that I can breathe underwater, but you can still drink me under the table?
  Thomas: That's my superpower.
• While saying this, A couple of bikers who may or may not have been Leaning on the Fourth Wall comes up to Arthur and Thomas and insultingly calls Arthur "Fish Boy". Arthur responds that he's actually "Fish Man."
  • Speaking of the bikers, the audience is led to believe that they're going to make a scene and Arthur will kick their asses. And then... the leader takes out his (pink!) phone and asks for a couple of selfies, revealing that they're fans of him.
  • When it looks like they're about to fight, Thomas Curry just rolls his eyes and says "Oh great". Apparently he's familiar with this.
    • Though the context of the comment doesn't make it clear if he's expecting a brawl or a run-in with more of his son's loony fanboys. Either way is hilarious, though.
  • "Don't touch me."
  • Their photos are shown afterwards in a Binge Montage. Arthur at first looks unimpressed, but as he shares some beers with them, he gets progressively happier with each photo. And just the fact that the Binge Montage transitions with an old-fashioned flash bulb sound when we know it's being taken on a smartphone.
• When Arthur and Mera find her ship, he refuses to get inside and tells her he doesn’t want to smell like "swamp butt", to which she comments that it would be an improvement. Arthur then sniffs his armpit, groans in disgust, and nods in agreement. Not only can Atlanteans breathe and speak underwater, they can smell.
  • Also funny is the way the water around his nostrils stirs after he reels in disgust.
  • Among the junk down where she kept her ship, you can see the Annabelle doll. Looks like someone finally got rid of that thing.
• Vulko tells Arthur that he'll need to obtain a trident to claim rule over Atlantis. Arthur dismisses him by saying he's already got one (the five-pronged weapon he inherited from his mother and used in Justice League). Cue the camera sliding on it as he points it backwards with his thumb. Then Vulko tells him it's not the same kind.
  • Also, Arthur calls Vulko "Cobra Kai" for having taught him how to fight.
• The fighter cards that appear before Orm's and Arthur's first duel are a bit biased against the latter: he's listed as "Half-Breed", has no advantages, and has a few weaknesses, including "Drunk".
  • In general, Orm's and Arthur's first duel is like something out of the WWE, with the audience in the stands cheering and booing at Orm and Arthur, respectively, as if it were a bout between a face and a heel when it's in fact very real and to the death.
  • Arthur's reaction when he realizes that his duel with Orm is in a massive coliseum with thousands of spectators?
    Arthur: Shit.
  • The best part is that because Arthur is an example of Hybrid Power, that supposed weakness is just an Informed Flaw.
• During the escape in Mera's submarine, Arthur notes they'll need to pass through the extensive security measures held at Atlantis' entrance which she mentioned to be unbreachable, and Mera can only reply with an annoyed "I know! Now shut up!" as they are dodging hydrogun fire.
  • Also during that scene:
    Arthur: Heads up! We have a bogey on our six!
    Mera: What does that even mean?!
    Arthur: Bad guys behind us!
    Mera: Then just say that!
    Arthur: *panicking* Bad guys behind us!
• Once they lose the submarine, Arthur finds a way to escape their pursuers: hiding inside a whale's mouth. He states "It worked for Pinocchio!" while Mera is puzzled at the reference. Maybe he should have mentioned Marlin and Dory?
• Arthur and Mera jump from a plane… without their parachutes.
  Pilot: Your mate jumped! With no parachute!
  Arthur: Redheads! You gotta love 'em! [jumps] YEEEEHAAA!
  • And a goat on the plane looks back to the pilot, and then to the open door.
• When Arthur and Mera traverse the Sahara Desert to find some Atlantean tech that could lead them to the Trident, Arthur behaves like a mouthy goofball over every little thing while Mera can only roll her eyes at his childish nature.
  • He complains that Atlantis had to put something so valuable nowhere near water.
  • At one point they're really in the middle of nowhere and Arthur complains once more that there is nothing remotely helpful for their quest. Cue Arthur falling into a sinkhole leading to an ancient Atlantean temple and Mera lamenting that this man is the heir king.
  • Mera, about Arthur:
    Mera: You do your best thinking when you're not thinking at all.
  • When Mera uses her hydrokinesis to draw the sweat from his brow and activate the cylinder containing King Atlan's final message, Arthur points out a more practical method, to which she gives him a disgusted glance.
    Arthur: I could've just peed on it.
  • After seeing the message, Mera destroys the cylinder. Arthur protests, but Mera tells him she memorised the whole thing. Arthur feigns doing the same thing, but when Mera tests his memory, he just mumbles.
    Mera: What did he just say?
    [Beat]
    Arthur: ...Something something trident.
    • Note that only moments later, without Mera repeating the message, he does mention part of the message and figures out what it means, suggesting he was playing up his goofball nature for Mera. Which in no way makes it less funny!
• David/Black Manta frantically ducking for cover when he accidentally activates the plasma caster he just fit into his Manta suit's helmet, breaking it in the process.
  David: Huh. Think I'm gonna need a bigger helmet.
• While in Sicily, Mera is presented with a bouquet of flowers by a florist. After observing some locals eating apples, she does as the Romans do and proceeds to eat them.
  • She then gestures at Arthur to eat it as well. He fakes a satisfied face first before frowning, looking as if he wants to throw up.
  • Later, thanks to a child amused by Mera's hydrokinesis, she is less than amused at discovering what Pinocchio is.
    Mera: You risked our lives based on something you read in a children's book?
    Arthur: It's a book? How 'bout that? I got it from the movie.
• Arthur and Black Manta's brawl eventually makes its way into Sicily, where they crash into an old woman's apartment and duke it out. Meanwhile, the old lady has absolutely no emotional response to everything transpiring.
  Arthur (finally noticing the old lady): Uh, scusi.
• The fight between Mera and Murk results in the former damaging the latter's suit (causing Murk's water supply to quickly drain out). Suffocating, he sees a toilet and quickly dives into the bowl and desperately sucks in as much water as he can. He then sighs in relief, obviously clueless as to what toilets are used for.
• After the fight with Black Manta, Arthur wakes up on a boat with Mera. It takes him a moment to realize that they're alone.
  Arthur: Did you steal this boat?
  Mera: Are the boats at the marina not for public use?
  Arthur: No, those belong to people.
  Mera: ...huh.
• Right after The Big Damn Kiss, Aquaman understandably can't remember what he's supposed to do. Mera just replies "the strategy is 'try not to be killed'".
• In a slight bit of Black Comedy, when Arthur takes command of all the sea creatures in the final battle, some of Orm's shark riders are thrown off and eaten by their mounts!
• Vulko's expression after seeing Queen Atlanna. It's probably the only time in the entire film where he is truly surprised and he is absolutely dumbfounded. What makes it better is Mera merely tells him It's a Long Story.
• One of the newspaper headlines posted on Dr Shin's wall reads "Wonder Woman Nixes Aquaman Dating Rumours".
• There is something hilarious about how the big climactic fight, with one-liners and stuff, ends with the combatants' mom showing up and telling her sons to knock it off. You kind of expect the words "go to your room" to be involved.

Meta

• Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Black Manta) apparently used a trash can to alter his voice to simulate the inside of the character's helmet. And he had an absolutely manic-looking grin as he did so.
• "I told my husband I wanted a picture alone with Jason Momoa, but he wasn't comfortable with that."
• Julie Andrews, the original Mary Poppins, has a role in Aquaman. The film's main competitor at the 2018 Christmas box office was none other than Mary Poppins Returns, in which Andrews turned down an offer to make a cameo appearance. She basically preferred voicing a freaking sea kaiju over having a Remake Cameo. Awesome, Dear Boy?
  • About this, producer Peter Safran said in an interview: "If you want to experience the real Mary Poppins this Christmas, you can do it with Aquaman." He wasn't quite kidding.
• Jason Momoa doing an interview with his hair in pigtails. Seriously.
• Henry Cavill congratulating Jason Momoa, James Wan, and everyone involved with an Aquaman impression of his own.
• When James Wan was told that there's a particular scene in the movie that the people of China loves, he guessed some of the set pieces and all the cool visuals, but he wasn't even remotely close. The scene that everyone in China loved is... the scene where Mera eats a flower.

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