Film

Aquaman

Aquaman is James Wan's love letter to pulp adventure serials, dressed up in glowing tridents and CGI sea monsters. It's less brooding superhero film than underwater Flash Gordon — bioluminescent cities, kraken brawls, and family betrayal, played with tongue only half in cheek. Momoa's easy charisma anchors the chaos. Go in wanting spectacle, not subtlety, and it delivers gleefully.

TMDb rating6.9

If you liked this

Wonder Woman2017

Same DC era, same fish-out-of-water royal discovering a hidden world and a duty — but with more heart and a genuinely moving hero's arc that Aquaman skips past.

But It's earnest where Aquaman is goofy — if you wanted more jokes and monsters, the tonal shift might disappoint.

Wonder Woman poster

Black Panther2018

Another hidden kingdom, another reluctant heir proving himself worthy of a throne — grounded in real culture and political stakes instead of CGI seascapes.

But Far more serious and thematically dense; the family drama carries real weight rather than being played for spectacle.

Black Panther poster

Thor: Ragnarok2017

Same gleeful excess — cosmic royalty, banished heirs, a rainbow of absurd creatures — but with Taika Waititi's anarchic comic timing turned all the way up.

But Leans even harder into comedy; if you wanted Aquaman's occasional sincerity, this rarely slows down for it.

Thor: Ragnarok poster

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea1954

Both are stories about strange, charismatic rulers of the sea and the wonders hidden beneath the waves — this one just did it with hand-built submarines decades before CGI existed.

Disney's original underwater spectacle: Kirk Douglas and James Mason battling a giant squid in gorgeously tactile sets that still hold up, built without a single pixel.

But Slower, talkier, and more moralizing than modern blockbusters — patience for 1950s pacing required.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea poster
More like this (8)

Guardians of the Galaxy2014

Another ragtag crew bantering through a candy-colored universe on a mission bigger than themselves, mixing needle-drops with real affection between misfits.

But Space opera rather than undersea myth — the found-family warmth is different from Aquaman's solo hero arc.

Guardians of the Galaxy poster

John Carter2012

A criminally underrated pulp adventure about a reluctant outsider discovering he's destined to rule an alien world — Edgar Rice Burroughs by way of blockbuster spectacle.

But It bombed for a reason: pacing drags in the middle and the mythology takes patience to absorb.

John Carter poster

Shazam!2019

DC's lighter cousin — a kid discovering impossible power, played entirely for warmth and comedy instead of grandeur, with a similar sense of gleeful wonder.

But Much smaller scale and budget; if you came for spectacle, this trades it for charm.

Shazam! poster

Pacific Rim2013

Guillermo del Toro's giant-robots-vs-giant-monsters spectacle shares Wan's love of maximalist scale and tactile creature design, just above the waterline instead of below.

But Character work is thinner; it's mostly about the scale and noise of the fights.

Pacific Rim poster

The Mummy1999

Pure pulpy adventure-movie pleasure — swashbuckling, wisecracks, ancient curses — with the same unembarrassed commitment to fun over realism.

But No underwater kingdoms or superheroics; the connection is tone and energy, not subject matter.

The Mummy poster

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief2010no page yet

A half-mortal kid discovers a hidden mythological bloodline and a destiny tangled in family politics — a gentler, YA-flavored cousin to Arthur's own origin story.

But Aimed younger and less polished; the effects and performances don't match Aquaman's blockbuster budget.

Ponyo2008

Same core myth — a creature caught between the human world and the sea, torn between two families and two natures — but told as a gentle, hand-drawn fairytale instead of a CGI brawl.

Miyazaki's tender, visually stunning tale of a fish-girl who wants to become human, brimming with the kind of wonder Aquaman reaches for but rarely slows down enough to feel.

But No fights, no blockbuster stakes — if you want scale and spectacle, this is deliberately, beautifully small.

Ponyo poster

Blackfish2013

Aquaman fantasizes about a benevolent human ruling over sea creatures with love and duty; this documentary is the real-world inverse — human dominion over ocean life, and the devastating cost of that arrogance.

A gripping, furious documentary about captive orcas that reframes everything glib about talking to sea creatures — it's the discomforting real answer to Aquaman's fantasy of ocean kingship.

But It's angry, sad, and true — a hard tonal 180 from anything resembling popcorn entertainment.

Blackfish poster

People

Cast

Directing

Writing

Production

Recommended by

Avatar: Fire and Ash, Shazam!, Avatar: The Way of Water, Man of Steel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever