DC movie fans often say: "DC movies prefer to tell stories steeped in darkness and human drama."
Indeed, "darkness" has almost become a synonym for DC movies, not just the films, but the comic style is similar.
DC's plots and storylines greatly favor narratives about human nature, creating a strong contrast with Marvel's comic style.
The movie Deadpool 2 once cursed at Electro (a superhero under Marvel Comics, first appearing in Amazing Fantasy):
"Damn, you're so dark. Are you sure you're not from DC?"
This quip shows what the DC movie label represents.
But Martin's Aquaman overturns DC's traditionally dark stylistic path and clearly has blockbuster potential.
In the original timeline, it was the success of Aquaman 1 that prompted Warner to begin planning a shift in the DC film style.
Later, Wonder Woman 2 had a much brighter tone—although the script still explored human nature, Diana's lovable and lively character left viewers feeling refreshed, with little sense of a dark style.
And Shazam! directly countered Deadpool with its lighthearted, comedic hero style.
This stylistic shift has both fans and critics.
Some believe Aquaman represents the DC films' counterattack against Marvel, while others think Aquaman's style change will bury DC.
However, regarding the future, as beneficiaries, Warner won't overthink it.
In their view, if Aquaman succeeds, then DC has another money-making superhero.
In fact, in DC comic history, although Aquaman Arthur Curry is a founding member of the Justice League and holds a high status in DC comics, due to issues with his superpowers and character setup, he has always been criticized and has never been as popular as Superman, Batman, The Flash, or even Wonder Woman.
As a consistent "Martin booster," Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times believes that Martin used his super-strong directorial skills and the magic wand of the film industry to accomplish a miracle that even Harry Potter might not achieve, making Aquaman the savior king within the DCEU.
Kevin Thomas believes Martin's trump card is "balance."
This "balance" is reflected in every aspect of the film—such as the balance between the magnificent, fantastical visuals and the fresh, relaxing tone; the balance between the heroic handsomeness of Aquaman and the stunning beauty of Mera; the balance between the epic, creative spectacle and the underdog rising in the film's narrative.
And it is precisely this "balance" that creates the wonderful experience for viewers of having both a profound feeling and a romantic sensation while watching the film.
Kevin Thomas also believes that Aquaman's film techniques represent the "pinnacle" of the Hollywood film industry.
Aquaman's $170 million filming budget is only considered mid-to-upper range in today's era of flying blockbusters.
But in terms of grand scene presentation and action design, it far surpasses many competitors of similar or even larger scale.
In terms of visual effects, it can be said to be perfect.
That brilliant and beautiful underwater world has driven countless people crazy.
Kevin Thomas believes this is a manifestation of Martin's powerful imagination.
Like James Cameron, Martin also possesses a beautiful imagination.
When these imaginations, enhanced by special effects, boil over onto the screen, that dreamlike yet realistic expression provides viewers with a first-class experience. If watching the film just for "thrilling" elements, Aquaman can satisfy most viewers' needs.
Regarding many critics' comments that Aquaman lacks depth in its story, Kevin Thomas snorts disdainfully.
He believes that clear, easy-to-understand narratives should be a characteristic of comic book movies.
In terms of the story's essence, Aquaman indeed did not choose themes like "understanding darkness while believing in light," nor did it use heart-wrenching lines like "I save today, you save the world." Its trump card is a simple, classic template.
Frankly, Aquaman is a story about a prince reclaiming his throne through countless hardships.
The storytelling and editing techniques make the protagonist's experience hierarchical within a linear narrative, allowing the character's own charm and memories to slightly overshadow the story itself.
In Kevin Thomas's view, this might be a new idea and attempt. Although Aquaman's story is simple, it lacks some of Zack Snyder's pretentiousness...
The excellent, overlapping comedic scenes successfully build the characters' images and are enough to capture the audience's attention. From the perspective of explaining the origin story and attracting new fans, Aquaman's story, while not the most outstanding, is the most stable...
The simple three-act structure of beginning, development, climax, and resolution, combined with the classic line in the film during the climax: "A hero is more than a king. A king fights only for his nation. You fight for everyone."
Is enough to make the vast majority of viewers emotionally stirred.
In fact, the hot-blooded, slightly chuunibyou style Martin bestowed upon Aquaman not only influenced DC's future plans but also affected Marvel's Thor film series.
Both are muscular men, why does your Aquaman sell so well?
Marvel's Thor 1 followed the traditional path of classic muscular heroes, a continuation of the 70s-80s style.
Movies like Conan the Barbarian, Kull the Conqueror, and Clash of the Titans (original) are also of this style, with tall, muscular protagonists who often strip to the waist to fight.
But judging from Thor 1's box office performance, this style is now outdated. Today's audience doesn't like such purely tough guys with punch-for-punch fights.
Dwayne Johnson's The Scorpion King and Vin Diesel's The Last Witch Hunter are also this style and both flopped.
This led these two hardman representatives to later have to find new paths, combining muscles with other elements—like skyscraper climbing (Skyscraper), extreme sports (xXx: Return of Xander Cage), and finally just joining the racing genre (F9).
The blockbuster success of Aquaman's hot-blooded, slightly chuunibyou style showed Marvel the way.
In fact, Marvel itself had already figured out something; from Thor 2, the style began shifting in this direction.
But now seeing Aquaman's great success gives Marvel Studios immense confidence.
They decided that Thor 3 would fully embrace the "hot-blooded, slightly chuunibyou style."
The contrasting feeling of a muscular guy being naive—Marvel is going to film it for sure.