The version of the film’s prologue that I saw looks to impart the same mythic quality to the legend of Aquaman as audiences associate with that of the oft-told Superman, Batman, or Spider-Man origin tales. And as is appropriate for the story of the Queen of a lost civilization falling in love with an ordinary man, there’s a fairy tale glow to the proceedings early on. The wicked storm and unsettled sea that arrives with Atlanna nods to Wan’s spooky, horror movie roots – as does a copy of HP Lovecraft’s The Dunwich Horror prominently displayed inside the Curry home – but after that, there’s a nostalgic vibe that feels appropriate for its era (a title card identifies the prologue as taking place in 1985).

“Even though it’s a superhero character, my approach to Aquaman has not been as a superhero film,” Wan says. “I really wanted more of a fantasy approach to it. I pulled influences from stuff that inspired me, from classic Ray Harryhausen to early Steven Spielberg and Romancing the Stone. The really cool thing is that this property really allowed me to take a stab at all of these different sorts of flavors…and use the mythology and lore of Aquaman to pull it all together.”

further reading: Aquaman Review

Elements of the touchstones Wan casually names here were all on display in the Aquaman footage I saw. The Amblin-esque quality continues to play out during the origin prologue, as a confused Atlanna (who only speaks Atlantean at first) adjusts to her unfamiliar surroundings. Key to her story is how she fled an arranged marriage in Atlantis, but is clearly haunted by the knowledge she will have to return to her royal duties. Eventually Atlantean soldiers (who look like modern offshoots of Star Wars stormtroopers filtered through elements of Tron) force that decision, leading to a terrific close-quarters brawl. Lest anyone wonder about just how powerful one has to be if you’re going to be defined as Atlantean royalty, it doesn’t go well for several of them, and it’s a lot of fun watching Kidman cut loose in an action scene. And that fight is just an appetizer for what’s to come.

While the prologue is far from a complete Aquaman origin story, it sets up the movie’s key conflict between Arthur and his half-brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson), who he’ll have to go through in order to embrace his destiny. Orm is the current monarch of Atlantis, and (like many Atlanteans) doesn’t have much time for surface dwellers. “King Orm is sick and tired of our shit and finally wants to deal with that,” Wan says. “But Arthur is trying to stop his brother and the only way he can do that is to try to reclaim the throne. But as you can imagine, Orm is not going to give it up so easily.”