Aquaman (film)

Aquaman is a 2018 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the sixth installment in the DC Extended Universe.


 * Directed by James Wan. Written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldric and Will Beall, based on the DC Comics character of the same name.

Arthur Curry / Aquaman

 * [narrating] Jules Verne once wrote: "Put two ships in the open sea, without wind or tide... they will come together". That's how my parents met: like two ships destined for each other.
 * [narrating] My mother had fled an arranged marriage, left her whole world behind, but in my father's lighthouse, she had found something unexpected. And my father found the love of his life.
 * [narrating] My father was a lighthouse keeper. My mother was a queen. They were never meant to meet... but their love saved the world. They made me what I am. A son of the land, and a king of the seas. I am the protector of the deep. I am... Aquaman.

Mera

 * [viewing the aftermath of the tsunami] This was Orm's doing. Worse is to come.
 * Your Highness, there is no victory in vanquishing the foolish! Your brother is clearly an imbecile!
 * Last time you fought him on his ground. This time, fight him on yours.

Orm Marius / Ocean Master

 * You are the reason our mother was executed and I have hated you for it ever since. But I do not want to kill you, Arthur. I am going to give you one chance. Go home. Do not ever come back to Atlantis. You are not going to win this. A war is coming to the surface whether you like it or not, and I am bringing the wrath of the Seven Seas with me.
 * Join me or die!
 * I am pure of blood! I have dedicated my entire life to Atlantis! He wanted nothing to do with it! You swore to serve the throne!
 * Today we unite our kingdoms. Tomorrow we scorch the surface! RISE, ATLANTIS!
 * You have our mother's trident; powerful... but flawed, like her. I wield my father's... and it has never known defeat!

David Kane / Black Manta

 * I scavenge the high seas. You're the Aquaman. We were bound to meet at some point!
 * "Loathsomeness waits and dreams in the deep, and decay spreads over the tottering cities of men!"
 * You can't run. YOU OWE ME BLOOD!
 * I'll show you the same mercy you showed my father, and gut you like the fish you are!
 * [After tinkering with Atlantean weaponry that blasts a wall] Hmm. I think I'm gonna need a bigger helmet.

Atlanna

 * A hero. A king fights only for his own nation. You fight for everyone.
 * [telling a story to baby Arthur] ... and the Trident could only be wielded by the strongest Atlantean. And it gave the king master of the Seven Seas. It made him so powerful, that the ocean became so jealous, and sent a terrible earthquake to destroy Atlantis. Down it fell, to the bottom of the ocean. But legend has it that one day, a new king will come who will use the power of the Trident to put Atlantis back together again.
 * [to Tom] I will return to you when it's safe. One day, right here, at sunrise, we'll be together again.

Dialogue

 * Atlanna: Where I come from, the sea carries our tears away.
 * Thomas Curry: Here, you feel them.


 * Arthur: How is it that I can breathe underwater, but you can still drink me under the table?
 * Thomas: That's my superpower. [they laugh]


 * [Jesse offers David (his son) an old combat knife.]
 * David Kane: I can't take that piece of junk. It's the love of your life.
 * Jesse Kane: I never told you the story behind it. This was your grandfather's. He was one of the Navy's first frogmen during World War II. He was so stealthy in the water, his unit nicknamed him Manta. But after the war, his country forgot about him, so he went back to the sea, scavenging and surviving with his wit and this knife. He gave it to me when I was your age. And now it's yours, son.


 * Arthur: I don't even know your name.
 * Mera: It's Y'Mera-Xebella-Challa. You may call me Mera.


 * Arthur: You're the guy from the sub.
 * David Kane: That's right! But now I have Atlantean steel! [stabs Arthur] Call me... Black Manta!


 * Atlanna: You must forgive me, for everything.
 * Arthur: This happened because of me.
 * Atlanna: Not because of you. None of this is your fault.


 * Orm Marius: ...Mother?
 * Atlanna: My son.
 * [They embrace.]
 * Orm Marius: I don't understand. We thought you...
 * Atlanna: I know. Arthur saved me.
 * Orm Marius: You're with him?
 * Atlanna: I am. You're both my children, and I love you so much. But you have been misguided. Your father told you that there were two worlds. He was wrong. The land and the sea are one.


 * Pilot: We're here!
 * Arthur: Hey! Is there anything nearby?
 * Pilot: Nothing but desert for hundreds of K's, mate!
 * Arthur: Nothing but desert.
 * Mera: He's wrong. [Rips door off and jumps out]
 * Pilot: Hey! What are you doing?!
 * Arthur: Wait! No!
 * Pilot: Oh... She just jumped! She didn't have a parachute!
 * Arthur: Redheads! You gotta love 'em. [Jumps out and falls down alongside Mera] Shit! Oh, you're crazier than I thought!
 * Mera: [Holding up tracker] A-ha! This way.


 * Orm Marius: You were defeated the last time because your surface weapons failed you. Ours will not. [David Kane walks through water hologram to commandoes opening armory chest] It's prototype armor for the next generation Atlantean soldier. Revenge is something we Atlanteans understand. You will lead my finest commandos as your personal army to hunt down the half-breed abomination. I cannot touch them, but you can. He's fled to your world. Kill him and the woman he's with, and you will be rewarded.
 * David Kane: Killing him is my reward.
 * Orm Marius: The crown jewel. Still experimental. Converts water into beams of energized plasma. [David Kane uses the weapon to blast a shore mountain]


 * [Walking atop of a sand dune]
 * Mera: One of the tribes of Atlantis broke off and settled here when this region was still an inland sea. When the water dried up, they perished along with it.
 * Arthur: Perished? Yeah, that's terrific.
 * Mera: We're getting close now.
 * Arthur: Oh, yeah? Close to what? Dying of thirst?
 * Mera: Close to getting punched in the face!
 * Arthur: Look, Fight Club, I know you're new to how things work up here. Why don't you look around? We are lost. You see that over there? Hey, what is that? Nada. This place is a wasteland.
 * Mera: You're the one who calls this wasteland a home.
 * Arthur: This isn't my home! It's not like the whole surface looks like this!
 * Mera: Oh, no, of course not. You've also got disgusting cities whose sewers empty out into our ocean and whole mountains made out of trash. And, oh, you've got great factories that do nothing but belch out filth and melt ice caps.
 * Arthur: Okay. Point taken. Listen. Yeah, we got some idiots running the show, but we've got some good things too, all right? We got green forests and big mountains beautiful lakes. You'd love 'em. They're like little baby oceans.
 * Mera: Are you trying to provoke me?
 * Arthur: I'm just saying you cannot judge a place before you've even seen it.
 * Mera: You've judged Atlantis on far less.
 * Arthur: [Runs to Mera holding up tracker] No. Would you just stop it with that? No. [Slaps it out of her hand] Your stupid Atlantean GPS just told you to jump out of an airplane over the middle of the desert, and now we are stranded. [Falls through sinkhole]
 * Mera: If you're the next true king, we're doomed. [Jumps in after him]
 * Arthur: That was awesome. Oh. Look what I found.
 * Mera: What you found?
 * Arthur: Yeah. Check this place out. This is badass!
 * Mera: This is the Hall of Armory. Where the legends say Atlan's trident was forged.
 * Arthur: I don't think they're legends anymore.
 * Mera: Vulko was right. It's real. [Walks up to hologram player and plugs in a cylinder] Huh. Noting.
 * Arthur: Of course it's not working. It's been sitting here collecting dust since before the Sahara was a desert. Man!
 * Mera: "Since before the Sahara was a desert."
 * Arthur: Thank you for repeating what I just said.
 * Mera: It's completely dried out. Let's just say you do your best thinking when you're not thinking at all. All right, now hold still.
 * Arthur: Hey. What are you doing?
 * Mera: We need water, and you're the closest source. Now, hold still.
 * Arthur: Hmm. Show-off. I could have just peed on it.
 * Mera: King Atlan.
 * King Atlan: In this trident resides the power of Atlantis. In the wrong hands, it would bring destruction. But in the hands of the true heir, it would unite all our kingdoms above and below. If you seek my power, you must prove your worth. Journey beyond the edge of the world to the Hidden Sea. Look inside the bottle for the charted path. Only in the hands of the true king can he truly see.
 * Mera: Hmm. We can't let Orm find this.
 * Arthur: Hey! Wait!
 * Mera: What?
 * Arthur: Shouldn't we have written it down first?
 * Mera: I memorized it. Didn't you?
 * Arthur: Oh, yeah. Totally.
 * Mera: What'd he just say?
 * Arthur: "Something something trident."
 * Mera: "Look inside the bottle for the charted path."
 * Arthur: It's our next stop.


 * Arthur: I'm starting to think you actually like these surface-dwellers.
 * Mera: It would be wrong to judge a place I've never seen before. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere.
 * Arthur: Well, apparently, it's just right up on the hill. A big old castle.
 * Mera: And I just learned something very interesting. You risked our lives based on something you read in a children's book?
 * Arthur: Wait, it's a book? How about that? Oh! I got it from the movie. Hablamos!


 * King Ricou: King Nereus, I had hoped our people had evolved beyond that ancient notion that war with the surface is inevitable. It is the position of the Fishermen that when the time comes to make ourselves known to the landsmen, it should be to educate them, not to destroy them.
 * Orm Marius: I admire your lofty aspirations, King Ricou. But I suspect they are but clouds of ink hiding the heart of a coward.
 * King Ricou: How dare you!
 * Orm Marius: Please. I implore you. You're a kingdom of bloated philosophers and flaccid poets whose waters have grown stagnant, and it sickens me. [Orm fights the King's guard and assassinates the King]
 * Guard: My King!
 * Orm Marius: The king is dead! Long live his heir. [Goes up to King Ricou's wife and daughter] Princess. Prepare your armies, Your Highness. We move against the Brine Kingdom at once.


 * Arthur: What did the recording say, again?
 * Mera: "Journey beyond the edge of the world to the Hidden Sea. Look in the bottle for the charted path. Only in the hands of the true king can he truly see." Look in the bottle for the charted path."
 * Arthur: [Takes bottle from Mera and peers through] Hmm. Oh, man.
 * Mera: What?
 * Arthur: Wow. That's awesome.
 * Mera: [Takes bottle from Aruther] Let me see. [Peers through] Wow.
 * Arthur: But how do you know where to point it? Here, let me see. What was the last line?
 * Mera: "Only in the hands of the true king can he truly see."
 * Arthur: "Only in the hands of the true..." Marcus Agrippa. He was a great general, but he wasn't a king. Neither was Scipio.
 * Mera: How do you know all this stuff?
 * Arthur: Because of my pops. He made sure I knew my history. None of these guys are kings, except this guy. Romulus. First king of Rome. "Only in the hands of the true king can he truly see." [Puts bottle in statue's hand and peers through head] There it is. That's our heading.
 * Mera: What? Let me see. We did it! Oh!
 * Arthur: That's not bad for an imbecile, huh?
 * Mera: Not bad at all. [Statue explodes in front of them]
 * David Kane: "Loathsomeness waits and dreams in the deep, "and decay spreads over the tottering cities of men."
 * Arthur: Get back! [David Kane blasts him over a distance]
 * Mera: Arthur! [To Commando] I order you to stand down!
 * Commando: Princess Mera, you've been charged with high treason!
 * Arthur: [Black Manta walks up to Arthur] Who the hell are you?!
 * David Kane: Maybe this will jog your memory.
 * Arthur: You're the guy from the sub.
 * Black Manta: That's right. But now I have Atlantean steel. Call me "Black Manta." You thought you could walk away?
 * Arthur: I thought I told you not to make this a habit.
 * Black Manta: You can't run. You owe me blood!
 * Arthur: How'd you find me?
 * Black Manta: Your lady friend has people who like to keep tabs on her.
 * Black Manta: I'll show you the same mercy you showed my father. And gut you like the fish you are! [Arthur finishes off Black Manta by sending him down a cliff]
 * Black Manta: I'll show you the same mercy you showed my father. And gut you like the fish you are! [Arthur finishes off Black Manta by sending him down a cliff]


 * [Arthur wakes up on a fishing boat with Mera playing the flute at the bow and he walks up to her]
 * Arthur: Um... Did you steal a boat?
 * Mera: Are the boats at the marina not for public use?
 * Arthur: No, those belong to people.
 * Mera: Huh. Those were Orm's elite commandos. But the one who led them, he wasn't Atlantean. I've never seen him before.
 * Arthur: Yeah, I have. He and his father were pirates. And he blames me for his father's death.
 * Mera: They picked a dangerous line of trade. It's not your fault.
 * Arthur: That's not how it feels. It was up to me, and I let him die. I could've saved him, but I didn't. And now, I made an enemy, and he could have hurt you. And that would have been my fault.
 * Mera: Well, he's behind us now. It's what lies ahead that should concern us. The charted path leads to the Kingdom of the Trench.
 * Arthur: Are those the same creatures that killed my mother?
 * Mera: Yes. She was taken there and sacrificed to them. It's become a place of death.
 * Arthur: We know next to nothing about what's down there. We should turn back. We can still warn the surface. Try and prepare them for what's coming.
 * Mera: Turn back?!
 * Arthur: Look, I learned from a young age not to show weakness. Okay? I solve my problems with my anger and my fists. I'm a blunt instrument, and I'm damn good at it. But I've done nothing but get my ass kicked this whole trip. I'm no leader. I'm not a king. I do not work or play well with others.

And I can't let you die trying to turn me into something that I'm not.
 * Mera: You think you're unworthy to lead because you're of two different worlds. But that is exactly why you are worthy. I can see that now. You are the bridge between land and sea. The only question is... Can you? [Arthur looks at her with humbly]


 * Orm Marius: Vulko. My trusted vizier who has stood by the throne since my father sat upon it. Have you any advice for me as this war begins?
 * Nuidis Vulko: I have already given it, My King. But I will stand by your decision, as always. My decision. To protect it.

While you betray it. You think I do not know of your treachery? That you have remained loyal to my mother's bastard son. That you have spent years training him to take the throne from me. Do not deny it.
 * Nuidis Vulko: I do not.
 * Orm Marius: Why? I am the pureblood. I have devoted my life to Atlantis. He wanted nothing to do with it. You swore to serve the throne!
 * Nuidis Vulko: I do serve it. Arthur may only be half-Atlantean, but he's already twice the king you'll ever be.
 * Nuidis Vulko: [Guards approach] Take him. But make sure he has a view.


 * Atlanna: Arthur.
 * Arthur: Mom?
 * Atlanna: King Orvax sacrificed me to the Trench, but I survived. I fought my way through as you did, and I ended up here.
 * Arthur: You've been here alone for 20 years?
 * Atlanna: Yes. Come. Sit here. You must forgive me. Forgive me for everything.
 * Arthur: This happened because you had me.
 * Atlanna: Not for having you. None of this is your fault. I made a choice. I had to leave... To save you, to save your father. Tell me. Tell me about him. Is he...
 * Arthur: He still walks to the end of that dock. Every morning. Every day. Waiting for you. Why didn't you ever come back?
 * Atlanna: Because the portal that brought you here won't let us return. The trident is the only way back. But it is guarded by the Karathen. The creature from our legends, it's real. It lies beyond the waterfall.
 * Mera: We'll go with you. We can fight it together.
 * Atlanna: No. It's too powerful. I've tried many times over the years. The creature will only allow the true king to pass. You're afraid.
 * Arthur: Yes.
 * Karathen: Good. You're ready. Atlantis has always had a king. Now, it needs something more. But what could be greater than a king? A hero. A king fights only for his nation. You fight for everyone. [Arthur goes through water fall and swims down tunnel]
 * Karathen: You do not belong here. I have guarded the trident against false kings since the beginning. And for a thousand years I have seen the greatest champions try and fail. But never have I sensed one as unworthy as you. You dare come here with your tainted mongrel blood to claim Atlantis' greatest treasure? So be it... [Slaps Arthur into columns] Half-breed. You thought yourself worthy? You thought yourself a king? You dishonor this place with your presence.
 * Arthur: [Karathen is about to slap Arthur with a flipper] Stop! You're right. I am a half-breed mongrel. But I did not come here because I thought I was worthy. I know I'm not.
 * Karathen: You understand me?
 * Arthur: I do.
 * Karathen: No mortal has conversed with me since King Atlan. Who are you?
 * Arthur: I'm nobody. I came because I had no choice. I came to save my home and the people that I love. I came because the trident is their only hope. And if that's not good enough... Then screw you.
 * Karathen: No man has ever freed the trident from Atlan's grip. Should he deem you unworthy... Well, I haven't feasted in eons, and I am famished.

The one true king.


 * Orm Marius: Remember, the Brine are powerful, savage brutes, but a swift assault aimed directly at their leadership will turn the tide.

Defeat the Brine King, and you will command the greatest military might on this planet. Today, we unite our kingdoms. Tomorrow, we scorch the surface! Rise, Atlantis!
 * Brine King: Death to the Atlantean hagfish! We will not bow to Atlantis. We're gonna give them a fight that they will never forget!
 * Commander: [Orm is about to finish off a crab commander] No! We need him!
 *  Orm Marius: Join me or die!
 * Crab Commander: You expect me to address you as Your Highness?!
 *  Orm Marius: Not Your Highness. Call me... Ocean Master!
 * Crab Commander: You can take my army, you soft-bellied slug! But you will never have my allegiance!
 * Orm Marius: So be it!
 * Commander: What the...
 * Nuidis Vulko: The king has risen.!
 * Orm Marius: Attack!
 * Mera: There are too many casualties. We have to stop the fighting now. I'll find my father. But you must defeat Orm.
 * Arthur: And what if I can't?
 * Mera: Last time, he was in his element. This time, make him fight in yours.
 * Arthur: Um... What was the plan, again?
 * Mera: The plan is to not get killed.
 * Arthur: Yeah, good plan. Don't get killed.
 * Princess Ricou: The Trench! He commands the Trench!
 * Nereus: Impossible! Stand down! Let her pass.
 * Mera: Please, Father, he has the trident. I know you think this war is necessary, but Arthur is king by our most sacred law. And if you turn your back on that now, then the Atlantis you're fighting for is already dead.
 * Commander: It's true! The half-breed wields King Atlan's trident. He commands the sea!
 * Nereus: Then that half-breed is your king.
 * Mera: Vulko! Come on, he needs our help!
 * Vulko: We can't! Look. The people must bear witness.
 * Orm Marius: That trident doesn't change what you are. A half-breed bastard. Atlantis will never accept you as its king.
 * Arthur: Well, then by bloodshed... Do the gods make known their will. [After fighting] Yield the throne. Yield it!
 * Orm Marius: Finish it!
 * Arthur: Yield the throne!
 * Orm Marius: Mercy is not our way.!
 * Arthur: Maybe you haven't noticed, brother... But I'm not one of you.
 * Orm Marius: Do it! Kill me!
 * Atlanna: No! That is enough killing.
 * Orm Marius: Mother?
 * Atlanna: Oh, my son.
 * Mera: It's a long story. I'll tell ya later. Come on! [Swims away]
 * Orm Marius: I don't understand. We thought...
 * Atlanna: I know. Arthur saved me.
 * Orm Marius: You're with him?
 * Atlanna: I am. You're both my children, and I love you so much. But you have been misguided. Your father taught you that there were two worlds. He was wrong. The land and the sea are one.
 * Vulko: My queen.
 * Atlanna: Vulko.
 * Vulko: Take him. But make sure he has a view. [Commanders take him away]
 * Arthur: When you're ready, let's talk.
 * Mera: People of Atlantis, today began in bloodshed, but let it end in joy. [Motioning to Arthur] I give you King Arthur of Atlantis.
 * Nereus: Hail to the king!
 * Combatants: [Repeatedly] Hail to the king!
 * Arthur: So, what do I do now?
 * Mera: Be their king.
 * Arthur: Ooh. This is gonna be fun. [Kisses Mera's head]
 * Tom Curry: [Walking down steps from lighthouse to see Atlanna on the dock and they embrace in passionate hugging] You came back. You're back.
 * Atlanna: Yes. Yes.
 * Voiceover Arthur: My father was a lighthouse keeper. My mother was a queen. They were never meant to meet... But their love saved the world. They made me what I am. A son of the land, and a king of the seas. I am the protector of the deep. I am... Aquaman.
 * Voiceover Arthur: My father was a lighthouse keeper. My mother was a queen. They were never meant to meet... But their love saved the world. They made me what I am. A son of the land, and a king of the seas. I am the protector of the deep. I am... Aquaman.

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 * [David Kane wakes up in a bed in the garage of an oceanologist examining his helmet]
 * TV oceanologist: I spent 15 years at the United States Institute of Marine Science...
 * TV interviewer: Weren't you fired?
 * TV oceanologist: ...studying oceanic phenomenon, and this is the most conclusive evidence we have to date. Deep-sea seismographs have recorded explosions on the ocean floor. We have satellite imagery of debris from Atlantean warships floating on the surface...
 * TV interviewer: Dr. Shin! Will you please let me finish? Here we go again. Atlantean?
 * TV oceanologist: Yes. The government does not want us to know about the threat that exists right here...
 * David Kane: Yeah, I wouldn't do that if I were you.
 * Oceanologist: This is Atlantean technology, isn't it? Can you tell me how you got this?
 * David Kane: Sure. But first, you gotta tell me how to find him. [Throws knife at a newspaper inquiring the identity of Aquaman]

Cast

 * Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman
 * Amber Heard as Mera
 * Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko
 * Patrick Wilson as Orm Marius / Ocean Master
 * Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus
 * Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as David Kane / Black Manta
 * Ludi Lin as Captain Murk
 * Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry
 * Nicole Kidman as Atlanna

Taglines

 * Home is calling.
 * A tide is calling.
 * He's not from around here.