The Aquaman trailer finally arrived thanks to WB’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con - but it wasn’t the most impressive part of the show. The bad news is that the extra footage shown to attendees in Hall H may have sold the movie, and Jason Momoa’s hero, far more than the trailer released online.

We’ve done our best to break down the differences between Aquaman’s trailer and extra footage, but it’s not guaranteed that the footage will ever make it online for others to see. And if that’s the case, it falls to us to explain why the extra footage is a far superior, and more encouraging preview for Aquaman fans.

  • This Page: The Problems With The First Aquaman Trailer Page 2: What Aquaman’s Comic-Con Footage Does Better

The Problems With The First Aquaman Trailer

The main issue, or at least the most problematic in regards to the Aquaman trailer is pacing, particularly the pacing expected of films of this size, this epic tone, and this fantasy genre. Rather than drawing the audience in or slowly hooking their curiosity, the trailer begins by explicitly stating the origin story of Aquaman, thrusting the viewer into flashbacks to Arthur Curry’s parents. Through disembodied narration, Momoa outlines the facts: his father was a lighthouse keeper, and his mother a queen.

It gets the message across, but doesn’t do it with any real nuance or subtlety, and the same goes for the Harry Potter-esque discovery that Arthur can control marine life (with some shark and fish special effects we hope get some polish, and a sweeping shot of glowing-eyed Arthur that hopefully fits better in the finished cut).

It’s an awkward introduction, since audiences are likely here to see Jason Momoa as introduced in BvS and Justice League, not his parents or his grade school memories.

Thankfully the trailer shifts quickly into action, after giving a quick one-liner from the Aquaman we know and love. Unfortunately, the shots that follow are mixed with exposition that results in something of a mess. Arthur has a half brother, there’s a war coming to the surface world, tidal waves, Arthur must be king instead, fighting on a submarine, a gladiator match, a Black Manta with a giant helmet and glowing red eyes… And through it all, Aquaman seems like the butt of jokes, incapable of taking things seriously, and little more than the thrill-seeking, hollering pummeler from Batman V Superman’s final act.

He’s supposed to be the hero, but “doesn’t think,” quips about redheads, can’t stop ‘yeehaw-ing,’ gets a clunker of a punchline noting “the worst peptalk… ever,” and defines his first looks at Atlantis as “badass!” Watching only the trailer, one could ask why the movie isn’t called Mera, since she’s the one dragging the supposed hero along his journey. At the very least, the trailer makes it seem like the Aquaman from BvS has been given his own movie spinoff– and not that Arthur is the star of his own movie, his own story, in a corner of the DC Universe where he is, literally, king.

These problems are all addressed in the additional footage shown exclusively to Hall H attendees. But for those looking to remain SPOILER free - even if the trailers aren’t home runs as a result - then read no further.

Page 2 of 2: What Aquaman’s Comic-Con Footage Does Better

What The Comic-Con Footage Does Better

It truly is baffling that the second bit of footage, shown exclusively to those in Hall H, wasn’t the basis for the trailer actually released to the public. Unlike first official trailer, the second, five-minute long sequence begins with calm shots of tropical waters as Arthur’s narration speaks to the greater significance of his birth, not as just the son of a lighthouse keeper and a queen:

It’s a more mythic introduction, which also not-so-subtly parallels Arthur’s mixed heritage with biracial children of the real world. So when Mera enters through narration to claim he is “the bridge” between worlds, and must accept his rightful role as king, the stakes, and his decision are clear (and strongly resonant with his character scenes in BvS).

My parents were from different worlds. And I was the product of a love that never should have been. A son of the land. And a son of the seas.

From there, it’s two minutes following Arthur and Mera as they search through the Sahara Desert for an Atlantean temple. They find it - which Arthur remarks is “badass!” (it is) - and unlock the dead King Atlan’s secret message. It’s a scene out of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and one which Arthur punctuates with an unexpected joke… that proves his alternative solution actually would have worked, too. The real winner of the scene is Momoa and Heard’s onscreen chemistry, completely absent in the first trailer.

The message from King Atlan about the power of his trident is accompanied by shots of Atlantis and its people at the height of their reign. Next come shots of Vulko teaching Arthur to fight and defend himself using his mother’s quindent, and maybe even minor water manipulation himself. Orm seeking an alliance with King Nereus of Xebel, too, helping to suggest an understandable plot.

But the best action sequence is only glimpsed in the trailer, and shown at length in this extra footage.

A scene in which Black Manta ambushes Aquaman and Mera in dramatic fashion, equipped with a new suit of armor and some armored Atlantean soldiers. Gifts from Orm, presumably, to kill Aquaman. The chase that follows is the most memorable sequence, with Mera running on rooftops pursued beneath (reminiscent to the Bucky/Cap chase from Captain America: The Winter Soldier) as Arthur simply leaps to avoid Manta’s laser blasts. The camera work, stunts, and effects all sing in these extended shots, and raise our hopes and expectations for Wan’s action filmmaking all on their own.

The footage concludes with Arthur stating he’s no king - not a problem, Mera implies, since Atlantis has always had a king. Now, “they need something greater… a hero.” And with that, Momoa emerges, trident in hand, dressed in Aquaman’s classic orange and green scale armor.

So, yes, our hopes are high for Aquaman. But unless you were there to see the footage in Hall H… that may not be the case.

MORE: Aquaman is Stealing Avatar’s Thunder

This #SDCC post is brought to you in partnership with Regal Cinemas.