Aquaman

Almost every underwater scene in James Wan’s 143 minute film was shot dry. The actors were strapped into tuning fork shaped rigs designed by the visual effects team, and their bodies were later swapped for digital doubles. That decides what you are watching: the Atlantis material is essentially animation wearing captured faces. The one large action sequence where the camera recorded real physics is the rooftop chase shot on land in Sicily, and its weight is visibly different. The most expensive invisible problem was hair. Roughly 700 shots needed hair simulation, and Industrial Light and Magic had to write new software because the standard guide strand approach did not hold up underwater, ending with strands simulated one by one. The film runs to around 2,300 effects shots. Principal photography took place at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast in Australia, with further work in Sicily, Morocco and Newfoundland. Julie Andrews voices Karathen, the ancient guardian of the sea. Worldwide it passed 1.15 billion dollars, the highest total for any film built on a DC character. Who it is for: viewers who enjoy loud, saturated undersea design and mythology building. Who it is not for: anyone looking for stunt work and practical action, since more than half of the running time is actors on rigs with digital bodies.