Comparison between the censored British Blu-ray (BBFC 12) and the uncensored US Blu-ray (PG-13).

 

- 4 censored scenes

- No time difference

 

In addition to the many superhero movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there were also several films from the DC Extended Universe and Aquaman has become a surprising box-office hit here in 2018. With a revenue of more than one billion US dollars, it was the fifth most successful film of the year and it was no surprise that part 2 was already announced for a Decemer 2022 release. Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) will be on board again, director James Wan (Saw) wants to make his involvement dependent on the final script.

While the film received the PG-13 rating in the US without cuts or censorship, the British had less luck. Back when the film started in UK cinemas, we could report that the BBFC originally offered a 15 rating and suggested to the distributor that a reduction of blood in certain scenes could make the intended BBFC 12 rating possible. Warner Bros. did just that and is also releasing this version on all home cinema releases. On DVD, Blu-ray as well as 4K-Blu-ray, British customers only got the censored version of Aquaman.

Over at Melonfarmers, you could also read about a scene quite soon: Stab wounds afflicted on Aquaman by Black Manta were worked on and leave no bloody traces in the UK version. In our comparison, we noticed two interventions in this scene and a few minutes later, digital revisions in the fight with the "Trench" sea monsters are noticeable. Even though it’s only creatures who are bleeding and who are clearly identifiable as fantasy creatures, the amount of the blood was a bit too much for censors. In various shots, it was also digitally toned down.

 

Runtimes are ordered as follows:

British Blu-ray / US Blu-ray

The UK Blu-ray’s black screen at the beginning is one second..

Note: The execution of the submarine crew in minute 12, which was also quite brutal but did not feature bloodshed, remained untouched in the UK.

88:59-89:03 / 88:58-89:02

When Black Manta first stabs Aquaman, only the original version shows him suffering from a bloody wound under the shoulder.

BBFC 12	Original Version

89:07-89:08 / 89:06-89:07

The hit on the back also leaves its mark.

BBFC 12	Original Version

100:42-100:47 / 100:41-100:46

Mera pushes one of the amphibious sea monsters (= trench) on a harpoon. This causes a lot of blood to spurt out of the body.
In the two following shots, Aquaman rams a broken pole through the other trench’s head and again a lot of blood can be seen. Also, as he kicks the dead trench overboard, blood flies through the air towards Aquaman's head.

BBFC 12	Original Version

101:01 / 101:00

When one trench is impaled by Mera's harpoon and hits another trench mid-air, we can briefly see the second trench bleeding from that impact.

BBFC 12	Original Version