The movie centers around Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, and his hesitant introduction into the submerging, yet unaccepting world of Atlantis. Humbled by his low beginnings while learning from Atlanteans and conquering everything, he must to save his home on the ‘land world’ after his step brother decides to unleash war.

The story from there may have many flaws, but James Wan uses his vast horror movie experience to create a visually stunning atmosphere. James Wan, a horror movie director who created numerous hits, such as “Insidious,” “The Conjuring,” and the “Saw” franchise, takes a stab at the superhero genre and succeeds.

Now the good stuff.

First, the world building is incredible through stunning shots, such as Atlantis and the Trench. The viewer feels submerged, pun intended. The acting for the most part is solid, aside from a cringey exchange between a teenage Aquaman, played by Jason Momoa, and Nuidis Vulko, Willem Dafoe’s mentor character. The story is overall a cliche retelling of the usual superhero arc, but is necessary to create Atlantis, introduce multiple characters and backstory all in a two hour run time. Momoa’s laidback and humorous portrayal of Aquaman creates a likeable and relatable hero while also bringing enjoyment throughout. Plus, look at the man. The movies’ score was absolutely moving and well timed, continuing the DCEU’s reputation of astonishing music throughout their films.

The movie successfully establishes the connection between Arthur and Mera, an Atlantean diplomat, early on, and makes you root for their blossoming romance until the end credits roll. Arthur and Mera, who are married in the comics, get to truly interact for the first time and grow as a team. The movie’s big ending was given away by trailers, but it’s also something expected to happen since all watchers know who Arthur will become and the waters he protects.

The movie also had some of the best shot and executed fight scenes I’ve seen in a superhero movie. Wan’s refreshing new take at the genre meant bringing new elements to the film. One fight scene, my favorite, Nicole Kidman’s character Queen Atlanna, is fighting two Atlantean soldiers. While most superhero movies show a lot of punches thrown with multiple quick shots and one liners cut in, the entire scene was filmed in one take with no cuts or wild camera movement. This is one of the best examples of Wan’s visual excellence.

Now for some of the ways it failed.

We don’t get any sense of Atlantis, other than royalty politics taking place or citizens being military fighters in battles. Although the CGI was amazing, I would have preferred the CGI was toned down, so I could be mesmerized by the world it had created. It often felt overwhelming to me to be constantly introducing new characters or new settings. There were some moments that took the characters to a new visually stunning set for truly no reason except to show off the effects.

Aquaman and Mera spend most of the movie searching for a missing trident when they should be searching for a better hair dye. Seriously this has been a problem since Justice League first introduced Mera. This may be a small pet peeve, but it was an eyesore in most scenes, whilst working in others. It seems like a cheap wig or a dig at the fairytale of Ariel. With Mera and “Riverdale’s” Archie Andrews, it seems like Hollywood doesn’t know what red heads actually look like.

Patrick Wilson, the actor that plays the movie’s main villain, King Orm, is in almost every James Wan movie, as if the two are a duo package. However, his overly dramatic acting felt out of place in the cartoonish movie and made it hard to connect with his character. Many fans were upset about the lack of inclusion of Aquaman’s iconic enemy of Black Manta, who had maybe 15 minutes in total in the movie, and simply didn’t need to be there. Even though his character was a plot starter, it felt like an unnecessary extra storyline for the fans to follow.

The movie was two hours and 23 minutes, yet felt like it went on for years with unnecessary scenes to pad the run time. At points, I lost my caring for the ‘mission’ and just wanted to get back to the action. The one-liner humor fell short and out of place every time, including an over-stretched joke about Pinocchio.

Although Aquaman didn’t create anything memorable except for its vast visuals, I didn’t leave feeling robbed. I left feeling entertained and in awe. I got the satisfaction of a mesmerised kid who watched a comic book come to life. It is definitely worth the watch on the big cinema screens.