this puts James Wan in the same league as JJ Abrams.

Rating: 9/10 (3 January 2019)

I think this puts James Wan in the same league as JJ Abrams. Audience I saw it with clapped at the end. I tell you: We have not seen such a creative fantasy script and VFX since the last JJ film.
While James and JJ both lack the strong moral compass of Spielberg, excepting this, Aquaman is as creative a fantasy script and VFX as you could hope for. I come from seeing close to every fantasy movie and superhero movie made. I first liked James Wan on the X-Files and have followed his horror films from a distance. James brings a great deal together here. He's working with well-worn tropes but manages again and again to make them seem fresh.
Thor: Ragnarok is the appropriate comparison here, another crowd please, another comic book come to life successfully. Aquaman has more weight and depth than Thor:R due to its hero's journey arc.
I see critics criticizing Aquaman for clashes of tone. When multiple critics say this and I do not, I always wonder how many were simply looking between the screen and checking their emails on their smart phone. I went to art school and have written 44 books where shadings of tone visually and verbally are crucial. Aquaman is a masterful blending of goofy and serious moods. Even an octopus playing multiple drums fits in.
A lesser presence in one or more of the main roles could have sunk this effort. The plot point shuffling of trident fight one ending inconclusively leading to a whole middle section hero's journey to get to the second and final trident fight, is amazing effective to keep the narrative afloat. The drone rooftop chase footage is used to great effect. In a behind the scenes YouTube, James says at a superhero movie the audience should feel like they are learning something from the characters; and, that they inspire us to see our own capacity to do good in our own lives. Aquaman does 9/10 on both of these.