Wait for Netflix.

Rating: 4/10 (16 December 2018)

This movie is visually stunning, don't get me wrong. The CGI is epic and gorgeous, but it's a ridiculously dumb movie. Jason Mamoa is a stunning man that does an okay job as Aquaman, but his character feels very surface. His opening sequence/fight scene is a good intro but you're left wanting more depth to the character as the movie progresses. They tried to add some toughness and snark like Tony Stark, but there's not enough to work with to actually make the personality truly click and shine through to the audience. Amber Herd was excellent as Mera and I think she was perfectly cast, and the most believable character in this film.
Patrick Wilson's character was tolerable as the lead villain. I don't have much more to say on him. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was a minor "bad guy" character as he became Black Manta. I had to hold in giggles, as his battle armor made him look like more like a cheesy bad guy from the 90s version of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, and less like a Marvel antagonist. So much of this movie just reminded me of Avatar, only underwater. Avatar had mystery to it as it wasn't a world we knew, but this has very recognizable animals in it that are awkward to see in their presentation. For instance, sharks in battle armor. Frickin' sharks with frickin' laser beams on their heads! #austinpowers Seeing Orcas and blue whales presumably miles underneath the ocean was also something difficult to just dismiss as "it's just movie science" as these are real animals in our world.
The underwater scenes, particularly the entry into the City of Atlantis, were beautifully done. However, the inexplicable lack of continuity between how physics works in this underwater world (falling off of cliffs underwater?) among other nonsense towards the end of the movie had all of us in the preview audience muttering, shifting in our chairs, and asking aloud many of the same questions. We wanted to much to love this movie, and everyone walking out said it was terrible but the CGI was amazing. I wish I could say I loved it. I didn't. Beautiful, but disappointing movie.