CGI extravaganza

Rating: 7/10 (8 March 2019)

In 1985, lighthouse keeper Tom Curry rescues a woman from the stormy sea. She's Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), The Queen of Atlantis. They have a son together named Arthur. In order to keep him safe, she leaves them for Atlantis where she is forced to marry another. Her advisor Vulko (Willem Dafoe) is tasked to train Arthur. In the present, Arthur is Aquaman (Jason Momoa), a Justice League hero. In rescuing a Russian sub, he leaves a pirate to his death giving his son David Kane reason to seek revenge as Black Manta. Mera (Amber Heard) informs Arthur about an impending invasion by Atlantian forces led by Orm (Patrick Wilson). Orm is Arthur's younger half-brother. Atlanna has been executed to the creatures of the Trench. As the eldest son of Atlanna, Arthur has more claim to the throne.
Director James Wan delivers a CGI extravaganza. The level of difficulty is high and he mostly clears it. I would have liked more space for some of the scenes to breathe. The movie is like a freight train without brakes. I need more moments in first gear to admire the sceneries and enjoy the humor. The pee joke is funny. The movie needs some calmer scenes to build good chemistry and do character work. I love the crazy war-crabs but it's sensory overload. The first speed bump occurs when Aquaman challenges Orm to a fight in the Thunderdome. It would have been more reasonable for Mera to bring Arthur to her father only to be ambushed by a double-crossing Orm. It would serve the same purpose without doing a big coliseum gladiator fight. It would also make Orm more underhanded evil. As for the creatures from The Trench, I would have preferred diplomacy instead of another fight. I expected a smarter twist where the monsters turn out to be intelligent. This is a good rebound from the lows of the DCEU although I hope the franchise can do more character work and less CGI fights. There is too much of a good thing.