Dives in head first but doesn't go off the deep end

Rating: 8/10 (16 December 2018)

While Arthur(Momoa, charming) has known since childhood that he is Prince of Atlantis, he's been reluctant to claim the title and has instead stayed on land. However, when his half-brother Orm(Wilson, really committing to the role) threatens war on the surface world, which could kill millions of people, he has to embrace his nature. The only way for him to succeed is to work with Mera(Heard, her cynicism a cover for a sweetness and willingness to sacrifice herself), despite not getting along with each other, and neither of them having faith in him.
This is entirely unashamed of itself. It is proudly and decisively going all out. I'm not going to claim that everyone who criticised it either "don't get it" or don't at all have a point that its tone vacillates awkwardly between different ones, such as Lord of the Rings epic and cartoony comic book. Your mileage may vary. For me, it grabbed me from frame one and I was with it all the way through. It's so infectiously in love with its world, which really is unlike anything seen recently in movies from Marvel or DC. I'm not sure of when there last was a picture like this that didn't get a lot wrong. There is a lot of mythology at play here. Thought this was about a single nation of the Sea? Wrong. There are seven. Those clips of a massive battle in the trailers? It's freaking amazing. And I would have to strongly disagree with those who say it goes on for too long. This has the best action scenes I've seen since Infinity War(no, course it doesn't top that, how could it possibly?). They are easy to follow, the camera moves to take in the scope and keep the energy up, they are varied and distinct from each other, and they take advantage of the cool concepts at play here: dozens, maybe a hundred, underwater creatures utilised for transport and attack, as well as plasma guns and other futuristic tech. Although this film doesn't top Wonder Woman in every way, it's definitely in the top two. Warner Brothers: put as much of this franchise in the hands of Patty Jenkins and James Wan, and the DCEU will thrive.
There is a lot of sci-fi violence, some disturbing content, and a little strong language in this. I recommend this to anyone who likes superheroes. 8/10