"I have to point out how beautiful the film is, bright, dazzling and a delight to watch in IMAX and it really is the best way to watch it"

Whilst many have written off Aquaman as a casualty of the failed and scrapped DCEU, I headed into this with optimism, DC films haven't always been as disappointing as the the most recent batch, in my lifetime; the original batch of Superman and Batman films were high marks at the Cinema.

This film does however have the dubious honour of being the last entry in the DCEU before Superman: Legacy in 2025 restarts the shared universe under James Gunn's new leaderahip, mixed with the Amber Heard situation this has made things more difficult than they need to be.

Let's start at the beginning, the film starts with a semi fake out that brings you up to speed with the story, introduces us to Arthur Jr and gives us a brief glimpse of one of the antagonists going forward, although his name and motives aren't revealed fully until the second half of the story. For the most part the plot revolves around Black Manta from the first film wanting to exact revenge against Aquaman, paying off the end of the first film.

To get past the elephant in the room, yes Amber Heard is still here, her role is significantly less than was originally written but she is not totally written out as some may have hoped. Whilst I'm not a fan of the actress following the Depp deformation trail I also feel that what was written for her suited the story well, and wasn't gratuitous, for those leaning to the same view as myself, I would say to give the film a chance and that her inclusion shouldn't ruin this for you.

Following on from the last point, as reported a while back a large amount of the plot had to be gutted and re-written and now no matter what the original plan was it was always going against them. For my own opinion the final product whilst not leading to a follow up was somewhat satisfactory and a fun and satisfying watch. The re-writes to the script do lead to one of my criticisms though, we have a Black Manta and Aquaman fight yet again, and it feels a bit of a rehash and were it not for the fact of Ocean Master/Orm pulling and face turn and us seeing the development of the brotherly bond between him and Arthur then the plot would drag and be a little boring in my opinion. One last point, whilst it is necessary for the character there is a huge anti-pollution message throughout the film and it gets slightly overwhelming at times.

As for the supporting cast, they are used well to support the narrative. Nicole Kidmans Queen Atlanna whist still having a small role works well, Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master has a greatly expanded role and has a real buddy cop vibe with Mamoa this time around. Lastly before I summarise I have to point out how beautiful the film is, bright, dazzling and a delight to watch in IMAX and it really is the best way to watch it.

To summarise, after a very choppy filming period, a strike that has likely ruined a fair few films, this entry is as solid as it can be, it's maybe not earth shattering but it's worth both your time and money and is fun for all the family. I'd give this 4/5 being generous given it's many troubles.