Jason Mamoa’s heroics can’t save DC’s latest adventure from drowning under its own ambitions.

Poor Aquaman. Ever since the character’s inception in 1941, the guy has never really been given a chance. With his eccentric power set and goofy, squeaky-clean image, the metahuman known as Arthur Currie has become the butt of so many jokes by now that his chances of ever being taken seriously enough to earn his own film appeared remote.

Living in the shadow of his more illustrious DC team mates, Aquaman has had to settle for life in the movie shallow end until very recently when his part in the big (or not so big, depending on your opinion) DC team up - Justice League - saw his star steadily ascend.

As a rare glimmer of hope in an otherwise depressing affair, Jason Mamoa’s surfer bro take on the usually straight-laced Aquaman won over many doubters and proved that there was far more to him than a dude that talks to fish. Yet, it’s one thing throwing him a line as part of a superhero ensemble, giving the character an entire mega-budget movie of his very own is another kettle of fish entirely.

For this, you must admire the gumption of DC and Warner Bros to believe in a superhero who’s only real cultural cache until now has been as a running joke on Entourage. However, is this faith misplaced? Or can they pull off the seemingly impossible and give us an Aquaman that doesn’t end up a huge damp squib.

A year on from Steppenwolf’s invasion of Earth, half-human/half-Atlantean Arthur Currie (Jason Mamoa) finds himself coaxed to the subterranean city that turned its back on him, as his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) seeks to unite the seven underwater kingdoms to declare war on the surface world. Hell-bent on destroying all human life in retaliation for their blatant disregard for the seas, Arthur must team up with Mera (Amber Heard) to stop his power-hungry sibling and become the king he was born to be.

Beyond the problems with selling the notion of a superhero whose primary power is chatting to fish, DC’s greatest challenge with bringing Aquaman to life convincingly lay on a technical level. To bring the underwater world of Atlantis to life and do it justice, director James Wan certainly had his work cut out but, while he has clearly embraced the challenge, it’s certainly not smooth sailing.

The task was certainly a tall one and, while the attempt to make Atlantis and its residents believable and vibrant is to be admired, DC and James Wan never quite live up to their admirable ambitions. On a surface level, Aquaman certainly looks the part, with beautiful underwater vistas and sprawling, vivid cityscapes that embrace the need for vibrancy in a DC universe renowned for its drab colour pallet; yet, there’s still something off about the entire thing.

Reminiscent of Black Panther’s Wakanda, Atlantis is a beautifully rendered landscape, yet, go a little deeper and the film’s CGI cracks begin to appear. Decidedly floaty by its very nature, Aquaman’s underwater graphics never quite sit right, exuding an awkward tone full of uncomfortable hovering actors and weirdly buoyant hair that never truly sells you on the credibility of its subaquatic location.

In an era of CGI box office domination - one in which computer-generated graphics are as convincing as they have ever been - Aquaman showcases the best and worst of the technology, as it conjures up a striking, beautifully imagined environment, yet falters on the details. On a macro level, the film largely succeeds, yet as we zoom in, the entire world starts to appear awkward and unfinished.

Conversely, the action on land is impressive, stunning, and admirably kinetic, with James Wan making fantastic use of space and depth to inject some welcome dynamism into proceedings. As the camera floats around the dry land action, Aquaman really discovers its groove, yet finds itself in the awkward position of having its underwater universe largely outshone by the surface world – which, for a film whose entire raison d'être is to showcase its aquatic action, isn’t a good look.

In particular, the film struggles to rectify the problem of communication in an underwater environment. It’s something Justice League awkwardly dodged by having its Atlanteans converse in giant air bubbles but, while Aquaman thankfully ditches that approach, its own methods never quite feel right. Whether the problem lies on a technical level or if it’s just poor writing, it’s hard to tell, yet every conversation in Atlantis just feels a little awkward.

To this end, Aquaman contains some truly terrible dialogue, coming off as something of a throwback to the kind of sub-par superhero writing we used to see many decades ago. Swinging from clunky exposition to over-ripe, cringe-worthy quips, the dialogue never really connects, finding itself caught awkwardly between grandiose and comical, and never confident in what tone to take.

Oddly, this off-kilter tone is mirrored in the film’s musical choices, which are so ill-advised and all over the place at times, it has the jarring habit of pulling you right out of the action. Swinging from epic orchestral pomp to retro Theremin weirdness to pure pop cheese, Aquaman’s score has its idiosyncratic charms, yet never really settles into a comfortable rhythm.

This isn’t a new problem for the franchise, as both Suicide Squad and Justice League suffered from an inconsistent and often ill-judged musical tones. These problems rear their head throughout Aquaman, as the film just can’t choose a track and stick with it; coming to a head with a moment of pure daftness as we roll from a rousing orchestral number to a Pitbull cover of Toto’s Africa that I will generously describe as ‘interesting’. I can’t fathom any universe – comic book or otherwise – where that kind of nonsense can be considered heroic.

It’s all a rather scrappy affair that contains plenty of charm and an admirable sense of adventure, yet the film never really gels as a cohesive product. As director, James Wan must shoulder much of the responsibility for these inconsistencies and, while the filmmaker does a fantastic job with the film’s action, there are many parts to Aquaman that just don’t work.

Wan’s horror credentials shine through in a lot of the film’s underwater sequences - especially the scenes in the deep, dark depths of ‘The Trench’ - and the director evidently has an eye for spectacle and action, yet there’s clearly something lacking in his ability to handle character and plot.

There are several standout action set pieces that will genuinely leave your jaw on the floor, including an innovatively shot sequence in and around Sicily, however, they can’t atone for just how aimless the rest of the film feels. Loose and scrappy, the film’s plotting and character development never truly rise above mediocre, with a narrative that starts strong but soon loses itself in the undertow of its needlessly sprawling 143-minute running time.

Never truly clicking, Aquaman’s plot takes us from epic underwater battles involving more CGI creatures than you can shake a fishing rod at, to Indiana Jones-light desert adventuring that’s certainly fun to a point yet lacks the necessary punch to make it all work. Add to this the recurring problem with the film’s over-ripe dialogue, awkward pacing, and heavy-handed exposition dumps and you’ve got yourself a mess, albeit an occasionally enjoyable one.

When it wants to be though, Aquaman is an absolute blast, with a fun, carefree approach and an admirable level of nuttiness for such an enormous Hollywood blockbuster. Pushing the boat out on the film’s sprawling action, there’s a swashbuckling, roguish charm to James Wan’s film that’s hard to resist and, when stacked up against DC’s grimmer big screen efforts, its lighter tone and carefree approach feel like a genuine breath of fresh air.

Adding to this charm considerably, Jason Mamoa may be a relative newcomer to the world of blockbuster stardom, yet he doesn’t let it show and, while his take on the character involves the odd moment of eye-rolling silliness (honestly, does every line really have to come with a quip and a wink?), he is undoubtedly a charming presence, with a stature that fits the part to a tee.

The surfer dude shtick may have come across a little forced in Justice League, however, Aquaman has been retooled just enough this time out to keep the character’s essence intact while injecting him with a more rounded personality. Unfortunately, much like the rest of the film, Arthur Currie suffers from a severe lack of development and Mamoa finds himself dragged under by some utterly extricable dialogue.

There really is no excuse for the poor quality of the film’s writing and, while ensemble supporting Mamoa certainly try their best with what they’re given, when greats like Willem Defoe and Nicole Kidman can’t find a way to lift the sub-par material, what hope does anyone else have?

James Wan has put together a stellar cast yet feeds them tired, cliché-ridden dialogue that often falls flat, failing to offer any truly satisfying character moments along the way. Among them, Amber Herd and Patrick Wilson are left floundering with under-written, boring characters; however, the wonderfully named Yahya Abdul-Mateen II does a fantastic job in rising above the material to make Black Manta into one of the film’s more dynamic and vibrant characters.

It’s no secret that DC have had a rough time of late and their attempts to catch up with Marvel’s decorated cinematic universe has seen them sail into choppy waters, unable to find a clear, consistent voice for themselves. While not without moments of inspiration, the DCEU (or whatever they’re terming it these days) just hasn’t caught a wave thus far, yet there’s enough promise within Aquaman to suggest a bright future for both the franchise and Arthur Currie himself.

Fun, adventurous, and vibrant, yet let down by terrible writing, inconsistent execution, and poor character development; Aquaman embodies both the good and the bad of the DC cinematic universe. While you must admire the cockles on the studio in even attempting to adapt a character who’d long since become a running joke, there’s no getting around the film’s glaring weaknesses. Despite the impressive, charismatic heroics of Jason Mamoa and an admirable - often ludicrous - sense of adventure, Aquaman is a noble failure that, while impressive, finds itself drowning under the weight of its own ambitions.