Aquaman Final Trailer Reactions: 5 Ups & 5 Downs

2. Atlantis Looks Gorgeous & Alive

Again, the VFX are an undeniable issue, but you have to give Wan credit here for making Atlantis feel like a distinct world amid the sea of mythical digital locales we see in blockbuster movies every month.

It's clear a ton of care has been taken to imbue Atlantis with evocative details to ensure it feels tactile and hopefully even iconic (if the movie's good enough, anyway).

The less-busy, sweeping environmental shots in particular evoke the wondrous vibe of Avatar's Pandora. While it'd do well to nail that level of audience intrigue, it wouldn't be particularly surprising if people similarly come away from the movie depressed that Atlantis isn't a real place they can visit.

World-building is so, so important in films like this, often serving as an acceptable distraction from more familiar plotting and character development, and it sure looks like Wan is doing his level best to take audiences on an escapist trip to a vibrant new cinematic realm.