The third and final trailer for Aquaman is upon us. While it certainly provides a greater sense of where the plot might be headed, it also reveals its potential Achilles heel: an overabundance of CGI. In fact, there are moments that feel like a particularly vivid video game, bringing back memories of CGI Neo fighting a small army of purpose-driven Agent Smiths in The Matrix Reloaded.
Though the cast is certainly respectable, with Jason Momoa, the underrated Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, Amber Heard, and more, there exists one particular cause for concern. The film appears to feature what can only be described as a treasure trove of CGI, which is to be expected given the film's connection to the mystical kingdom of "Atlantis." Yet there remains a famous anecdote, in which storied actor Ian Mckellan, whom you might recognize as Gandalf The Grey of Lord Of The Rings fame, was nearly reduced to tears of frustration over the frequent greenscreens of the Hobbit trilogy. All this to say, even the masters of their craft can struggled in a strictly digital endeavor.
Will Aquaman sink under the weight of its own ambition? It will likely resonate with the DC loyalists, and of course, the charm of Momoa can go a long way. Yet one has to wonder why the studio hired the ever-capable James Wan, if only to remove all semblance of his own personal style? Suffice it to say, many are sliding into this one with a healthy dose of skepticism. A movie can suffer through a reliance on Computer Generated Imagery, and judging from this latest trailer, Aquaman seems "at-risk," to say the least.
What say you? Will you be checking for this one?