Spoiler alert?

The latest promotional push for the DCEU (if that’s even a thing anymore) is a five-minute extended look at Aquaman. It works as a de facto summary of the plot and premise, with lots of visual teases of the VFX spectacle and action sequences (a rooftop chase plays like a live action version of the Oner from Spielberg’s animated The Adventures of Tintin).

Suffice it to say that it’s not surprising that none of this is surprising. The plot follows the same Hero’s Origin we’ve seen from countless comics before, merely in a different mythical context, with the requisite attempts at cheeky humor.

For all the money thrown at the screen, it’s hard to come away from this feeling particularly impressed or excited. But mileage may vary.

From Conjuring director James Wan and starring Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, and Nicole Kidman, Aquaman opens on December 21, 2018.