Marvel Studios rules the superhero cinematic world. Even with movies from other studios, like “Logan” or last month’s jubilantly wonderful “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” that use Marvel Comics characters in critically acclaimed and interesting ways, it’s clear that Marvel Studios is still the king of the cinematic universe box office.

Warner Brothers has tried their hardest to build their own DC Extended Universe, which has largely been made up of, well, we’ll call them misses, like “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” or “Suicide Squad.” As the first live-action film (don’t forget “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies”) since the mess of a movie that was “Justice League,” James Wan’s “Aquaman” has a lot riding on its shoulders. We’ve been promised a new future for the DC Universe on screen, with less brooding and more “Wonder Woman” (the only DCEU movie to be acclaimed by critics and fans alike) style heroics and comedy.

“Aquaman” is not a dark and brooding movie. “Aquaman” is not a serious contemplation of what it means to live in a world of gods and heroes, nor a sequel to Justice League. “Aquaman” is also not “Wonder Woman.” “Aquaman” is a movie that takes its hero through dazzlingly cool scene after scene, somehow managing to string them all together into a sort-of coherent plot. When we met Arthur Curry, he’s already the hero known as “Aquaman,” battling pirates in the wake of his world-saving heroics in “Justice League.” This movie is both a lightweight origin story told sparingly, sometimes so sparingly that moments that seem like they should be major plot points are just assumed to have happened, in flashbacks (I’m sorry Warner Brothers, but de-aging technology is still not quite there yet. I paid too much for this movie for even the three or four scenes with the creepy looking robot face of “young” Willem Dafoe) and in a full-on “Aquaman” tale.

It takes a lot to tell an interesting Aquaman story. I’m sure it’s been done, but in all my time reading DC Comics, I’ve never quite found one. People make fun of the character because his power is that he can “talk to fish,” something Wan turned on its head by showing how beautiful and terrifying fish can be at the same time. People make fun of the character because his only real power is the ability to breath underwater, something that, again, Wan makes great cinematic use of. Most of the movie takes place underwater, and every second of that time is visually engaging.

What’s really lacking with “Aquaman” is his character. He’s always been a bit two dimensional, and this version of the character is a far cry from the goodie-two-shoes of the comic books or the “Super Friends” cartoons.

He’s a hard-drinking, bar-fighting, super cool guy, but it feels like Wan got stuck with a character shaped by his characterization in “Justice League” and by the limited range of star Jason Momoa’s acting ability. The character manages to remain two dimensional, and the biggest problem the movie has is its lack of character development and stakes.

You never root for Aquaman and Amber Heard’s Mera to get together, because you know they will, and you never really care whether villain Ocean Master will take over the world or repay the surface people for their pollution, or whatever his plan is.

There are good films where characters don’t develop – the Indiana Jones flicks are pretty straightforward stories about a very particular kind of hero – but when they work its because their stars, like Harrison Ford, are charismatic enough to make you root for them. You never find yourself really rooting for Momoa because you really like him, or because there is chemistry between Arthur and Mera, who, in fact, gets the coolest fight scenes in the film, though her magical powers are never explained.

Like Mera’s powers, lots of things happen in this film because it’s time for them to happen. A tidal wave destroys Aquaman’s hometown because it’s time for him to join the action. At least three conversations get interrupted by explosions because something big has to happen. Aquaman battles Ocean Master for the throne of Atlantis in front of the entire kingdom, in what amounts to a “Black Panther” scene gone wrong. There’s a top-notch fight in Sicily, but it feels like the only reason they are in Sicily is because in the second act a superhero movie goes to a foreign location for a big fight, not for any real plot reason. The plot explanation for their visit makes little sense in regard to the timeline the movie places for Atlantis’s history.

That’s not to say each of these contrived bits of plot don’t look amazing. Atlantis is amazing to look at, and every fight scene is visually exciting. Wan’s horror chops make themselves known in the best fight of the movie, one that expresses the sheer size of the ocean and the terror of its dark depths.

At one point, Aquaman goes to the center of the hollow earth, an absolutely wild jump in logic from a movie that only really asks us to believe in the existence of an underwater civilization. But the center of the earth is really cool to see on screen, and the things that happen there are fun to watch. There is a giant battle in this movie because it would be cool to see an underwater battle, and a kaiju-size monster because it would be very cool to see Aquaman ride a kaiju.

Despite the low emotional stakes, the movie is competently put together, and every individual scene is a joy to watch. In the end, even if  “Aquaman” doesn’t leave you wanting more adventures with Arthur Curry, the cool factor is worth the price of admission.