I can understand people liking Aquaman better than I did. But I am in shock that people like Aquaman better than Wonder Woman
Diana is such a more fleshed out character than Arthur was. She starts out a somewhat sheltered but persistent warrior, then becomes both curious and distraught when confronting "man's world" through a series of experiences that impact her, and at last is tempted to abandon humanity before making the realization that
Arthur on the other hand gets no such treatment. He's reluctant and hates Atlantis and doesn't show fitness to rule a culture he doesn't know other than because he is the firstborn son. By the end he seems perfectly content being king, but the rest wasn't shown to change much so we don't really get any connective tissue showing us how he got there. Mera telling him "you're the bridge between land and sea!" and a badly written conversation about judging a place before you visit it is far from enough to indicate a dramatic change of heart.
As for the supporting cast, it's again no contest. Wonder Woman has great chemistry with Steve Trevor and his uniquely charming companions, and her relationships with her fellow Amazons are just long enough to make them feel like real people. By contrast, Arthur's father is barely an influence, and aside from a corny romance with Mera, he learns how to swim and then gets taught a spearing lesson by Vulko in two badly acted flashbacks. We also never see any ordinary Atlanteans do anything other than cheer or fight as soldiers. Themyscira felt like a real place. Arthur isn't grounded in anything. Mera hardly is either, for that matter. There isn't time spent on the relationships between Mera and her father/Atlantis or Arthur and anyone else.
Not to suggest Wonder Woman was perfect. It drags a little bit in the middle, the third act gets hokey in certain points, and while Ares is great, he only gets to shine at the end of the film. But even there, Wonder Woman's villains aren't just maniacal Nazis and the god of war, but the question of evil in the hearts of men and whether they deserve her help.
As for filmmakiing elements, both have great cinematography, but Wonder Woman's writing is far better. The story has stronger themes, better dialogue, and has a less overstuffed structure. New elements and myths and legends and explosions aren't constantly interrupting the pace of the film. hese may seem llike overly academic critiques, but they affect the actual feel of a movie. Wonder Woman felt like it had heart, like there were stakes, like friendships were forged and individuals evolved through their hardship. Aquaman didn't feel like that. It was a lot of cool fighting strung together by weak exposition following a predictable plot.
People are free to like what they want and this is just one more man's opinion, but I can't imagine calling Aquaman a better movie.