I’ll state up front I’ve not seen the movie and most of the reviews have not given me a reason to see it, including yours. Your closing thoughts on character development vs. CGI are spot-on for many of Hollywood’s efforts today. You can easily spend multi-bucks to get great CGI and be confident of the result. The same cannot be said for good writing, directing, or acting. Since those involve humans, it’s a crap shoot on the outcome.
It has flaws - what movie doesn't - but it's worth the price of admission - once. Go to a matinee. I'm gonna see it again today. I missed some things returning the Coca-Cola I borrowed.