Aquaman

Writer/Director James Wan’s Aquaman is a first class epic action movie that should appeal even to “serious” film buffs, who aren’t into the other Marvel heroes.

Jason Momoa (Arthur, aka Aquaman) sets the pace with his wry humor as he liberates a pirated Russian submarine. 

Then, we see  the backstory of his mother (Nicole Kidman), an Atlantean, rescued from the sea by his human father (Temuera Morrison), followed by Arthur’s birth and, ultimately, the kidnapping of his mother, when she is taken back into the sea.  

Having grown up with no grandious desires other than to occasionally help people in need, Aquaman’s life changes, when an Atlantean Princess (Amber Heard) comes to land to tell him his half-brother (Patrick Wilson), who is a formidable warrior, wants to become ruler of all the sea-peoples and destroy all of us land-dwellers.

   

Aquaman must decide whether to step into what may be his birthright and that becomes a thrilling adventure in which Aquaman must take on all kinds of amazing sea-creatures and Herculean feats in order to prove his valor.

 

Not only is the film extremely well-acted and well-written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall from Wan’s and Geoff Jan’s story, but Production Designer Bill Brzeski’s sets and the amazing visual effects may be the best of the year.

This film was more fun than I thought it would be.  I give Aquaman a 4.4 out of 5.