This was rather impressive...

Rating: 8/10 (28 January 2019)

Alright, well for starters I must state that I am not one overly keen on watching superhero movies, because they all just seem to follow the same doctrine and blueprint. But I was forced into watching the 2018 DC "Aquaman" movie together with my family.
And it turns out that it was actually a good thing that I was forced to watch it. Because it turned out that "Aquaman" was actually one of the better superhero movies that have been made. Not that I am in anyway familiar with the backstory of the character and haven't read the comic books or anything.
Initially I was a little bit hesitant about the movie, but it turns out that director James Wan actually managed to turn the written material of David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Will Beall and Geoff Johns into something truly entertaining and enjoyable. The movie was driven by a good story, where one quickly and easily got submerged, no pun intended, into the setting and into the ongoings on the screen. Plus it was also a plus that it had some rather interesting characters in it to help it along as well. Needless to say that the CGI and special effects also had a major role in making it a visually astounding and enjoyable movie.
Now, normally I am not much fan of Jason Momoa, but I must admit that he really carried himself formidably in this movie and he really owned up to the responsibility of playing Aquaman - although I have no idea how much pressure would be on him to play that character. But he did it phenomenally in my opinion, regardless. It was of course a treat to see Willem Dafoe in the movie, despite it being somewhat disturbing and unsettling to see him made young and vigorous. Patrick Wilson actually was so well-cast for the role he had in the movie, and he brought so much grace, charm and wits to that dark character. I had initially not thought he would be up to the task, but he proved me so wrong. Then you have the likes of Nicole Kidman and Dolph Lundgren whom also actually were fun to watch in the movie, despite them not having an abundance of screen time.
The pacing to the movie was fast and upbeat, and the movie kicked off into a high octane speed right from the very beginning and it never really slowed down. Which was a very impressive accomplishment in my opinion, and it really made the movie all the more intense and enjoyable to sit through.
As for the special effects and CGI. Well, there is just really just a single word necessary to summarize the entire movie. And that word is: wow! Are you kidding me, this movie takes you in for a tour de force and really showcases some rather impressive feats and accomplishments in the visual department and also in the audio department. Prepare to be blown away.
With that being said, the movie is not at all flawless. Personally I found it a bitter pill to swallow the whole thing about the Secret Sea and what was going on there. It was just too far out there for my liking. And also the fact that all the marvelous, magnificent, malignant and spectacular aquatic creatures, vehicles and settlements have remained from the humans living on the surface is just beyond me. It makes absolutely no sense at all.
Now, I was praising the CGI and visual effects just before. There were some scenes when we have the characters floating around and supposed to be appearing as if they are submerged and underwater, it just came off as being ridiculously fake to look at. That was a shame, because the rest of the 95% of special effects and CGI in the movie was just spot on.
If you enjoy superhero movies. Wait, let me rephrase that. Even if you have no particular interest in superhero movies, then you should actually take the time to sit down and watch the 2018 "Aquaman" movie. It is definitely well worth the time, effort and money.