Are you that Fish-Boy?

Rating: 10/10 (26 March 2019)

I wasn't a great fan back in the sixties. Not like I was for the rest of DC pantheon. The TV cartoon was part of the Superman Hour (with that guitar dahh-ranggg! sound effect). On the Big Bang Theory, poor Raj was left being Aquaman because everyone else had their hero choice first. The character was a real #luser when it came to popularity. Then came Justice League.
"I hear you can talk to fish."
Everything changed. HOLEY UNDERWEAR! It turns out that Aquaman is a BAD ASS!
This movie delivers on all points. Aquaman is human, not just some strange Prince Namor Submariner. He likes drinking beer, partying with tough guys, getting tattoos and hangs with his dad. He cracks wise while he cracks heads. He's intensely loyal. And he's very powerful.
Visually, it's brilliant with incredible action scenes. Patrick Wilson plays an arrogant leader who rules the Kingdom of Atlantis and has a plan to unite the Undersea against the surface dwellers. Amber Heard is the beautiful daughter of an allied Kingdom. Temuera Morrison and Nicole Kidman play Arthur Curry's parents. Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren round out a name cast lead by Jason Momoa. And yes, CGI is used. And the CGI is extremely effective. It gives a dreamlike appearance to underwater sequences which would be impossible to do as practical effects.
The story is top notch: it follows a path that at times makes effective use of flashbacks while advancing the plot. It's very satisfying and concludes heroically. Yes, it's a fairy tale ending, but what did you expect? IT'S A COMIC BOOK-SUPERHERO MOVIE!