HE’S NOT FROM AROUND HERE.

When the safety of Atlantis is threatened by Aquaman’s (Jason Momoa) half-brother (Patrick Wilson), he’s reluctantly drawn into the battle.

The first stand-alone movie with Aquaman is a crazy story that looks like the equivalent of Marvel’s Thor films. Considering how silly this is, it’s impressive how much effort has been put into the grand visual design in 3D and the commitment of actors like Willem Dafoe and Nicole Kidman.

A good sense of humor, and Momoa helps in the lead, but the film is defeated by a never-ending, dull story.

2018-U.S. 143 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by James Wan. Comic Book: Mort Weisinger, Paul Norris. Music: Rupert Gregson-Williams. Cast: Jason Momoa (Arthur Curry/Aquaman), Amber Heard (Mera), Willem Dafoe (Nuidis Vulko), Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Kidman. Voices of Djimon Hounsou, Julie Andrews, John Rhys-Davies. Cameo: Leigh Whannell.

Trivia: Co-produced by Zack Snyder. Followed by Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023).