Jason Momoa has been Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones, Conan the Barbarian on the big screen, and spent several years in red swim trunks on Baywatch, so he’s a natural to play both Aquaman and his human alter-ego Arthur Curry. The hair-tossing is a bit much, plus he’s not given a great line in the entire damn movie, but there’s no doubt that Momoa is the heman for the job.

• Nicole Kidman opens the movie on an elevated star-plane as Queen Atlanna, who deigns to procreate with a human. He’s played winningly by New Zealand actor Temuera Morrison.
• Amber Heard doesn’t disappoint, but doesn’t dazzle either, in a role that’s supposed to be dazzling.
• Willem Dafoe delivers a rare disappointing performance as a king’s counselor.
• Patrick Wilson is more stolid than steely as a king gone bad.
• Dolph Lundgren fills up his helmet with lots of chin as another king in the UN of Atlantis.
• Yahya Abdul-Mateen II disappoints as Manta, the primary villain. An avenger movie – which superhero movies are, even if this isn’t The Avengers – needs a great villain. Manta isn’t.
• Michael Beach is always strong, and largely wasted here as Manta’s father.
• Randall Park chews scenery in his few scenes, and is then setup to appear in the inevitable sequel, along with Manta.

James Wan’s film includes some poor choices.

• Why have American pirates storm a Russian submarine and then gun down its crew? Having Russians be the innocent victims of Americans is odd and off-putting. Did Putin finance this film?
• Then there’s the Blame People First phenomenon gone badly wrong. The film blames “surface people” for the earth’s ills, including war and pollution, and yet the überhuman Atlantians display more conspicuous consumption than Vegas, L.A. and New York combined. What, don’t they poop? Even in a live action cartoon, such internal contradictions get in the way of entertainment.

As always in superhero movies, Conservation of Energy is roundly abused.