Aquaman

ARE YA READY KIDS?!
AYE-AYE CAP'N!
I CAN'T HEAR YOU
AYE-AYE CAP'N!
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
WHO BEATS UP BAD GUYS AND IS KINDA MAUI?
AR-THUR CURR-Y!
TATTOOED AND BURLY AND MIGHTY IS HE!
AR-THUR CURR-Y!
IF ADVENTURE WITH WATER IS SOMETHING YOU WISH,
AR-THUR CURR-Y!
THEN WATCH THE MOVIE ABOUT THE TALKER TO FISH!
...
"Aquaman."

Fresh off his adventure with an American alien, a furry detective, an uberfraulein, a quick kid, and a tin man, Arthur Curry's latest exploits involve a whirlwind of events that include finally visiting his homeland, fighting his half-brother for the throne, failing, then going on a quest for their version of Excalibur so that there will be peace between just not the undersea realms, but also between the air breathers and the people who can swim really fast via super-farts.

Jason Mamoa carries over his boisterous bruiser personality from "Justice League" to this movie, but unlike the loner who is strongest alone from that one, here, he's actually a chill dude. On one hand, he is still the man tormented by his Tarzan-like ostracizing from both landlubbers and his homeland of highbrow haughties. On the other hand, he will gladly grab a beer with you at the pub and crack wise whilst beating up pirates.  Unlike "Man of Steel" and "Wonder Woman" before him though, his supporting cast is phenomenal and actually helpful.  His love interest that gives them the relationship of every first half of a romantic comedy, his wise old mentor (Willem Dafoe in a NONvillainous role? Weird...) which teaches him his essential water Asgardian skills all throughout his life, and even his parents are loving and supportive of him, a rarity in most superhero media. Saying nothing about the villains with actual depth to them.  Black Manta's motivations comes from a very realistic place and it's cool to see him develop from ineffectual threat to legitimate challenge for the big kahuna.  The racist motivations of Orm the Ocean Master aside, his desire to reunite his fractured kingdom and restore balance to the two halves of the world can be understood as well (especially since his first act of terrorism involves him dumping ALL the garbage of the Atlantic Ocean back onto mankind's shores).

Like "Black Panther" before it, the aesthetic of the hidden society is top notch. It really looks like how  a portion of humanity long removed from the natural flow of history would fashion their architecture, armor, ships, and their version of the mounted forces...with the only exception probably being Antoni Gaudi's visions of Casa Batllo. Saying nothing about the secondary greatness of the movie, the "National Treasure" kind of quest that intersects into this movie the wonder of ancient ruins so that this globe-trotting adventure isn't confined solely to the kingdoms of the seven seas and Maine.  Director James Wan's penchant for horror also manages to incorporate elements of past fears of the deep with the inclusion of The Trench creatures, which some people around the Internet have lovingly called Seanomorphs.

Overall, a grand time at the theater with a solid, likable superhero, a versatile cast, gorgeous visuals, fun action, a good dose of comedy and horror, and a familiar, yet distinct story. Watch it to know why that ol' Jamaican crab sang nearly 20+ years ago, "Darling it's better down where it's wetter."

For a creative overview from a fellow movie-reviewing friend, go here.
For a SPOILER-FILLED rundown of the movie's events told in a rapidfire way, go here.  

I quote from the much-maligned "Phantom Menace" this one piece of wisdom from Liam Neeson: "there's always a bigger fish."

Justice League

Stop me if you've heard this one:And there came a day unlike any other, where Earth's mightiest warriors, misfits, and freaks found themselves facing a common threat: an ancient evil and his invading space alien army, but not before fighting their overpowered trump card and bickering amongst themselves. And the post-credits scene teases at a greater threat to come.
I've said it once, and I'll say it again:

DC movies tryin' to play catch up to Marvel, but they're rushing too much and letting their blatant borrowing show.

But honestly, "Justice League" was everything I expected based on their past entries (with "Wonder Woman" being the outlier). But this time, they certainly TRIED to make it more fun and appealing.

The actor chemistry for the most part is there; of particular note is Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot, with them both being battle-weary heroes trying to fill in the shoes of the dead Man of Steel, taking solace in each other as respected warriors, and being the proactive ones in the incoming alien invasion. Newcomers Ezra Miller as black-haired, super adorkable Barry Allen, Ray Fisher as a Cybertronian Protoform, erm Cyborg, and Jason Momoa as essentially Maui from "Moana" are all serviceable and seem like really interesting characters. Of course the main desire is that we wish we could've seen them shine on their own in their own film, like they did with Gal Gadot's Amazing Amazon Princess, but that's a minor gripe.  The interplay between all of the team (which for some reason is NEVER referred to as the Justice League...or Superfriends for that matter) members are great and I would love to see these characters in another movie all together. Whether or not I believe they can carry their own movie will be up to what they show us in future trailers.

The one big downside to all these great actors and characters...has been my same gripe ever since he let his adoptive father get sucked into a tornado: SUPERMAN! His scenes, especially with his supporting cast, were unbearably cheesy and kept on reminding me of bad times. The two things they've improved upon with him is that they actually make his suit a better shade of blue and his primary focus is back to saving the civilians instead of beating up the bad guy like Goku. (And it's only a spoiler that he got better from dying in "Dawn of Justice" if you've paid absolutely no heed to the promotional materials, posters, or trailers for "Justice League")
 
Speaking of bad guy, the fiend from Apokolips was not the promised Darkseid, but one of his core group of sickos named Steppenwolf...and he's a generic alien baddy bent on conquering the Earth and controls droves of mindless minions that fly and shoot lasers. Nothing really interesting about him except the way he talks to the Macguffin boxes makes him seem like Norman Bates talking about his mother. And while some people would complain that Darkseid would've been a better threat and would mirror better with the start of the New 52 and the animated film "Justice League War," I want to believe they learned their lesson about playing their major-threats-card too early like what happened when they introduced Doomsday and his inevitable destiny in "Dawn of Justice."

As far as how well it stacks up against its predecessors in the DC cinematic universe, it is most definitely much more entertaining and less anger-inducing than "Man of Steel" and "Dawn of Justice." There are jokes, actual human emotions, well-balanced screentime for each Justice League member, a nicer lighting and color palette, and most thankfully, a minimum of interactions with the superheroes being angry at each other for petty reasons. Overall, a fun superhero flick that's simple to digest that doesn't seek to piss off their fans.

For a creative overview from a fellow movie-reviewing friend that lists three pros and three cons, please go here.
For a SPOILER-FILLED rundown of the movie's events told in a way similar to how Michael Peña told stories in "Ant-Man," go here. 

Also, a flashback of a great war against the ancient evil had a member of a familiar space cop corps show up...and then die, but 'twas a nice bone to throw the comics fans.