The year 2023 was great for biopics.

“Oppenheimer,” “Napoleon,” “Ferrari,” “Aquaman.”

Well, maybe not Aquaman.

And yet, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” has a lot to recommend for fans of the comic-book superhero genre.

The Computer Generated Imagery of undersea worlds and deep-sea creatures are fantastic and bizarre, attesting to the imaginations and creativity of the screenwriters and animators.

The action scenes (Think “Star Wars” under the sea.) are thrilling with incredible depictions of biomechanical subsurface vessels and weaponry.

The fight scenes are numerous and wince-inducing.

The character dialogue scenes are enjoyable, with a fair amount of chuckle-inducing quips.

What’s not to like?

A few things prevent “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” from being a great comic book superhero film.

There are so many scenes of realms under the sea that when the Lost Kingdom finally is found, the effect is anticlimatic.

Scenes of sub-oceanic realms and the futuristic submarines whiz by so fast that the impressive artistry cannot be savored.

The film-makers seem intent on keeping scene edits to 10 seconds, or even five seconds or less.

Part of the problem in “Aquaman” pertains to scenes under the sea, a challenge for any movie no matter what genre.

The film is more successful in scenes of dialogue, especially those on dry land, when we can get to know the characters.

Jason Momoa (“Fast X,” 2023; “Aquaman,” 2018), one of contemporary cinema’s most likeable presences, is capricious and glorious as Aquaman, aka Arthur Curry. You can’t wait to see what he will say or do next. The scenes with his infant son are adorable. Momoa also has some nice scenes with his father, Tom Curry (Temuera Morrison).

Momoa and King Orm, aka Ocean Master (Patrick Wilson) are terrific in their scenes of verbal banter and emotional conflict. Wilson (“The Nun,” 2023; “Insidious: The Red Door,” 2023) is not necessarily your go-to guy for a comic-book superhero. He is less transformational than most, but his facial expressions are convincing.

Amber Heard (“Aquaman”) as Mera, wife of Aquaman, is fine, although she could have had more scenes.

Nicole Kidman has what amounts to a cameo as Atlanna. I kept waiting for her to step into that puddle of the AMC logo.

Dolph Lundgren is nicely-cast in a minor role as King Nereus. Randall Park is resonant as Dr. Stephen Shin. Martin Short does the voice of CGI character Kingfish.

The villain of the piece, Black Manta aka David Kane is played with grim determination by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (“Aquaman”). More scenes when he wasn’t in the big red-eyes suit would have been appreciated.

James Wan (“Aquaman,” 2018; “Furious 7,” 2015; “The Conjuring,” 2013; “Insidious,” 2010: “Saw,” 2004) directs from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (“Aquaman”; TV’s “The Walking Dead,” 2011-2022); “Orphan,” 2009) and a story by Wan, Johnson-McGoldrick, Momoa and Thomas Pa’a Sibbett (“The Last Manhunt,” 2022) based on characters created by Mort Weisinger and Paul Norris.

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” to quote a cliché, is a deep dive for fans of DC Comics, comic book superhero films and Jason Momoa.

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,”

MPAA rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Parents are urged to be cautious. Some material may be inappropriate for pre-teenagers.) for science-fiction violence and some language; Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy; Run time: 2 hours, four minutes. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Credit Readers Anonymous:

The soundtrack of “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” includes Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild” (1969), including a Math Club remix; Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky” (1969), and X Ambassadors’ ”Deep End.” The Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Comics logos are depicted under the sea with fishes swimming around them. A mid-credits scene shows Orm putting a live cockroach in his cheeseburger, munching on it and enjoying it. The movie was filmed in England, Hawaii and California.

At The Movies:

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” was seen in the Dolby Cinema at AMC, AMC Center Valley 16. The visuals astound and the sound rumbles through the seats.

Theatrical Movie Domestic Weekend Box Office,

Jan. 12-14: “Mean Girls,” based on the stage musical, opened at No. 1 with $28 million in 3,791 theaters. “The Beekeeper,” starring Jason Statham, opened at No. 2 with $16.7 million in 3,303 theaters. “Wonka” dropped two places, from No. 1 to No. 3, with $8.3 million in 3,346 theaters, $176.1 million, five weeks.

4. “Anyone But You” moved up one place, $6.9 million in 2,935 theaters, $55.1 million, four weeks. 5. “Migration” dropped one place, $6.1 million in 3,224 theaters, $85.7 million, four weeks. 6. “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” dropped three places, $5.2 million in 2,741 theaters, $108.2 million, four weeks. 7. “Night Swim” dropped five places, $4.6 million in 3,257 theaters, $19.1 million, two weeks. 8. “The Boys in the Boat” dropped two places, $3.5 million in 2,007 theaters, $39.3 million, three weeks. 9. “The Book of Clarence,” opening, $2.5 million in 2,010 theaters. 10. “The Iron Claw” dropped two places, $2.4 million in 1,591 theaters, $28.6 million, four weeks.

Movie box office information from Box Office Guru as of Jan. 14 is subject to change.

Unreel,

Jan. 19:

“I.S.S,”

R: Gabriela Cowperthwaite directs Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, John Gallagher, Masha Mashkova, Costa Ronin and Pilou Asbaek in the Science-Fiction Thriller. What happens on Earth doesn’t stay on Earth. Conflict between the United States and Russia jeopardizes the International Space Station (I.S.S.).

Movie opening date information from Internet Movie Database as of Jan. 14 is subject to change.

Three Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes