Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom

 This review may contain spoilers!

 

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a sequel to Aquaman (2018) and follows Arthur Curry in his newfound responsibilities of father to a newborn and freshly crowned King of Atlantis. While navigating these challenges there are darker forces at work in the background; chiefly Black Manta discovering the power behind the long lost Seventh Kingdom. To defeat the more deadly Manta, Arthur is going to be forced to turn to a very unlikely ally: his imprisoned brother, Orm.

 

This movie treads a path that has been tried before, and thankfully James Wan knows the way. All the positive elements about what worked in the first Aquaman adventure are present here; this is a fun ride that doesn't ever really want to slow down or stop partying. Arthur Curry is still such a wild protagonist to follow; he doesn't lean into responsibility and decorum well but his moral compass tends to point roughly true North. I think the struggle Arthur has of doing what is expected of him versus what he knows to be the right thing is a nice struggle to see play out. This leads to one of the best decisions of the film; making Orm a protagonist for this sequel. In the same way Arthur and Mera were fascinating as they learned to navigate one another's world, I found Arthur and Orm really intriguing. They came from such wildly different places but ultimately aligned very well in spite of their differences. Watching them go from enemies to bickering siblings to proper family was a great arc. There may have been some very unwieldy detritus in the plot this time around but the core story felt grounded in a hurtling adventure guided by some positive themes and decent thrills.

This movie looks as visually stunning as the first one, it's impressive to make something that relies so heavily on visual effects to look so fluid and in motion. The special effects are very effectively used here and show the creativity in Wan's vision for the world of Aquaman. Whether that be characters moving in high speed pursuit underwater, delightful undersea creature characters or even the scale of Mera's water manipulation powers these visuals feel like they jump directly out of a comic book. Also Wan's horror background coming to play with some of the more eldritch underwater creatures that attack our heroes or even the underwater zombies are unique and feel much nicer to look at than the usual effects bad guy our superhero has to pummel. The score isn't the biggest blockbuster mainstay of the year but it really fuels the feeling of a hero setting on a quest, the moments of great calamity or epic showdown really ring out via Rupert Gregson-Williams' work.

 

Jason Momoa, who played Aquaman, feels like he's not taking anything too seriously in the best possible way in this one; Momoa comes off with some realy likeable charisma yet can also switch on the intensity when the scene needs to convince you Aquaman is every bit as tough and powerful as he is. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who played Black Manta, might not have the best villain storyline but he acts every part of it with complete talent; Abdul-Mateen brings so much barely concealed loathing and hate into his character which marks him a good adversary. Amber Heard, who played Mera, might not be in this much but still manages to come off as one of the most powerful superhero roles of 2023; Heard's portrayal of grief over losing her child leading into act 3 matched up and maybe even exceeded Momoa's. Temuera Morrison, who played Tom Curry, acts perfectly as a father figure across from Momoa; in fact the moments in which Morrison advises and guides Momoa in this feature feel extremely genuine. John Rhys-Davies, who voiced the Brine King, is fantastic as a bit of minor comedic relief particularly in the final act; hearing Rhys-Davies bluster and get all worked up as this warrior sea king was a real treat.

However, the best performance came from Patrick Wilson, who played Orm. James Wan and Patrick Wilson have partnered up on projects for a long time now, but Wan really said "this one's gonna be Patrick's". The movie has the most fun with Orm in the same way Tom Hiddleston has enjoyed being the annoying little brother to Chris Hemsworth on-screen for the past decade or so. As Orm, Wilson carries himself highly and with great esteem; he holds the traditions and laws of Atlantean culture as very sacred. You get a sense his whole life was being trained to claim a title, he knows little beyond this. Watching Wilson craft a bickering sibling rivalry with Momoa is so entertaining to watch; but more than that it is the making of incredible onscreen chemistry. You watch this pair grow and come a long way as brothers over the course of the movie. Orm rejecting the promise of power for the opportunity to save all others is a show of how this relationship building turned him around as a character. The final scene in which Wilson presents Orm as respecting Momoa's Arthur as a king is a really solid end to an entertaining blockbuster.

This movie really does feel the ramifications of not only being a sequel, but also being a sequel made under the midst of a major studio shake-up. It's very clear that the character of Mera has been edited down in this feature, which unfortunately upsets the flow of the narrative and leaves out some clearly strong emotional story arcs. This movie really underserves the main antagonist, Black Manta had some good setup but really feels like he's playing second fiddle to a plot not meant for him. I lost all sight of Manta and his motivations in the overuse of exposition explaining about orichalcum and the frequent appearances of Stephen Shin. The story of Arthur being a father could have blended nicer into his Atlantis story; the two often felt jarringly disconnected which was one of the more grating aspects of the plot. 

Nicole Kidman, who played Atlanna, doesn't feel quite so taken with the world of Aquaman this time around; Kidman gives some very stiff exposition delivery and is barely present for most of the feature. Randall Park, who played Dr. Stephen Shin, feels so poorly cast in this film; Park doesn't fit this flaky super scientist very well and is given more screen time than the role really deserves. Dolph Lundgren, who played King Nereus, just feels a bit silly this time around; Lundgren often comes across like he's trying too hard when he's delivering Atlantean exposition or attempting to fuel a little feud subplot between himself and Wilson. Martin Short, who played Kingfish, is like the anthithesis of Julie Andrews' small role in the first film; Kingshark comes off as simplistic and a weak second rate antagonist. Jani Zhao, who played Stingray, is such a stereotypical main antagonist henchman that it's rough to watch; Zhao just comes off as a performer they placed in to pad big villain scenes but never actually shape a role around her.

This might not be anywhere near as good as the first Aquaman, but James Wan manages to end the DCEU on a relatively high note. I would give Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom a 7.5/10.