‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ review: Entertaining, mindless fun

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the sequel to Aquaman (2018) and the fifteenth and final film in the DC Extended Universe, returns with Aquaman (Jason Momoa) as the bored and ineffective King of Atlantis, but also a content family man who prefers knocking heads over matters of state. While trying to repair his suit and seek revenge against the titular hero, Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) stumbles on the Black Trident, which imbues him with power and ancient knowledge; thus endangering the planet. To stop Black Manta, Aquaman asks his brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) for help, but can he trust him?

Momoa is so loveable that even if you did not enjoy Aquaman and the idea of watching the sequel is dreadful, the derivative Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is still fun and not a bad way to close out a deeply uneven franchise that never found its stride. The opening quickly summarizes what Aquaman has been up to since the last movie, and it may still feel as if a movie is missing between the original and the sequel. Momoa gets a writing credit along with five others, which may explain why the movie feels like less of a drag than the first film. Momoa brings more of his exuberant himbo, jock energy to the film. But even he can’t sell certain lines, such as “I can’t wait to introduce you to all the majestic creatures on our planet, show you how awesome this world can be.” That line should only be sung.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom works because of the odd couple energy that big brother Aquaman and little brother Orm bring in this sequel — though Wilson is older than Momoa. Orm as the humorless, straight man looking for redemption drives the narrative forward to its sole post credits scene. Their dynamic is fueled by Aquaman’s more playful energy combined with Orm’s straighlaced attitude. Wilson makes a meal out of a morsel to the point where it begins to feel like Orm’s movie as he see’s the most significant change throughout the film while everyone else remains static. Orm deconstructs his problematic rearing and reassesses his biases against surface dwellers; thus his brother. The fraternal theme is heavy-handed from the onset of the film to the history behind the Black Trident, but it works. Even though Aquaman and Orm have known each other for less than a day, Momoa and Wilson are great at acting as if they are a family. 

The stakes of the film are higher because Black Manta’s use of the Black Trident completely divorces him from any humanity and links him to Kordax (old reliable madman Game of Thrones’ actor Pilou Asbaek,) an ancient evil Atlantean who has a grudge against Aquaman’s ancestors. Not many people get possessed without any qualms, but Black Manta is a man of brutal focus. If you like monsters, magic and the undead, this film is for you. Randall Park, who is also a Marvel Cinematic Universe regular plays Dr. Stephen Shin, a scientist who wants to find Atlantis, and acts as the comedic relief, everyman, and audience surrogate who reacts the way that a normal person would caught in these dangerous situations with superpowered people. After Orm, Dr. Shin has the biggest transformation though it is not as heavy of a lift as Orm, who was one-dimensional in the first film. 

Most of the women characters, including Amber Heard’s Mera, barely gets any lines, but they are more dangerous than their male counterparts. Every Atlantean gets their ass handed to them, but Mera was the closer in most of the battles and feels like the most powerful of all the Atlanteans. Nicole Kidman, who is only six years older than Wilson and twelve years older than Momoa, returns as Atlanna, the Queen of Atlantis, and plays a larger and crucial role as the movie expands. Manta’s side has Stingray (Jani Zhao), and when she’s in battle, she makes superpowers seem unnecessary though there is no explanation why she and other Black Manta henchmen rode so hard for Black Manta because he does not seem like a nice guy in his off hours.

During the CGI battles, you may as well watch a cartoon because Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom enters uncanny valley with everyone looking constructed, but it is still an improvement compared to prior iterations. When the fight scenes use practical effects, the actors do a great job of imbuing cartoon antics into their physicality. Also the Atlanteans act like gods or metahumans and lead with their physical strength in a way that distinguishes them from human beings, which is not always an obvious visual note in comic book movies. 3D movies can often detract from the story, but for a movie like this one, enhances the spectacle. 

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom borrows from films ranging from Metropolis (1927) to Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and it can get bogged down in those references. Only the performances make it fresh. Director James Wan and screenwriter, frequent collaborator David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick succeed at making an entertaining film, if not a groundbreaking one.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom also deserves kudos as one of the few movies concerned about climate change which does not frame the environmentalists as the bad guys or terrorists so points for DC Comics not being as deeply regressive as it normally is. Another unique detail is that Momoa and Temuera Morrison, who plays Tom Curry, Aquaman’s dad, bring their Samoan ancestry to the Curry family.

It may be asking for trouble to ask a question about realism in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but if Aquaman is half human and older, how is he more powerful than Orm, who is 100% Atlantean? We’ll never know. Goodbye, DCEU. It was not always fun, but at least you did not leave ticketholders with a bad taste.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is out in theaters. Watch the trailer below.