Warner Bros. Pictures presents Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in UK cinemas now.
Synopsis
Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction.
Review
So here we are. Five years after the original Aquaman and after 14 films, the DCEU is coming to an end with its fifteenth entry, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdon. James Wan and Jason Momoa re-team for a sequel which is every bit the successor to their 2018 original. But can our return to Atlantis survive the weight of expectation in bringing this version of DC’s films to a close?
Let’s dispel any misinterpretation right now. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a standalone movie. One which doesn’t stuff in cameos or needless references to other characters in the DCEU. There’s no grand send off to the franchise or time to reflect on the world which began in 2013 with Man of Steel. This film is purely a rip roaring adventure for the King of Atlantis. One which leans in heavily to Jason Momoa’s charms and which builds on everything the first film got right.
In fact, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is kind of the perfect action-adventure for the holidays. Just as the first film was. It’s big. It’s loud. It’s also incredibly vibrant. The world of Atlantis is hugely expanded upon as we spend even more time in the various underwater kingdoms. In many ways the film becomes a live-action cartoon or anime. Leaning heavily in to its science fiction aspects to allow for physics bending action sequences and some incredible production design.
The film picks up on many of the threads left at the end of the last film. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick’s screenplay, based on an idea from Momoa himself, doesn’t seek to introduce a plethora of new characters to overcomplicate the world of Atlantis. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II returns as David Kane/Black Manta. Still angry about the death of his father he’s out for revenge and has Arthur (Jason Momoa) squarely in his crosshairs. He’s enlisted the help of Dr. Stephen Shin (Randall Park) to search the globe for Atlantis and Atlantean tech to aid in his battle. Finding more than he bargained for, Manta comes in to possession of the Black Trident, an ancient Atlantean weapon forged using black magic. The trident possesses Manta with the spirit of Kordax (Pilou Asbæk), the mad brother of King Atlan. Kordax sends Manta on the hunt for an old Atlantean power source, known as Orichalcum. This compound was used centuries ago until the Atlanteans discovered it was poisoning the Earth in a similar vein to modern day global warming. With all the pieces falling in to place, Arthur needs the help of his imprisoned brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) to track down and stop Manta.
The plot itself is neatly choreographed and sticks close to the comic book movie staples. The villain finds a MacGuffin which sends him on a mission to help in defeating our hero. Meanwhile our hero must go on a journey, come close to losing his loved ones and overcome is own personal demons to save the day. Underneath it all simmers some well-placed social commentary about our treatment of the world around us. Momoa’s ideas of incorporating the real-life plight of the oceans in to the story serves to raise the stakes as well as making the audience think twice about the impact of our behaviours.
Where the first Aquaman was somewhat of a romantic comedy between Arthur and Mera (Amber Heard), this sequel is outright buddy comedy. The pairing of Arthur and Orm is dynamite. Momoa and Wilson have incredible chemistry which adds great humour to the film. Whether they’re bickering like an old married couple. Or solving their problems with their fists. Both actors are clearly having a blast and it really resonates well.
The problems only surface when the plot is put under scrutiny. Now this isn’t a problem solely associated with this film. Plenty of comic book movies in the last few years struggle to survive forensic inspection. There’s a level of plot contrivance required to keep a comic book movie afloat. It’s a practice which forms the basis of many a comic book storyline. Here it’s moments like the Black Trident lying out in the snow some distance from where its former owner is buried in the ice. Conveniently laying it just where Black Manta falls to ensure he finds it. This is compounded when the trident gives Manta all of the information required to find everything he needs to succeed. It’s this kind of lazy plotting which is currently harming the comic book movie genre as a whole. But I have hope that both James Gunn for DC and Kevin Feige for Marvel will seek to move away from moving forwards.
None of these issues stop Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom from being a hugely entertaining watch. As with the first film its strength are in its scope and its action. There are plenty of huge set pieces to content with. Some feature the kind of large scale visual effects we’ve come to expect following Aquaman. All of the visual effects work in the film is exquisite. Likewise there’s a plethora of real, practical stunt work and hand-to-hand combat which is exhilarating to watch.
The first Aquaman broke new ground in creating an underwater world where characters can move coherently and speak fluently. An issue which Zack Snyder snuck around in his Justice League film thanks to an air bubble. With no need to reinvent the wheel, James Wan is instead able to focus on building on those foundations to create a film which somehow manages to succeed in being even broader in scope. An action-packed sequence set inside Manta’s base of operations, an Orichalcum factory, shows just why contemporary comic book films should continue to build sets practically. Whilst its enhance and expanded with visual effects, the set itself feels far-reaching. There are also a number of incredible creature effects across the film. Designs range from multi-legged creepy crawlies to monstrous villains. Each has its own design language unique to its setting and requirements in the story. The bone-like creatures holding Orm captive are a strong argument for practical makeup over pure CGI creation.
Rupert Gregson-Williams returns to score the sequel bringing back many of the themes he created the first time around. Musically, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a little confused. It often opts to use a needle drop in moments when more of Gregson-Williams’ score would have better suited the film. That being said the overall balance between the more electronic moments and traditional score works well across the 124 minute runtime.
Verdict
Fans of the first Aquaman will no doubt fall for this bigger, louder and bolder sequel. Whilst it may not win over the critics it’s an undeniably fun time at the cinema, perfectly timed for the holidays.
⭐⭐⭐.5
