The sequel to the first Aquaman delivers another splashy, visually engaging adventure with a few rough spots that might make this a harder slog for families. But director James Wan does effectively expand his world, and the film has enough of its own whimsy to keep it fresh.
Momoa brings his alpha-cool, jerkish charm to Arthur again, but this time with a kid, and the odd-couple bickering works surprisingly well.
The Story
Despite a few flashes of humor, a lackluster story and the lack of chemistry between Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom isn’t a terrible film. In fact, it’s better than most of the other DCEU movies we’ve seen lately. It just suffers from the same major problem that its predecessor did: a lack of distinct identity.
The film starts off with a weird, clumsy, and self-aware moment in which Arthur Curry (Momoa) explains that no one thinks he’s dorky for loving being a superhero. It’s a trite and unfunny joke that sets the tone for the rest of the film, which feels like a jumbled medley of imitations from different kinds of films.
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There’s a bit of an eco fable, where Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is trying to accelerate global warming by burning Atlantean super fuel; a half-baked revenge saga; and a few other miscellaneous subplots. But mostly it’s just a straight-up action movie, filled with a lot of kaiju mayhem and a lot of exposition about a rare metal called orichalcum that is apparently the ultimate power source for all of mankind. It gets a little less confusing when the film focuses on Arthur and King Orn’s bickering, which gives the movie its strongest moments. It almost feels like a buddy comedy at times, with Momoa and Wilson delivering some of the more straight-up funny dialogue in the entire film.
The Cast
The cast in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is solid overall. Jason Momoa is the highlight as Arthur Curry/Aquaman, he makes the movie worth watching. He’s funny, engaging and a good hero, even though the film is pretty brainless. He’s joined by Patrick Wilson as his half-brother Orm, who has a Van Heflin quality and wants to destroy everything the hero touches. The movie also stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen as the aforementioned Black Manta, a cardboard cutout angry villain who has a strange zeal to “thank god for global warming.”
Amber Heard is back as Mera, Arthur’s wife and mute princess of the underwater kingdom of Xebel, but she doesn’t have nearly as much to do this time around. It’s been reported that the role was reworked to minimize Heard’s involvement after her defamation lawsuit with Johnny Depp, but she does still play a key part in the story.
Other notables include Game of Thrones’ Pilou Asbaek and Indya Moore, as well as Randall Park and Judy Blackett in smaller roles. Jani Zhao plays Stingray, a character that appears to be brand new for this film and she does a solid job in her debut. The movie also features cameos from Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, but it ignores the larger DC universe altogether and just focuses on Arthur.
The Visuals
The big lug who talks to fish is back in a chintzy blast of machismo in this sequel to the highest-grossing DCEU film to date. Returning director James Wan, star Jason Momoa and an almost identical cast take on Black Manta, the deposed usurper bent on accelerating global warming by burning Atlantean superfuel. The movie, however, feels like a letdown in the wake of the DCEU’s other recent sequels and reboots (not to mention all of the behind-the-scenes drama, divorce and reshoots).
Wan and his team once again craft a dazzlingly colorful world, but it’s the characters that are left wanting. The movie’s Cain and Abel plot, with Arthur jibing his brother Orm like two battling Stepp Brothers, is a lot of fun — but it’s hampered by overbearing earnestness.
Kids will enjoy it for its crude humor and bright visuals, but adults may find the film too self-consciously hokey and overly reliant on cutaways of Momoa shouting profanity to keep it moving forward. Still, it’s far better than many of the other DCEU films have been and it gives hope to the possibility that the studio hasn’t completely lost its touch. But the franchise might be better off with a hard reboot than another mediocre outing.
The Bottom Line
While the story may have lost its way a bit in this sequel, the film still manages to work thanks to the presence of Jason Momoa as Arthur. The character is a fun, goofy hero and that alone helps to carry this movie through the rough patches.
The action scenes are fast-paced and exciting, and the visuals always look amazing. James Wan is a master at what he does and the underwater world that he has created in this film is nothing short of spectacular.
There’s also a lot of humor and “yahoo” moments in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and this is probably one of the reasons that it will appeal to a wider audience than the first movie. Momoa and Wilson are a great combination and they have some terrific chemistry together.
The script, however, lacks inspiration. It focuses on rearranging the elements that people liked about the original instead of deepening them. The result is a chintzy blast of machismo that is definitely better than some of the other films in this franchise but not enough to save it from a quick DCEU reboot.