Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Review – Entertaining but Lacking Depth

Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) was first introduced as the DC Extended Universe’s Aquaman in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Weirdly, Aquaman feels different in every film he has appeared in since, and this is no different in the sequel to Aquaman, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Directed by James Wan (Saw), the title serves as the culmination of the DCEU. Momoa returns as Arthur Curry / Aquaman, who attempts to save Atlantis and the surface by stopping the return of the lost kingdom, Necrus. 

Momoa isn’t the only returning cast member, as Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring), Amber Heard (The Rum Diary), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen), Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies), Randall Park (WandaVision), Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV), and Temuera Morrison (The Book of Boba Fett) also show up for the sequel. Abdul-Mateen plays the main villain David Kane / Black Manta, who is possessed by the spirit inside the Black Trident for most of the movie. While it marks the end of a cinematic universe, this film mostly acts as a sequel to Aquaman and doesn’t overtly reference any of the other films.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s Deeply Unserious Tone

The first Aquaman movie was an adventure film. It was light-hearted, but it was a story about a man trying to find his place while dealing with some deep-seated parental issues. The Lost Kingdom, on the other hand, is more of a slapstick adventure comedy. This alone doesn’t make it a worse film. In fact, where The Lost Kingdom succeeds is in those comedic moments. However, the blockbuster picture falls apart in its attempts to get dramatic. Whenever any of the characters are in danger, the stakes feel quite low because everybody is overpowered and the tone is light-hearted. 

The story is muddled and repetitive with a few plot holes. There are running gags that also drag on for too long. Black Manta and Aquaman get into three fights, with two of the battles ending in the same way. It seems like the only reason there’s conflict at all is to have the film move along to another location. Even though Manta’s motivation is that Aquaman killed his father, he never does anything that would fulfill his need for revenge. It feels shallow, which is in line with the light-hearted tone, but results in flat dramatic beats.

While not spoiling the reason for Orm’s (Wilson) return, if you think about why Aquaman breaks him out, it feels a little contrived. Yet, the buddy comedy between Wilson and Momoa is where the movie shines. Sure, not all the jokes land (like the third urination joke), but their comedic back-and-forth makes the movie at least fun to watch. On the other hand, there’s Abdul-Mateen’s performance as Manta. Even though he lacks any teeth, he’s still knocking the over-the-top delivery of the most cliche of lines out of the park like it’s a Golden Age comic book. 

Story Isn’t the Only Thing That’s Messy

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has all the same main characters as the original outing, except for Willem Dafoe’s Vulko who is killed off-screen before the events of this film. His absence is felt, as nobody strikes the same chord as Vulko. Randall Park gives a good performance as Dr. Shin, who gets progressively disturbed by Black Manta’s more world-ending decisions. But, Wilson is the standout amongst the cast because he nails the comedic beats while giving a convincing dramatic performance. Nobody’s terrible, but Kidman, Heard, Momoa, Morrison, and Lundgren are sadly mediocre. 

Sometimes, the mediocre performances are because the actors don’t have much to do. For example, Heard’s Mera is barely in the film. While she does have a redeeming hero moment, most of the characters had time to goof up their performances, and she didn’t get much time to be as jovial as everybody else. Occasionally, the performances aren’t strong because it feels like the film is leaning on the character’s outlandish look and odd dialogue to nail a particular moment, which is the case with Lundgren’s Nereus.

The Lost Kingdom’s 3D effects, however, are great. The underwater scenes aren’t as good as Avatar: The Way of Water, but for the most part it enhances what might have been a flat experience. The last fight between Black Manta and Aquaman feels like the third stage of a boss fight, but that’s not a negative. It looked like a scene out of Injustice 2, where there was a speed and weight behind their moves that isn’t always perfect in superhero movies. But, there were some inconsistencies with the special effects, like the middle prong of a trident retracting once it’s close to a character’s head.

A Popcorn Movie

One of the highlights of The Lost Kingdom was returning to the underwater world that Wan created for the first film. The sea creatures look phenomenal, and so do the different underwater locations that we travel to. Topo the octopus and Storm the seahorse both look terrific, as do the anthropomorphic sharks that show up at one point. The designs of the underwater vehicles are inspired by sea creatures, and they’re a great example of how well-designed Atlantis is.

The score by Ruper Gregson-Williams (Wonder Woman) is good, fitting the beats of action and horror. It’s also worth noting that the third act of the movie lets Wan’s horror stylings run free. The horror special effects and Wilson’s performance make the third act memorable enough to make it the most compelling section, and perhaps the overall high point of the movie. Or at least the dramatic high point.

The Lost Kingdom is the epitome of the “turn your brain off” movie. It’s entertaining if you let it be. Momoa and Wilson spend their time having a blast and it shows in their performances. But, if you were in this for something more serious, a superhero movie with some depth in quality and message, this isn’t the movie for you. But it is perfect if you want to buy some popcorn, pop on some 3D glasses, and enjoy some buddy comedy antics. You can catch Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in theaters now.