Well, the DC Extended Universe that began with Man of Steel in 2013 has come to an end. Starting in 2025, the superheroes of the DC brand will enter a new phase of storytelling on screen. Given that, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom faces pressure that is perhaps unfair. But the film is the end of an era, though only a just-okay one.
Aquaman, also known as Arthur Curry, first appeared on screen in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He was only seen for a brief moment but Jason Momoa‘s casting in the role told audiences that the character would probably not be interpreted in an expected or boring way. 2017’s Justice League backed that up. Momoa’s Aquaman was a highlight of that super team-up and he got his first solo film the next year. Aquaman was decent. It had the familiarity of an origin story and a strong sense of fun. Arthur claimed his birthright as King of Atlantis from his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) in that film. He also made another enemy, one who now comes to enact some revenge.
The story in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom needed better structure for its emotional beats and better dialogue. Because even though James Wan is a talented director and Jason Momoa is clearly having fun, the DCEU could’ve gone out with a much bigger splash.
“We can’t leave our children in a world without hope.”
Since he took the throne of Atlantis, Arthur has married Mera (Amber Heard) and had a son, Arthur Jr. Aquaman as a dad is sweet but with a gross-out humor bit that misses the mark. He is making an effort to blend his underwater and surface world lives. At the same time, David Kane (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) still wants to destroy Aquaman over the death of his father. They were pirates working with Orm during the first film. David calls himself Manta after his grandfather’s military code name and he’s really good at carrying that grudge.
While Manta is working with scientist Stephen Shin (the always welcome Randall Park) to find Atlantean artifacts, they find the Black Trident. It’s connected to an erased Atlantean kingdom, Necrus. The ruler was brother to Atlantis’ original ruler but he was defeated when he refused to stop using the mineral orichalcum, which was destroying the ocean. The Trident is infused with Atlantean blood magic that possesses Manta. It makes Manta more than just focused on revenge– he becomes psychotic.
Arthur feels frustrated by the Council of Atlantis’ refusal to consider revealing their world to the surface, and he wonders if he’s useful as King at all. Manta’s use of the orichalcum to power Atlantean artifacts and find Necrus has devastating effects on Earth’s climate, so Arthur takes action. Since Orm will know how to find Manta, Arthur breaks him out of prison. The two brothers are now on the same side. Yeah, that’s right. The bitter enemies have to work together now. This should go well.
“Sometimes just being there is the most heroic thing you can do.”
Actually, this pairing is more entertaining than you might expect. Their bickering is not scripted with a lot of finesse or subtlety but Momoa and Wilson seem to be enjoying it. In general, Aquaman has always felt like a character where Momoa is allowed to mostly bring his real-life style to work and be himself. He’s having a ball as Arthur, including when he’s ribbing Orm. The writing is heavy-handed in its comparison of these two with the brotherly conflict in Atlantis’ past, however.
Perhaps their interaction would have been more effective if the other conflict of Manta’s revenge had been integrated with it more organically. Mateen makes a menacing villain and you’ll wish the concept of the bad guy under the influence of an evil object hadn’t been done so often before. I won’t spoil the ending for Manta here but it strikes me as plot-driven instead of character-driven.
As for any good visuals this film provides, they are the work of director Wan. The CGI action stuff here is mostly meh overall but Wan at least makes his camera dynamic. He keeps it moving in ways that draw the eye and at least keeps the viewer’s interest in what they’re looking at. The plotting, though, is still flawed. The script has the curious effect of feeling overstuffed but like there were still things cut out too. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is watchable but the deep emotional investment of the DC superhero characters deserved an end for the DECU that was more than that.
2 1/2 stars out of 5
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is now playing in theaters.
