When we last saw Aquaman he was face down in a puddle of water after having one too many drinks in The Flash. This scene did not give us any hints of what was to come for Arthur Curry but it at least let us know that in some form he was still around the DC Extended Universe. Here we are six months removed from that movie and Aquaman is back with a “job” as he puts it and is now the king of Atlantis and a father.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom continues off of the previous movie. If you have not seen it there are plenty of references and flashback scenes to get you up to speed. Just like Arthur, the movie does not take itself seriously and rather have a good time than give you a plot worthy of being the final movie in the DC Extended Universe. Sadly it feels like this movie is just a throwaway story that will have no big set up for what is to come. Think of this as an Aquaman Annual issue that gets it’s story from a Captain Planet episode.
We find out that Black Manta, David Kane, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, is hell bent on destroying everything that Aquaman holds dear and he is going to do that by finding the mythic Black Trident. With this trident, that is an artifact of Necrus, the long-lost seventh kingdom of Atlantis, Black Manta will be more powerful than Aquaman. Using the trident, Black Manta will release greenhouse gases to melt Necrus’s kingdom, which will free the former king and assist in destroying the world.
In order to stop this from happening, Arthur enlists his imprisoned brother, King Orn, Played by Patrick Wilson, , to stop Black Manta and prevent the end of both worlds, the underwater world and the above water world. Here is where this movie shows that lack of seriousness in the chemistry and bantering between Arthur and King Orn. See if you catch the Marvel reference when they are bickering with each other. It is fun seeing them go at each other and wondering if Orn is really there to help or just waiting for his chance to turn on Arthur and side with Black Manta.
Black Manta on the other hand feels a little one-sided this time around. In the first movie we knew what his motive was for attempting to take out Aquaman and in this one it seems that he has binders on and is only focused on one thing. This makes him more deadly than the first movie because not only does he nearly kill a few of Arthur’s loved ones but he takes something that, even for a villain, is pretty damn low to take. This makes Arthur’s mission to stop him personal and also makes Arthur a force to be reckoned with.
As we stated before the movie does not take itself seriously and with that we have Randall Park, who plays Dr. Stephen Shin, as the conscious of Black Manta. The only thing is that Black Manta does not pay him any attention and basically thretens him every chance he gets. Another character that I felt was not going to get a lot of screen time is Mera, played by Amber Heard. Athought she is not shown a lot in the trailers, Mera does have a good amount of screentime and plays a big part in Aquaman succeeding in saving the world.
One thing that the movie does take seriously is the action sequences. There are a few throughout the movie that really take advantage of the 3D technology. A chance scene involving oversized grasshoppers really pulls you into the action and it is also a fun scene due to the jokes between Arthur and Orn. The fight between Arthur and Black Manta is also a great one due to the brothers tacking turns fighting the villain.
Overall, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom creates a small splash as the final movie in the DC Extended Universe. Jason Momoa is having fun in his role and at times it’s hard o tell if he is just being himself or if he’s playing Arthur. If this is the last we see of Aquaman, it is a fun ending to his character but it would be nice to see more of him in the future.
Final Thoughts: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a fun movie that does not take itself seriously. Jason Momoa is having fun with this role in almost the same way he was having fun in the last Fast X movie. The chemistry between Momoa and Patrick Wilson is great and helps carry the movie for the second half. There are nods to plenty of other sci-fi movies and the action scenes are pretty great. The one thing lacking is the use of the villain and we could have used more of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Overall, the movie serves as a message to save the environment and for communities to work together.
Kid-Friendly: If your kid has seen superhero movies before they will be ok seeing this. There is a lot of bad language for a PG-13 movie. The story of family is a good one for kids to see along with the protection of the environment and why it is worth protecting.
Violence: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has some fight scenes in it that are similar to the fight scenes in most superhero movies. People get impaled and caught by the blast of explosions but there is no blood shown on screen.
Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, and director James Wan return in the sequel to the highest-grossing DC film of all time: “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.” Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction.