So, this is it. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The end of the DCEU.
But is it a high note for the DCEU to go out on? Does the Snyderverse’s final chapter deserve a glorious funeral pyre, set adrift at sea, or is it a wreck you watch sink before unceremoniously going out for a few beers and Chinese food afterwards?
Well, as it turns out, the answer to these questions lies somewhere in the middle.
Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom practically picks up where the first film left off with Arthur (Jason Momoa) acclimating to his duties as King of Atlantis (even though it’s been four years or so).
That’s not the only thing he is adjusting to either, as in the interim Arthur has also become a father to a newborn metahuman who has inherited his Papa’s ability to speak to sea life.
Of course, while his bloodline continues to thrive, so too do his enemies. Black Manta (Yahya Abdul Mateen II) is on an expedition of revenge when he and his crew stumble upon the titular and fabled Lost Kingdom, its ruins teeming with monsters, trapped in a layer of thick ice. There also happens to be a green (or greenish-black) trident lying around, ripe for the taking.
However, after mending the staff and picking it up with his bare hands, Manta is exposed to a deluge of knowledge regarding the Lost Kingdom’s forgotten history and technology, all of which he soon seeks to use to both get even with Arthur and bring about cataclysmic climate change in service of freeing King Kordax, the demonic brother of Atlan, and his armies from their icy slumber.
What’s a reigning surfer bro to do in this situation? Team up with an old enemy he can’t trust despite everyone telling him that’s a crazy idea, of course.
In this case, it’s Orm (Patrick Wilson), but hey, he is still family and the fate of the world is at stake — again.
Yeah, Aquaman 2 definitely has Thor: The Dark World vibes — among others — and it’s definitely intentional.
Through the film, director James Wan’s love of cinema is on full display, especially his fascination with fantasy adventures from Indiana Jones to The Lord of the Rings.
Heck, John Rhys-Davies, who many may know for having respectively portrayed Sallah and Gimli in the aforementioned film series, is even a part of The Lost Kingdom‘s cast, albeit as the voice of a talking crab.
And to his credit, Wan’s Peter Jackson impression is executed better than most, particularly in comparison to 2023’s glut of divisive, underperforming superhero/sci-fi franchises.
Conversely, his George Lucas falls a little flat, thought it’s still entertaining. When Orm and Arthur team up for the buddy-cop portion of the film’s plot, it goes full Return of the Jedi, complete with a surrogate Jabba the Hutt known as Kingfish, as played by Martin Short.
As for the interplay between the Atlantean brothers in this act, I enjoyed it far more than the last few rounds shared between Thor and Loki under Taika Waititi. Wilson plays his role as Ocean Master a bit stilted, and his presence feels shoehorned in at times, but he still manages to elicit more sympathy and provide greater entertainment value than anyone Marvel has written in recent years.
Now, onto the elephant (or elephants) in the soundstage — yes, most of what you may have read in the spoilers is true.
Vulko (Willem Dafoe) dies off-screen, his death the result of a briefly mentioned pandemic, Amber Heard is still there, whether “pared down” or not, and Black Manta does attempt to sacrifice Mera and Aquaman’s child.
However, there is good news on that front; in the theatrical cut of the film, he doesn’t get away with it. Instead, it’s just another minor obstacle put in our hero’s way and the baby is rescued.
And finally, one more thing that turned out to be true: the film features absolutely no Michael Keaton nor Ben Affleck. In other words, there is no Batman cameo — sorry to any of you who were jonesing for that.
All in all, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom is not as average as The Marvels and certainly not as forgettable. Wan still has an eye for imagery and Momoa still has charisma to spare.
However, Heard does have a significant presence in the film, and as such it might be too much for a lot of viewers to forgive or sit through.
Plus, the script’s admittedly a bit standard with an overfamiliar story, and thus unlikely to change your opinion of the DCEU or the superhero genre’s standing in the current year.
At the end of the day, I rate this installment a little higher than one would expect on my own personal enjoyment scale.
But for regular viewers — and particularly our own readership — all I can really say is that your mileage may vary.
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