REVIEW: ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ is Harpooned by Studio Politics

And so the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) comes to a whimpering conclusion with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Whimpering, not because this movie is even that bad mind you, but because it feels merely like an afterthought that is being purposefully swept under the rug by Warner Bros. Discovery. The studio hasn’t had a solid idea on what to do with the DC Universe for a decade now, first giving the creative keys to director Zack Snyder with 2013’s Man of Steel and then pivoting in a multitude of directions when the desired box office results and audience reception wasn’t received. Regardless if you’re a fan or not, the DCEU has truly been a fascinating dumpster fire of sorts to witness as the years have progressed.

It’s been remarkable to see a Hollywood studio fight so hard to gain any goodwill and then throw it all away whenever it seems like they’ve finally got a grasp on things. Such examples include 2017’s Wonder Woman and 2019’s Shazam!, which are both seen as some of the best DCEU films, receiving abysmal sequels with Wonder Woman 1984 and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. The Snyder Cut movement was another controversial piece of the franchise’s history that can’t be ignored. But there have been some other notable high points in the DCEU aside from what’s already been said, like the critical acclaim of Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad. Despite not receiving the strongest reviews, 2018’s Aquaman directed by James Wan is undeniably one of the DCEU’s few crown jewels as it’s the only franchise entry to surpass $1 billion at the global box office making it the highest-grossing DC film of all time.

Writer-director James Wan and lead star Jason Momoa found the right balance of likable bravado paired with an epic scale in Aquaman. Like the movie or not, its appeal rings true, as evidenced by its box office. Maybe it came out at just the right time since that same year saw the individual notable successes of other comic book films like Black Panther, Deadpool 2, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and Avengers: Infinity War. Well, if the first Aquaman came out at just the right time, then its sequel is arriving at the very worst. Not only are comic book movies making less money now but James Gunn and Peter Safran are also knee-deep into rebooting the franchise, which will now be simply known as the DCU, leaving Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom defunct.

A movie’s place or “purpose” in a larger cinematic universe doesn’t define its quality, but it sure does define the attention given to its marketing and release. So, it’s almost ironically fitting that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, like the many DCEU sequels before it, is being released to the wolves with no hopes of success since everything is all getting rebooted anyway. Oh, and because James Gunn is so open about his DCU plans on social media, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman is not included on the list of characters confirmed to be safe in the reboot, like Xolo Maridueña’s Blue Beetle and John Cena’s Peacemaker. The really sad thing about this situation is that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is surprisingly more entertaining than the first film. It may just fall short of being superior story-wise, yet it’s got all the makings of a would-be box office hit.

Writer David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, also known for the Conjuring franchise, returns to pen the screenplay with James Wan, Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, and Jason Momoa himself receiving story credit as well. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom follows Arthur Curry a few years into his role as the new King of Atlantis. He’s already starting to realize that maybe he isn’t so cut out to be a ruler, struggling to balance his political duties with his personal life at home with Queen Mera (Amber Heard) and their newborn son Arthur Jr. Arthur’s father Tom Curry (Temuera Morrison) and mother Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) help in raising the child, however, it’s still not enough for our King as the tensions between Atlantis and the surface world are at an all-time high given the rise in global warming and the harm it does to the world’s oceans.

This gives David Kane (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) the perfect chance to strike back as Black Manta. Fueled by the father’s death, as seen in the first movie, Manta’s plot for revenge now revolves around the power of the mythic Black Trident. The mysterious weapon is said to come from the fabled seventh kingdom of the seas, which has been long lost in history’s records. With the help of the gullible marine biologist Stephen Shin (Randall Park), Manta plans to use the trident to unleash a global meltdown on Earth. Arthur has no choice but to look to his imprisoned brother Orm (Patrick Wilson), the former king of Atlantis, in this dilemma since he knows more about this legend which leads to an unlikely alliance. An “enemies turned to allies” road trip adventure ensues between Arthur and Orm, which soon leads them to the Black Trident’s ancient creator – the fallen evil king Kordax (Pilou Asbæk).

In truth, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom isn’t that far off from its predecessor in terms of its quality. Both Aquaman films are filled to the brim with loud explosions and rely too much on dumps of dull exposition to explain their lore-heavy plots. Moreover, both movies are unashamed to utilize Jason Momoa’s “dudes rock” appeal fully. Momoa’s bro attitude and comedic charm once again help carry the story, which can be quite uninteresting at times. There’s not a lot of new here, especially in Arthur and Orm’s enemies-to-allies arc. However, Momoa and Patrick Wilson have more than enough magnetic chemistry to keep you entertained all through. Their endearing brotherly dynamic powers the sequel’s core, and even though it may feel familiar, the duo’s performances still make it worthwhile. James Wan clearly had this arc planned for some time, as it leads to a satisfying payoff.

Now, there’s just as much in this sequel that doesn’t work out so well. For starters, Mera’s role is relegated to being a worried mother, and it’s really not the best look to minimize the romantic interest now that she’s married to the protagonist. Speaking of thin characters, Black Manta is stripped of his own agency as he spends the majority, if not all of his screen time possessed by the influence of the Black Trident. This doesn’t give Yahya Abdul-Mateen II the chance to do anything new with the popular DC villain aside from delivering a few fun one-liners. Randall Park’s Dr. Stephen Shin mainly serves as comedic relief, and while he does an admirable job, the role does get stale after some time. Everyone else is mainly here to serve Arthur and Orm, making them the only two real characters in the film.

However, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom makes up for its simple script with fantastic visuals. James Wan and cinematographer Don Burgess tap into the vast potential of the DC Universe in ways that so many previous comic book films have been afraid of. It turns out the underwater worlds of the first film were just an appetizer because Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is monsters and sea creatures galore. Wan goes bigger in the ways many sequels do, though in this case you have to give him major props for diving deeper into sci-fi and fantasy than any other recent DC movie. Choosing not to be ashamed of Aquaman’s sea aspects was the first movie’s saving grace, and here we see a larger embrace of this comic book absurdity, from Aquaman riding his giant trusty sea horse into battle to Topo the friendly drummer Octopus even getting in on the action.

It wouldn’t be far-fetched to compare James Wan’s imagination to the exotic work that George Lucas presented in the Star Wars prequels. You’re constantly enthralled in this sequel by the various foes Arthur and Orm must face, some even brought to life with some killer practical make-up effect. It’s very disappointing to see some of this movie magic brought down by flaws in the editing and script, some of which feel like the byproduct of studio interference, as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom reportedly went through different edits under various producers to where it is today with James Gunn and Peter Safran now in charge of DC Films. You can practically see how studio politics squandered this sequel, but that’s always been the case with the DCEU now, hasn’t it?

If you enjoyed the first Aquaman, then there’s lots for you to love here. If James Wan and Jason Momoa haven’t sold you on their dude’s rock approach to the staple DC superhero, then Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has nothing to offer you. Still, it’s hard to deny that these two weren’t at least onto something here – full of vibrant colors and awesome imagination that is so lacking in modern comic book adaptations.

In another timeline where Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom had a better marketing campaign, and its main star wasn’t already talking about playing a different character in a rebooted franchise (hinted at being Lobo), you can easily imagine this being a big hit just like the first film. Instead, it will be remembered as an imperfect yet entertaining sequel that wasn’t given a fair chance because of yet another DC franchise reboot.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is available now on VOD.