Things started out so well for the DC Extended Universe, but the muted release of this sequel to director James Wan‘s 2018 “Aquaman” marks the end of the line for it.
The first film grossed $1.15 billion. It was the fifth-highest-grossing film that year and was, at the time, not only the highest-grossing film based on a DC Comics character ever to this day worldwide (Including the Christopher Nolan Batman movies) but also the 20th highest-grossing film of all time. Fast forward to December 2023, and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” lands in theaters with comparatively little fanfare outside of what feels like a perfunctory promotional campaign, minimal hoopla for a film of its size, a sequel to a hit, and anchored by an embargo that lifted around the same time that first public screenings take place around the world. What the hell happened?
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Everyone knows the DCEU has morphed into the new DCU under the eye and in the hands of James Gunn and Peter Safran at DC Studios, and this is the final chapter in a closing book, but still. Regardless of the quality of the film, it’s hard not to feel bad for returning director Wan, titular leading man Jason Momoa, and the rest of the cast, both legacy and new.
So, what are “they” hiding? Is it a double bluff, and it’s so good it’ll blow our fins off, and it had to be kept a secret until almost literally the last second? Now we have the answer.
This array of set pieces is best described as good but not great and an entertaining, if slightly forgettable, romp with no shortage of spectacle but a few pinches short on substance. In all honesty, it’s hard not to have fun with it.
After an amusing “Previously on Aquaman” style reminder at the start of the film to get everyone up to speed on what happened in the first film and to bring the audience up to speed on where Momoa’s Arthur Curry is when we’re reunited a few years on, things pick up pretty quickly. If there’s one thing “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” deserves credit for, and there are plenty of things, it’s the fact as stuffed as it is, there’s not a lot of fat on it, and it doesn’t waste time.
Set several years after the events of the first film, the main gist of the story is that new and doting father Curry, aka Aquaman, has to spring into action to protect Atlantis, along with everyone and everything he loves, from David Kane, aka Black Manta, once again played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who is hell-bent on obtaining the powerful Black Trident. If he succeeds and releases the megalomaniacal Kordax from an icy tomb in the Lost Kingdom, the nightmarish Atlantian promises to make him Kane powerful. However, getting hold of the Trident isn’t enough; Kordax, played by Pilou Asbæk, also needs some blood from Curry’s lineage to break the spell and secure his freedom. In order to stop all hell from being let loose, Aquaman needs to join forces with his half-brother Orm, played by a returning Patrick Wilson, whom he needs to first break out of his prison without starting a war. The change in their dynamic is one of the film’s highlights, and it’s a shame we won’t be getting more of that. There’s also a subplot about polluting the environment, a potent fuel substance called Orichalcum, and a plague harming Atlantians and others. Needless to say, a lot is going on.
There’s more to it, and many additional characters are introduced along the way, but that’s the bones writer David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick has to put meat on— and put meat on them he does. Johnson-McGoldrick previously collaborated with Wan on the first “Aquaman” and also “The Conjuring 2” and “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” and here the two worlds collide as the pair lean into horror and monsters. It never gets too dark or intense, but it is executed in a way that adds an edge for older, accustomed viewers while offering a nice genre gateway for some younger fans who want to explore darker themes. Coupled with Rupert Gregson-Williams’s pacey, vibrant, and engaging score, it’s PG-13 a romp that licks along from set piece to set piece, which is basically what “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is. The good thing is that it’s not trying to be anything different, and the focus is on thrills rather than taking itself too seriously, even when it dips its toes into the pool of deep and meaningful.
So where does the film fall down? While the film is not short on ideas, that’s also part of the problem because it moves from set piece to set piece with little pause of nuance. They are all decent enough ideas, but while the narrative works, it doesn’t feel like it flows so much as things are assembled in an order, and it feels somewhat bitty and formulaic. They create a chain, but it lacks cohesion. There’s a difference. Also, while the set pieces are impressive to look at for the most part, they are often placed in such huge spaces that the epic scale isn’t used as effectively as it could be, and it feels a bit lost. However, when the focus is on the smaller picture rather than the bigger one and hones in on the action at hand, it is most impactful and works. That’s when the intended awe hits. Bigger isn’t always better, and what is meant to showcase epic scale feels more like a sound stage with space people weren’t sure how to use.
Additionally, some of the effects let the film down. There are moments of CG that genuinely pull you out of the moment, which is a bummer. Watching it in 3D, it felt like that was amplified. The final issue would be that some of the returning cast either aren’t given enough to do or feel underserved or too functional, which wastes the likes of Temuera Morrison, Nicole Kidman, Amber Heard, and Dolph Lundgren. On the other hand, there are characters like Martin Short‘s Jabb-esque Kingfish, introduced in a “Star Wars” Cantina-style scene, and John Rhys-Davies‘ Brine King, who don’t have significant roles but shine in their scenes.
It’s a shame that “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is the final part of the DCEU because more of this would have been welcome. On the other hand, the DCEU gets to go out on a high note and in style, even though this lacks substance at times, which is satisfying. James Wan has delivered. Don’t be fooled by the diminished fanfare because his good work should not go unappreciated. [B-]
Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom opens December 22 via Warner Bros.
