Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – Time To Just Get It Over With

The DCEU (or DC extended universe) has had a tumultuous run over the last 10 years since 2013’s Man of Steel. Growing and evolving over the years as it has faced plenty of behind-the-scenes drama as it struggled narratively to set a path forward in creating a shared universe, trying to catch up to what Marvel Studios has done with the MCU with varying results. With the recent news of James Gunn and Peter Safran taking the reigns at DC Studios, the days of the DCEU were numbered and the sequel to 2018’s Aquaman, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, marks its final installment. And with that, a universe that started off with so much promise ends with a whimper. Faced with countless delays, rewrites, and reshoots as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and turmoil at Warner Bros. and DC Studios as they attempted to course correct following a run of box office failures, that process shows. The final product comes off as a convoluted mess tasked with too much. Consolidating storylines and subplots in the midst of the main plot, in order to wrap-up the story of Arthur Curry/Aquaman, the story fails as a whole. Meanwhile, the tone plays off a little different this time around as the energy of the original film is essentially gone as everyone involved are seemingly just going through the motions.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom saw Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Momoa) balance lives both on land with his newborn son and his father Tom (Temuera Morrison) while fighting crime, and by sea, ruling as the King of Atlantis. Little did he know, the latter involved more than he probably anticipated. Growing bored of his diplomatic role and the bureaucracy it entailed, Arthur would given a respite with the resurfacing of David Kane/Black Manta (Abdul-Mateen II). Still seeking revenge for the death of his father, he turned to Atlantean technology for help. Soon, that journey led him to the mysterious black trident and its creator who possesses him, offering him the power to destroy Aquaman in exchange for freeing his long lost Atlantean tribe. Gearing up for an offensive, he quickly found himself in the crosshairs of the kingdom of Atlantis though now, he was in a more powerful position but it came with a price. Acknowledging as such, they would need help which meant turning to the imprisoned Orm (Wilson) for help with the new Manta and his forces. Breaking him out of prison, the two became a pair of bedgurding partners.

The heart of the film was that dynamic between Arthur and Orm as they looked to iron out their issues. What became a buddy cop movie, their squabbles and exchanges were somewhat entertaining to watch as they drove the plot forward but the surrounding plot was nowhere near as entertaining. That surrounding plot felt tact-on, solely as a means to wrap up the story of Aquaman. Because of it, Manta was virtually an afterthought. He clearly had to be stopped but the film gives audiences little reason to care about the outcome and everything that led to it. Not helping its case is the fact that nearly everyone involved appeared to have already moved on as those in front of the camera are simply going through the motions while supported by horrendous material and equally horrendous CGI. That being said, these aspects could be redeemable had it at least been fun. While the first film was entertaining and made $1+ billion at the box office, it was also objectively bad. The key to that film’s success was how it embraces the silliness (and campiness) of its premise. However, this film lacks many of the same redeeming qualities.

In spite of the above, the best part of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the chemistry of Momoa and Wilson. The dynamic between Arthur and Orm is the only bright spot as they were a blast to watch together. However, it was merely a small part of a film full of issues. They gave it its only energy but ultimately, they could only do so much. As far as the rest of the cast was concerned, they were a by-product of the questionable material. At that point, everybody just wanted to get it over with and it’s hard not to blame them for that. Wrapping up the story of Arthur Curry/Aquaman in a neat bow, the story of this incarnation of the character, if anything, comes to an end on a satisfying note.

At the end of the day, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ends the story of Aquaman and the DCEU on a messy note as everyone involved seemed more interested in getting it over with than anything else.

still courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.