Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom spectacularly misfires as the final smoking embers of the Snyderverse’s last hurrah. It is a wacky nail in the coffin of a DC superhero vision that has been clearly abandoned by corporate masters. The madcap adventure juggles strange terms like “orichalcum” in a bewildering narrative that looks like rainbow skittles exploded on the screen. Nothing can be taken seriously as the characters engage in witless banter and silly sight gags while supposedly trying to save the world. It’s clearly evident that Amber Heard’s role was dramatically cut in post-production. The film is a hot mess but not unwatchable. You can’t peel your eyes away from this train wreck.
The story begins with Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa) enjoying domestic bliss. He and Mera (Heard) are married with an infant son. They split time with his father (Temuera Morrison) on land and as Atlantean royalty below the sea. Arthur’s thrilled to be a father, but has learned to despise being a king. He’s constantly thwarted by a governing council who still view him as an outsider that favors humans.
Meanwhile, Dr. Stephen Shin (Randall Park), a scientist working for the vengeful David Kane aka Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), makes a terrifying discovery on the sea floor. His search for Atlantis uncovers a powerful trident that once belonged to a ruthless monarch (Pilou Asbæk). Kane is transformed by its spell. He’s finally given the means to destroy Aquaman and his beloved family. It doesn’t matter that everyone else might die as well.
Black Manta’s Evil Trident
Black Manta’s attacks infuriate the council even further. He’s proof that the land dwellers can never be trusted, which contradicts Arthur’s hope of revealing themselves and establishing peaceful relations with humans. He must find Kane and figure out his endgame before it’s too late. This means asking for help from the one person who hates him as much as Kane, his imprisoned half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson).
Let’s start on a positive note with what works. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom might be worth the price of a 3D ticket for purely visual popcorn entertainment. The film’s depth of field looks sharp and well-defined for background objects. This is admittedly cool in scenes that aren’t overrun with CGI action. The frenetic battles veer into The Matrix Reloaded territory with computerized characters pummeling each other like a video game. I had no issues with the visual effects from Ezra Miller’s The Flash, but the same realism problem persists here and might turn off some audiences.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom struggles with finding the correct tone. Director James Wan (The Conjuring, Malignant), a competent filmmaker, radically deviates from what made the original film a box office success. Arthur Curry’s rebel attitude and mischievous behavior was a part of his persona, but he also had a modicum of gravitas. He wanted to find belonging and identity. The sequel shifts buffoonery into high gear. Aquaman’s frivolous demeanor and chirpy outlook are out of context given the deadly circumstances of his current predicament. It can’t be all chuckles when a mortal enemy wants to gut your family.
Brothers Going to Work it Out
Wan may have been put in an unwinnable situation. This incarnation of Aquaman went kaput once James Gunn and Peter Safran were put in charge of DC Studios. But the film was already completed and must have been edited to reflect the course of a new regime. There was never going to be a third Aquaman film with this cast. Do you wrap up everything neatly in a lighthearted bow, or go hardcore and end guns blazing? The former takes place. It’s lame covered in weak sauce. Momoa’s Aquaman deserved a stronger resolve. Fans of the character are not going to be happy.
David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, who wrote the first film and is also a frequent Wan collaborator, unfortunately scripts a dud. There was audible laughter in the audience when the global warming aspect of the storyline takes shape. Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) has a monologue about climate change — insert “orichalcum,” you’ll have to watch to find its meaning — that is comically stupid. It may make you cringe and lose all faith that somehow the narrative will regain logical footing. Here’s an Oscar-winning actress spouting drivel you’d expect from a ’70s B-movie.
Amber Heard’s personal travails are of zero interest to this website or reviewer. But she was a primary protagonist in the original, had a key role in Justice League, is Arthur’s wife, the Queen of Atlantis, and mother to the royal heir. Heard probably has five minutes of screentime in the sequel. She’s extremely important to the plot but disappears for huge swaths of the film. This was a mistake. Ezra Miller was great in The Flash despite his public meltdowns and criminal troubles. Extra scenes of Arthur and Orm chumming around aren’t a believable replacement. Heard needed to be present and seen.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will have audiences rubbernecking. It’s an accidental disaster film. Another thought creeps into my mind. Batgirl was shelved and destined to rot away unseen in some vault. It couldn’t possibly be worse than this.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a production of DC Studios, Atomic Monster, and The Safran Company. It will be released theatrically on December 22nd from Warner Bros.
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