Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
The more I’ve watched it, the more that James Wan’s “Aquaman” distinguishes itself from even the better films in the DCEU. This is an example of a filmmaker finding a visual and narrative tone that works in creating a satisfying viewing experience, while also fitting into the box of being a superhero movie. This is honestly the most I’ve anticipated a DC sequel since the Christopher Nolan Batman films. While Wan does not live up to that standard with “Lost Kingdom,” he made a film I enjoyed thoroughly, even if it’s not as pleasurable as the first film.
A lot has changed for Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) since he took his place as King of Atlantis. He is married to Mera (Amber Heard), and has a son with her. Meanwhile, being King has its struggles; he wants to open up Atlantis to the world, but the council he answers to does not. When different illnesses seem to take over the people of the sea, an old nemesis has plans to take everything he has in life.
“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is a very prototypical “darker second chapter” film, and while I think it succeeds in telling its story, it leaves a lot of the things I enjoyed about the first film in that first film. For the most part, the gonzo camerawork and editing during the action sequences is gone (only the finale between Arthur and Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) really offers it). The serious narrative removes Momoa’s goofy charm from the original, and only really allows any humor to be used sparingly. While I continue to love the visual worldbuilding of this film, even the film’s more flamboyant sequences and moments feel muted by the overall tone of the film. And I would have loved to hear Rupert Gregson-Williams build off of the score he wrote for the first one- which is one of my very favorites- rather than just rehash it; there are so many places this could have been a musical escalation of what came before that feels like lost potential.
There is much that I genuinely enjoy about this film, however, and it comes from how “Lost Kingdom” is genuinely building off of the original film in its story. This isn’t just another adventure with Aquaman but a continuation of the story. In David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick’s screenplay, we find Arthur is a different place in his life, having to come to grips with the responsibility of his station as King and a father. That means having to contend with his father’s legacy, including a long-mythologized battle with his brother, who called upon dark magic and a dangerous substance to try and take control of the oceans. That same substance is now the focus of Black Manta- who has enlisted Dr. Stephen Shin (Randall Park) to help him find the Lost Kingdom, and a weapon that might help him destroy Aquaman. This film is also building off of the conceit of man-made climate change and pollution of the oceans, and how it impacts the sea, this time from the perspective of deep sea drilling. Abdul-Mateen II still has a fairly underwritten role as Black Manta, but he chews the scenery beautifully while looking completely ripped, and him facing off against Momoa remains a highlight of the film. The main thing that has shifted is the central relationship Arthur is being faced with. In the first film, it was Mera; here, it is Orm (Patrick Wilson), his Atlanteen brother whom he dethroned in the first film. Momoa and Wilson has a fun dynamic with one another in this movie, as they begrudgingly must trust one another to stop Manta. They are the engine that drives this film’s narrative, and they deliver.
“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is the final film of the DCEU before we begin again with James Gunn’s “Superman: Legacy” in a couple of years. While I welcome a new chapter in trying to bring these characters, I’m not going to lie- I would welcome a chance for Wan, Mamoa and co. to bring these characters back for a third film, to see where that leads Arthur, and maybe even get some of the energy of the first film back. While I enjoyed this one, it doesn’t leave me as eager to watch it again as the first film did. It does have Arthur on a sea horse, and an octopus whose a multi-talented spy, as well as a hidden place for pirates to take refuge right out of “Star Wars” or “Hellboy,” and I’m glad we got those sights out of this film.
