- Date of Release: 22 December 2023
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
- Language: English
Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom
Introduction
For sake of simplicity, let’s refer to this film as Aquaman 2. We already knew the DCEU, as we know it, was coming to an end and that Aquaman 2 is going to be the last out of this uneven universe. While Jason Momoa’s turn as the merman superhero was fun, the writing (across projects) was horrifyingly inconsistent, and it almost feels like a good thing that this franchise is being put out of its misery.
While Aquaman 2 has received widespread criticism, I, for one, do not think it’s the worst superhero movie ever made (that title will rest with The Marvels for all of eternity). But it is also painfully inane, and forgettable. And feels like a rehash of the first Aquaman movie. That 2018 film made over a billion dollars at the box office, and it was obvious that DC would want to milk it further. But Aquaman 2 is just that – an uninspired, shameless cash grab.
While there were production issues that this film was plagued with, and most of those issues were Amber Heard related, it still feels like a lazy movie. So let’s try to find out what went wrong with this.
Story & Screenplay
5 years on from the events of Aquaman, Arthur Curry (Momoa) is now a father and is having a tough time balancing his domestic life on earth, and being the king of Atlantis underwater. Meanwhile, Black Manta (Yahya Abdul Mateen II) is trying to find a mythical trident (yes, another trident) that will give him additional powers and (finally) avenge his father’s death. Helping him in his mission is scared scientist Dr Stephen Shin (Randall Park).
Long story short, Manta finds this trident, but there’s an evil spirit inside, that possesses him. Now, his evil plan includes melting polar caps to flood our planet (as if we are not doing that already). Aquaman needs to enlist the help of his estranged (and imprisoned) brother Orm (a fabulous Patrick Wilson) to stop Manta before it’s too late. Why Orm would help Aquaman after the events of the first film is anyone’s guess, but director James Wan wants you believe it, so sure.
There is also Aquaman’s wife Mera (an insufferable Amber Heard) and Aquaman’s mother Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) in there somewhere, but you will be forgiven if you forget they were there in the movie, given how small and inconsequential their roles are.
The screenplay is patchy, and lazy. It just doesn’t get out of the first gear. Now, I know that the movie was re-written and reshot a couple of times because the studio wanted to reduce Heard’s role and appease the audience. Why they didn’t just recast her is something only the executives at WB will be able to tell you, but the result is a movie that often just feels like random set pieces thrown together.
The parts between Aquaman and Orm are funny, and the actors try their hardest to make something happen. But the writing just doesn’t allow the movie to take off. The constant doubts about Orm’s true character is neat, though.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
Director James Wan seems bereft of any new ideas in the film, and ends up making (essentially) the same movie as the one he made in 2018. While we can empathise that he must have had his hands tied by the studio, but the problems of the film run deeper than that. Standing at about a 105 mins long, it’s one of the shortest DCEU movie, but still manages to feel the longest.
The only part where his direction shines is when Aquaman and Orm have to (reluctantly) work together for a common goal. And even that has a ‘been there done that’ feel to it (Thor and Loki, anyone?). There is a plethora of DC villains that Wan could’ve gone with, but he chose to have the same two villains as the last part. If that isn’t an example of lazy writing, then I don’t know what is. Even the CGI is horrible and almost makes Bollywood movies look better by comparison. Why are most of these mer people standing on the ocean floor and talking through most of the movie, when they could be swimming and/or suspended underwater? Then again, this is one of the smaller problems with this movie.
Wan feels sadly out of his depth while directing a corporate studio backed, superhero movie. One has to wonder how many of these creative calls were his own, and how many were forced upon him by WB. Whatever be the reason, Wan’s name will forever be attached with this almost disaster of a movie.
Performances
Jason Momoa tries his best to keep the audience invested, but fails this time. There is no novelty, or character arc, to his character anymore. Patrick Wilson is, by far, the pick of the actors. He infuses his Orm with a cocktail of hungover pride, and childlike glee (especially when it comes to his land scenes). An actor like Wilson deserves better.
Amber Heard has very little to do, but still manages to be screechy and annoying. Nicole Kidman looks uninterested in the proceedings. Yahya Abdul Mateen II does well as the villain, but then again, an actor of his calibre could’ve done this role in his sleep (no, really, he appears to be sleepwalking in some scenes). Randall Park as Dr Shin is the comic relief, but really, the joke is on us, the audience.
Conclusion
Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom is a below par film, from a below par franchise. The DCEU ends with not a bang, but a whimper. Running in a theatre near you.
