Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom Movie Review: A few statistics don’t hurt. Five years after the first film, DC’s third for 2023, the last of the year and the penultimate ever (in live action) of the cinematic universe before the rewrite by James Gunn. Historians would talk about the Lower Empire (the end of the empire) to illustrate the timing of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, in cinemas on 21 December 2023, directed by James Wan and distributed by Warner Bros. 

The next versions of the character, whoever the director is – above all, whoever the protagonist is – will betray “other” points of view and angles. If you go beyond the pleasure of the hard and pure spectacle and try to read a little deeper, you can sense in the film, perhaps unintentionally, an aftertaste of a long goodbye. Jason Momoa actually still seems to be having a lot of fun.

The light-hearted and playful epic of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the controlled immaturity of the protagonist, overshadowed – when necessary – by the firmness and altruism of a true leader, suits him very much. As a rule, it is the character that must be tailored to the actor, not the other way around. Fortunately, this is also the case in this case. The rest of the cast, with many good returns, includes Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Dolph Lundgren. Once again, Arthur Curry – Aquaman is a man divided in half.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Movie Plot:

Life as King of Atlantis is hard work, says Aquaman. There is a whole component of politics, debates, and parliamentary procedures that he needed to take into account and which clash with the meaning of his life (and adventure). Yet, despite his exuberance that is unsuitable for an institutional figure, and his annoying tendency to lose his train of thought, falling asleep when he shouldn’t, Arthur is the perfect ruler for his beautiful kingdom. Precisely because he is a man divided in half. His home is the land and the sea.

The only one, in Atlantis, to be simultaneously a son of the above and the below. So he can act as an intermediary, the first step in building harmonious relationships. Atlantis disapproves of those upstairs, not without reason; of the earthlings, mostly garbage arrives at the bottom of the sea. The environment is a big concern for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Problems come with the Black Manta, or more simply Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). 

He mourns his missing father, he has a score to settle with Aquaman. He ventures into the unexplored depths of the Arctic ice and here he finds an “alien” artifact. More than one, in fact, they all work perfectly despite their age. He also finds a black trident. By putting it back together, he acquires extraordinary strength. This, as long as you listen to the instructions of the demonic voice trapped in the trident. He has a plan and Manta is his instrument.

For the plan to work, without spoiling too much, Manta must recover orichalcum, a very precious raw material which, if used, creates enormous environmental damage. In fact, on the mainland, the climate goes crazy. Underwater, a plague epidemic breaks out. Aquaman, husband of Mera (Amber Heard) and father of Arthur Jr, lives simultaneously above and below sea level. 

He owes a lot to both communities. Mera, his father-in-law Nereus (Dolph Lundgren), and his mother Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) are not enough allies for him. Even the conscientious scruples of Doctor Shin (Randall Park), Manta’s historic collaborator who disapproves of the boss’s plans, are not enough. 

More help is needed. And that’s how Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom bring the unlikely couple together. Aquaman and Orm (Patrick Wilson), sworn enemies and half-brothers, the current and previous King of Atlantis – Orm still dreams of taking back the crown – must bury the war trident to save the world from the environmental apocalypse and rebuild their relationship. God, climate, and family.

Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom Movie Analysis:

Finally, a comic book that deals with family never happens. Ironic considerations aside, it is not on the level of cinephile provocation that the merits and vices of the 15th chapter of the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) should be weighed. The film is undoubtedly a little derivative, but this doesn’t seem to worry James Wan too much. And if it is true that the “fatherhood for Aquaman” chapter is a hook thrown but not picked up – the child will still play a role in the final pyrotechnic – there is another family chronicle, the complicated relationship between Arthur and Orm, worthy of Attention. 

Knife brothers, pretender to a throne too small for both of them, enemies/friends along the lines of the super couple Thor – Loki. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom winks at the competition, trusting in the juxtaposition of opposites: the balanced and rational charm of Patrick Wilson and the exuberant and vulgar physicality of Jason Momoa. It’s all about balance. After all, it is precisely the film that suggests it.

Balance between a lot of things: between above and below, between sea and land, between brothers. Between the legitimate aspirations of human progress and development and the needs of the ecosystem. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the first vulgarly environmentalist cinecomic, without ambiguity or subtlety to shade its elementary but shareable morality. Arthur and Orm are destined to prevail because they are not alone. One has the other to rely on, no matter how irritating and hopeless the situation may sometimes seem. 

Manta, a seraphic and maniacal Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, suffers from an inconsolable loneliness. There is no one to distract him from the interference of the bad teachers, and the voices in his head. Around the protagonists, without making a shadow, are the trio of Amber Heard, Dolph Lundgren, and Nicole Kidman. Liquidated, the latter, to a handful of eloquent and charismatic gunslingers and it is not the best, but the protagonists are others and it must be accepted.

The protagonists are others, but for how much longer? The clock is ticking, only Joker is missing, and 2025 is approaching. And with 2025, the (who knows how much) gentle revolution brought about by James Gunn on the body and soul of the DC universe. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the perfect film for these transitional times. 

He has a heart in tune with contemporaneity (environmentalist) and a rudimentary but satisfying sentimental palette. His is the limit of many films of the same genre: the difficulty in finding the balance between joyful and light-hearted entertainment and the possibility of raising the bar in reflections and narrative dynamics.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: conclusion and evaluation

Two things work about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: James Wan’s good work on the liquid and plastic force of Atlantis. The brother-knife dynamic between Patrick Wilson and Jason Momoa, the latter in full control of the humor and action. Not a riot of originality and not always able to dose the popular soul with a greater degree of sophistication, of the DC films of 2023 it is nevertheless the most solid and the one capable of intercepting the public’s expectations most constructively.