Verdict
Summary
If this is the last of the Aquaman series (and almost certainly is), then it ends on a high note with a terrific adventure and a memorable villain.
Plot: Aquaman (Jason Mamoa) and Orm (Patrick Wilson) team up to stop a possessed Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) from freeing an ancient evil.
Review: There hasn’t been a lot for me to like about the DCEU. From a weird characterization of Superman to a mess of a Justice League team-up to the nonsensical films starring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, the highlights have been few. One of those highlights, though, was the first Aquaman movie, a bright and spirited adventure with a game Jason Momoa in the lead. As much as I liked the first film, I had reservations about the sequel – the troubling multiple reshoots and the lack of stakes due to the death of the DCEU weren’t a reason to be optimistic about the flick.
Pleasantly, this movie surprised me. Maybe it was my lack of expectations, perhaps they just caught me on a good day, but this is a damn entertaining yarn. It’s not going to win awards for best screenplay (nor would the first one, to be honest), but it had heart and was endearing. The team-up between Aquaman and his villainous brother could have come across as contrived (see Thor: The Dark World as an example), but Mamoa and Wilson had enough chemistry to make it work.
It helped that this movie was constantly moving. Orm and Arthur move from one obstacle to another, being chased by giant crickets, engaging in a rousing prison break and battling an overpowered Black Manta and a giant armoured robot octopus. All the action scenes were shot clearly, and you could follow the action, a marvel in today’s filmmaking world. The movie looks like a million bucks and whether there’s an undersea battle or a race across the desert, everything looks great.
Black Manta is a treat in this film. Not only does he cut an imposing figure (especially when in the dark and all you see are those glowing red eyes), but Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is a scowling, no-nonsense villain. He mercilessly carves up Mera with his laser blasts, takes on both Aquaman and Ocean Master and isn’t above kidnapping an infant to sacrifice to a fallen tyrant. The man is a worthy opponent to our heroes in the movie. I was also pleasantly surprised to see Dolph Lundgren get an expanded role, and there are a couple of surprising voice cameos that I won’t spoil here.
While the humour didn’t always work, and some of the dialogue was a tad wooden, this film has little to dislike. The key is the relationship between Mamoa’s and Wilson’s characters. They are together through most of the movie and play off each other effectively. Those who dislike Amber Heard will be glad to hear she’s not in the film much – I personally don’t hate the woman and liked her a lot in the first movie, but I’m guessing they wanted to minimize her screen presence out of fear of online backlash. It’s a shame, but it’s the world we live in these days.
I found the soundtrack to this movie pretty damn good – it was rousing, expansive and hit all the key moments with the right energy. As for the songs that were used, I wasn’t a huge fan of them, as they sounded generic to me, but they didn’t detract from the action on the screen.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a fun ride and, I guess, a good way for the DCEU to end. While I wasn’t a huge fan of all the movies (or many, really) in the DCEU, there were pockets of decent movies amongst all the garbage, and you can count the Aquaman films as two of those hidden gems.
