Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

User Review

• 

  ScreenZealots

  4 / 10

  “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is not a good film. It’s barely even a passable superhero film, which is a shame. Along with a great number of DC Comics fans, I love Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman (he’s among the best casting decisions in the DCEU). But his charisma and amiability are thoroughly squandered here, which is probably the biggest of the film’s many disappointments. He tries his best, but even his leading man star power can’t save this mess.
  
  Seeking revenge on Aquaman (Mamoa) for his father’s death, Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is back with a powerful new weapon in his arsenal: the mythic Black Trident. With it, Manta is able to unleash an ancient evil that will bring a reign of terror into the kingdom. Seeking help to defeat his enemy, Aquaman forges an alliance with his imprisoned brother Orm (Patrick Wilson). The siblings must set aside their differences and join forces to protect Atlantis and save the world from total destruction.
  
  The plot is simple and straightforward, and highly capable director James Wan relies on CGI effects for a majority of his storytelling. There’s nothing wrong with that in theory (this IS a superhero action movie, after all), but here everything looks murky at best and goofy at worst. Most of the film (of course) takes place underwater, which limits the type and scope of the action.
  
  The biggest problem is that only about 15% of the movie delivers any type of fun, which isn’t a recipe for success. It’s not funny enough nor all that interesting, and the best parts get lost in the clutter. Once Orm arrives, the story does pick up a bit, and it’s enjoyable to watch the two fight together against Manta (who sadly is a second-rate villain). The stakes aren’t high enough and nothing made me care about what was happening on screen. Writing this review is difficult because I’m overcome with such indifference.
  
  “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is a sequel that doesn’t do much to help the oft-maligned DCEU, and it’s another mediocre entry that proves superhero movie fatigue is a real thing. It’s also a shame that this sad, unremarkable goodbye to what should’ve been Mamoa’s defining character is all that’s afforded to fans. They, and Aquaman, deserved better than this.
  
  By: Louisa Moore for Screen Zealots

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