Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) – Review

Quick Thoughts: – Grade – B – Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a silly endeavor that doesn’t take itself seriously and simply wants the audience to have a good time. If you can get on its wavelength you’ll be in for a good time. I have a feeling that it will play well on streaming platforms because of its congenial attitude and brisk two-hour running time. 

In 2018, the James Wan directed Aquaman brought in $1.1billion dollars around the worldwide and proved itself to be a congenial superhero film that didn’t take itself too seriously. In a perfect world the sequel would be met with similar enjoyment, but with the DCEU collapsing and the state of superhero cinema in flux, the bombastic sequel seems to be limping into cinemas. This is a shame because Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a good time, and features Wan in full “cheeky-mode” (think Malignant). The plot focuses on Black Manta’s (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) quest for revenge that leads him to a cursed trident that gives him all sorts of powers that threaten the earth and sea. To stop the newly powerful Black Manta, Arthur “Aquaman” Curry (Jason Momoa) frees his brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) from a desert jail and the two go on a roadtrip to stop him from destroying the world. It’s all a bunch of nonsense but during the nonsense we see Nicole Kidman ride a rocket shark and witness Dolph Lundgren cruising around on a seahorse.  

What makes the film so delightful is the chemistry between Momoa and Wilson. The two have an easy camaraderie and it’s fun watching the stoic and stern Orm deal with the freewheeling Arthur as he destroys statues and calls people “buttholes.” Together, they race across the ocean (literally) in an attempt to stop Black Manta from destroying the world with the release of Orichalcum – an Atlantean fuel source that unleashes an absurd amount of greenhouse gasses that wreaks havoc on the earth. This leads them to Tatooine Cantina-esque locations and finally to volcanic island that is home to zombies, large monsters, and deadly bugs. Once again, it’s very silly and plays like an old school action-yarn that was built to entertain. 

Don’t go into this movie expecting the quality of Wonder Woman or The Dark Knight. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a big budget bonkers-fest with a wild amount of Guinness product placement. If you can go along with the VFX-loaded nonsense you’ll have a great time watching Amber Heard create large water tornadoes that slam spikes into monsters.

Make sure to listen to the MFF podcast we recorded about Aquaman (2018)