Movie Review: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - Last Gasp

 

The end of 2023 also sees the end of the DC Extended Universe with "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom". I still think the first Aquaman film was the best entry of the DCEU, but I was entertained with its sequel, even though they seemed to play it safe for the most part.

In a way, it's more of the same from the last film. There's no major new character additions, at least not ones that are fully fleshed out. Though I will say a lot of the returning cast still turn in good performances, particularly Jason Momoa's Aquaman. I really enjoyed seeing him as a father and how he's able to reconcile with his brother, Orm (played again by Patrick Wilson).
Anything new that is added doesn't feel fully original. I noticed a lot of story beats and imagery reminiscent of Taika Waititi's Thor films. They even seem to go for "Star Wars under water" vibes with Black Manta (played again by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) getting an elaborate ship with crew members in uniform ala Darth Vader commanding a Star Destroyer and a Jabba's Palace like scene with Martin Short playing the Jabba like character.

The CGI in the film is about half and half. Most of the time it looks good with great imagery that once again leans into director James Wan's horror style. Other times though things don't look fully rendered, like how some bodies look rubbery during the action scenes. And I don't know if it was a theater issue, but there were a couple scenes under water when characters are talking where they seem to shake, like there was a glitch they didn't catch before release.

For the most part, the climax was fun. I enjoyed the action and I could swear the part with the whales was somehow a callback to a joke from the first season of Dragon Ball Z Abridged. The only gripe I have with it is the big bad seemed to be beat a little too easy after all the build up to what a threat he was.
While the film doesn't give a grand finale to the DCEU, it at least brings Arthur's story some closure. The character gets a happy ending and accomplishes the goals his loved ones hoped for him.

After "Blue Beetle", I'd say "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" is the second best DC film this year. It's not groundbreaking like the first film, but there's still some entertainment value that allows the King of Atlantis to go out on a good note and the DCEU on an okay one.