'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom' Is Not As Boring As It Is Unnecessary

2018’s Aquaman was a strange and surprising entry in Warner Brothers and DC’s film slate. After making the unexpected choice to cast the hulking-yet-charismatic Jason Momoa as the titular character, the film seemed to almost show up out of nowhere that Christmas season, as if we never really expected it to happen. Yet there it was, an undeniably charming — if albeit clunky and silly — explosion of bright colors and mild profanity, filled with a bizarre cast that somehow worked. Willem Dafoe, Nicole Kidman, Temuera Morrison, and a pink-haired Dolph Lundgren joined Momoa for this whacky romp that somehow worked, even when it probably shouldn’t have. Momoa followed it with a role in Zack Snyder’s Justice League (in both of its iterations), so a sequel became inevitable. What was not inevitable was the disintegration of the Snyderverse — once a grand plan for a series of interconnected, MCU-esque films, now a crumbling ruin. That universe was closed out with The Flash, one of not just the worst superhero films, but one of the worst films of 2023, full stop … and now Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

It’s an ignominious ending to that short-lived universe, to be sure. Directed by James Wan (who helmed the first film), The Lost Kingdom is another silly entry in the franchise. This time, Arthur Curry/Aquaman is now the king of Atlantis, ruling beside his queen, Mera (Amber Heard), while they also deal with life as new parents. Black Manta (Yaya Abdul-Mateen II), the secondary villain from the first film, becomes the primary antagonist this time around, empowered by an ancient technology that threatens not just Aquaman and Atlantis but the entire world. This time, Aquaman must free his imprisoned brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) and go on a quest to find Manta before it’s too late.

It’s a complete mess. So many elements of the first film are simply recycled (a quest leading to a secret lair in the desert, the discovery of a mysterious island of secrets) that the newer elements (a clever take on pirate hideouts, the newfound camaraderie of the two brothers) are somewhat dulled. Yet even that aside, the film stumbles left and right, whether it’s due to its shoddy set designs that look like they were made by a community theater stage crew or its uninspired action choreography, it’s hard to tell what the main issue is. It’s unfortunate, too, because the actors are all wholly invested in this crazy collection of nonsense. Momoa was born for roles like this, and he clearly relishes the ridiculousness of it, and Abdul-Mateen II chews his villainous scenery with unbridled enthusiasm. Patrick Wilson seems like he stumbled into the set and just rolled with it, but it sort of works in his favor. Even Nicole Kidman, rocking a silver onesie, winks her way through it.

There are undeniably fun parts to it. A CGI octopus named Topo gets some good gags in, and there are some clever action moments to it, even if the film suffers from that frustrating superhero movie tendency to populate themselves with hordes of faceless villains that distract from its main characters. There are some inventive elements (an island of giant mutated creatures is a fun distraction) peppered throughout the film, just enough to keep the viewer from nodding off but not necessarily enough to make the film succeed.

Perhaps it’s superhero fatigue. Perhaps it’s the fact that you know that you’re watching a film that is ultimately fruitless since it’s the end of the line in a universe that has come to a screeching and unfortunate halt. But there’s something in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom that prevents the viewer from ever really being invested in it. It’s not a boring film, but rather simply an unfocused and unnecessary one. It’s fun to watch but ultimately unmemorable, filled with actors who appear to have wholly bought into a script that doesn’t quite know what to do with them. It’s a brightly colored, clumsily rendered ending of an era, a mediocre whimper that desperately wanted to be a bang.