Aquaman 2 – or to give the DC Studios blockbuster its full title, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – is finally here. So, does Jason Momoa’s second solo outing as the King of the Seven Seas sink or swim?
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s pre-release buzz certainly pointed to the latter. The sequel’s troubled production is now the stuff of legend, with reports of reshoots, on-set strife, and near-recastings.
What’s more, Aquaman 2 arrives weighted down by its ties to the DCEU: the cinematic shared universe that new DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran are about to reset. Frankly, how could this follow-up flick not drown?
Yet, ultimately, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom isn’t quite the unmitigated disaster many predicted – although it’s nevertheless far from the triumphant farewell that DCEU devotees no doubt hoped for.
A slow-moving buddy cop superhero movie
Aquaman 2 picks up a few years after the events of the first film. Aquaman (Momoa) has married Mera (Amber Heard), and they’re now raising a baby son. He’s also still adjusting to life as ruler of Atlantis – a tough gig made even tougher by the return of formidable baddie Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).
Desperate for revenge, Black Manta unearths an ancient evil from Atlantis’ past that could spell disaster for the surface and undersea worlds. To stand a chance of defeating him, Aquaman must turn to the least likely ally for aid: his villainous stepbrother, Orm (Patrick Wilson).
It’s a solid premise, but director James Wan and screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick take way too long getting all the pieces in place. Heck, Aquaman 2 is halfway over before the lost kingdom that lends the flick its name is even on our hero’s radar (or sonar, as it were).
Admittedly, there are some decent thrills and laughs along the way – Momoa and Wilson make for an effective buddy cop pairing – and the aquatic visuals are dazzling (especially in 3D). But Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom crams so many subplots into its 2-hour runtime that it’s more cruise ship than speedboat.
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Zero points for emotion – and originality
The knock-on effect of this is that you’ll simply stop caring. Aquaman 2 boasts multiple familial dramas and desperately wants us to invest in all of them, but Momoa has too little screentime with anyone other than Wilson for almost all of these emotional beats to hit home.
It also doesn’t help that the movie is tonally a mess. Wan shifts between sincere epic, campy romp, and needle-drop-filled piss take, and we feel every gear change. It’s like we’re watching several films bolted together, with a half-baked conservationist message thrown into the mix as an afterthought.
Worse still, none of these movies-within-a-movie is particularly original. For every genuinely novel creature or environment, you’ll spot several more cribbed from other, better blockbusters. Dry out Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s locales, and suddenly we’re in Wakanda, Middle-earth, or the like.
Aquaman 2 review score: 2/5
But again, none of these flaws – not even the more fatal ones – is enough to fully run Aquaman 2 aground. When it works, it’s passable popcorn fare, and when it doesn’t, there’s typically something pretty on-screen to hold our attention, at least.
If that sounds like a low bar, that’s because it is. A few notable exceptions aside, 2023 has been a notoriously uneven year for superhero cinema. In this context, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom doesn’t seem so bad – but here’s hoping DC Studios can turn the tide soon all the same.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrives in cinemas on December 22. For all the latest Aquaman 2 content, check out Dexerto’s full coverage here.