Review of 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom'

Following on from the earlier films Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), aka Aquaman, king of Atlantis, is married and has a young child who appears to have the same mystical powers as his father. David Kane (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), aka Black Manta, is seeking his revenge on Aquaman for killing his father by seeking to release King Kordax of the lost Kingdom of Necrus, the mad brother to Atlantis founder King Atlan, and his armies from his ice prison so that they can march on Atlantis. Arthur breaks his brother Orm Marius (Patrick Wilson) out of the prison of the Fisherman kingdom having been sent there by Arthur for killing the Fisherman's king, so that he can aid in tracking Kane. Despite their differences the two agree to team up to save earth and Atlantis but time is running out and Kane is getting more and more powerful…

I have greatly simplified the plot, but I think you get the just of it, there is a lot more involved and that, perhaps, is a bit of the problem: It is all a bit of a mess. It does look great but it really all boils down to a rather simple story of redemption and duty. “Simple” is a reoccurring theme with the rather complex issues all being resolved a bit too simply - even dispatching of the bad guys - though the film does take it's time in doing this. There are lots of distractions along the way including some incredible action sequences, most of which, more incredibly, are underwater, so massive and detailed it is hard to take it all in. The “hammerhead” sub used by Kane is quite cool, particularly the massive panoramic window - Completely unrealistic but it looks great! Just all seems a bit, well, devoid of anything other than a series of action sequences with a predictable plot.

Jason Momoa's take on Aquaman I still find to be quite fun and refreshing never taking himself too seriously but, taking from some reviews I have read on the web, this does not necessarily do the film any favours as it is hard to know when he IS being serious. In a huge departure from previous films Patrick Wilson as Ohm has gone quite soft and provides nothing in the way of a threat to Aquaman but rather seems to have taken a liking to eating cockroaches (yeah, yeah, you have to see the film to know what I mean). The supporting cast, even headed up by talent such as Nichole Kidman, are not much more than background noise and offer little other than feeding their lines and simple one-dimensional characters.

I do have to say that I honestly found a few of the scenes between Aquaman and his brother reasonably touching but touching moments are otherwise few and far between - This is an action fest that drags on for more than two hours.

Fun to watch but little in the way of substance and takes it's time doing anything. Really needs to be seen on the big screen to even attempt to take it all in…

Rating: “It is OK but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2024-02-04

Directed by: James Wan

Studio: Warner Bros.

Year: 2023

Length: 124 minutes

Genre: Action/Adventure

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9663764/

• Aquaman (2018)