Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

The sequel to the popular Aquaman movie releases in theaters on December 22, 2023.

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 2 hours 4 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: C

IN A NUTSHELL:

Aquaman balances his duties as king and as a member of the Justice League, all while planning a wedding. Black Manta is on the hunt for Atlantean tech to help rebuild his armor. Orm plots to escape his Atlantean prison.

James Wan directed the movie, as well as helped write the script with Jason Momoa and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick.

THINGS I LIKED:

Jason Momoa is so much fun in this role. He has the wild-child look and comedic chops to hold your attention every time he’s on screen, and he looks like he’s having a blast. He’s given story credit because he was the first one to pitch a story for this sequel. I love that we get to see Aquaman’s seahorse named Storm.
Other noteworthy cast members include Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Kidman, Dolph Lundgren, Randall Park, Tom Curry, and even Ben Affleck! Vincent Regan plays the role of King Atlan instead of Graham McTavish who had that role in the 2018 Aquaman movie.
Can you believe that with all of the movies Nicole Kidman has been in, this is her very first sequel where she performed in two movies of the same story?
The immediately starts out with action and a summary of what Aquaman has been up to since the last movie, including diaper changes for his new baby, all to the tune of “Born To Be Wild.”
The special effects are pretty cool.
Beautiful underwater, as well as landscape scenery
There is plenty of humor, both visual and spoken. Love it.
I love that Aquaman gave a shoutout to single parents as true superheroes.
We get to meet all kinds of new underwater creatures in the film.
Fun soundtrack
There are several movie-poster moments that are perfectly designed to make audiences cheer.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

A lot of the action sequences look like video game footage rather than live action. SO much CGI.
There’s an attempt to recreate the fun Star Wars cantina scene underwater, complete with odd creatures, entertainers, and a Jabba the Hut evil, fat boss. Come on, DC Comics…think of something new. Many other moments are “borrowed” from better films too. Are those a respectful nod of other films or just lazy writing?
There is SO much going on here when it comes to plot, characters, and even knowing where to look during action sequences. In fact, just for any of it to make sense, there are several long exposition scenes to explain what’s going on and how it connects to the past.
It has been announced that this is the 15^th and last addition to the DC Extended Universe. If that’s really true, then it’s a disappointing letdown rather than an exciting finale. This is also the last movie to involve Water Hamada since his resignation in 2022.
The world-building is great; however, the cuts are way too fast so we barely have time to really look at and admire what’s in each scene.
The villains are forgettable.
I don’t read comic books, so I’d love to hear the perspective from someone who does!

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

LOTS of violence with various weapons
High dead-body count (bloodless)
Talk of buttholes
TONS of explosions and destruction

THEMES:

Family
Parenting
Brotherhood
Leadership
Being willing to ask for help
Trusting your instincts

FUNNY LINES:

“Oh yeah, I finally got a job. I’m the King of Atlantis!” – Arthur Curry
“Good job, little brother. High five!” – Arthur Curry “Do not call me ‘brother’.” – Orm Marius
“You know how to ride one of these?” – Orm Marius

“Are you kidding? I don’t know what the XX it is.” – Arthur Curry

“I cannot believe you let this happen.” – Orm Marius “Yeah, well, I hate this job.” – Arthur Curry

INTERESTING LINES:

“Sometimes not giving up is the most heroic thing you can do.” – Aquaman’s dad
“I don’t know what lies ahead, but we can’t leave our children in a world without hope.” – Arthur Curry
“You’re not as bad at this as you think.” – Orm Marius
“The key to his prison is the royal bloodline itself.” – Atlanna
“A true team builds bridges.” – Orm Marius
“Together, we can write the next chapter of our story.” – Arthur Curry