The Christmas movies were scant this year. There were only a couple of them that I wanted to see. One was Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Honestly, though, I wasn’t thrilled about seeing it. As far as blockbusters were concerned, this was all that showed up.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the sequel to Aquaman, presented in 2018. Aquaman is a DC comic superhero that is half human and half Atlantian. Jason Mamoa reprises his role as Aquaman and Aruthur Curry. Patrick Wilson plays Ocean Master, the half-brother of Aquaman and the supervillain in the first Aquaman. Amber Heard plays Mera, Aquaman’s wife. Yahya Abdul Mateen II reprises his role as the Black Manta villain. Other characters were played by Dolph Lundgren, Nicole Kidman, Randall Park Temuera Morrison. Martin Short lends his voice as Kingfish.
The story begins out of the water in Arthur’s home that he shares with his father on land a few years where the story ended in the first film. Arthur has married Mera and they have a son that lives in the home with his grandpa. During this time, the Black Manta plots his revenge on Aquaman for the death of his father. He is working with a marine biologist, Dr. Shin, to find Atlantis artifacts. One of the artifacts is a black trident that possesses any who holds it. Shin and Black Manta plan to steal Atlantis orichalcum reserves mined and held by the Atlantians. The orichalcum emits high amounts of greenhouse gases that wreak havoc on weather and temperature. Ancient Atlantians hid the orichalcum to prevent future disasters that could destroy the Earth. When Arthur learns that Black Manta is after the orichalcum, he vows to find the hidden orichalcum to keep it from causing harm. To help him fight Black Manta, Aquaman breaks his half-brother out of prison. The rest of the story progresses with many twists and turns as the pair tries to find Black Mantis and stop him from his evil deeds and retrieve the black trident from his grasp.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdome was directed by James Wan. The screenplay was written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. The producers were DC Studios, Atomic Monster and the Safran Company. Warner Brothers Pictures distributed the film. The film’s release was delayed for a year due to COVID-19, making the release March 2023; however, it was delayed further to December 22, 2023, due to the merger of Warner Bros. Media with Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Christmas weekend. The sequel of the first film was secured before production of the first movie had concluded. When hiring the actors and actresses, Amber Heard was amid a lawsuit with ex-husband Johnny Depp. Fans of the movie did not want Amber Heard playing the part of Mera, but that was more about her lack of chemistry with Mamoa than what was coming out about the lawsuit. Because the plot was more about the Aquaman and his brother, many of Heard’s scenes were reduced.
The critics did not give Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom good reviews. As an audience member, I thought the plot was solid, and the effects were good, but it seemed that the plot had some gaps in time. One moment, the audience knew what time the characters were in; the next, there was a time-lapse of several months for which there was no explanation. It was hard for the audience to grasp where they were. As with all action adventure movies, some humor is inserted here and there. I thought the delivery of the jokes fell flat and they were so corny that they should have been succeeded by a rimshot.
I feel I have to give this movie 2 out of 5 stars. I thought it was entertaining, but I couldn’t get past some of the other problems that hold an audience’s attention. It’s about what I expected.
