AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM
Running time: 124 minutes. Rated PG-13 (sci-fi violence and some language). In theaters. ★1/2
BY the end of the movie “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” it’s pretty clear that the King of Atlantis is about to become a Filet-O-Fish. Not because Aquaman (Jason Momoa) dies or anything. But you can tell from every second of the sequel just how disinterested DC Studios is in this film and in the future of this character. It must’ve been a real chore for them to finish the choppy follow-up to the popular 2018 original.
DC heads Peter Safran and James Gunn are hard at work on revamping the entire stumbling franchise, starting with a shiny new “Superman,” but first they had to waste precious time finessing the problem-plagued and oh-so-five-yearsago “Aquaman 2.”
Adding to their headaches, the studio was forced to deal with Amber Heard, who played A-man’s girlfriend, Mera, in the first film, but is now best known for her pass-the-popcorn Johnny Depp defamation trial. What did director James Wan do? He kept Heard, but gave her character a sidelining injury within the first 40 minutes.
The lazy “Lost Kingdom” is built on such compromises and dodges. For instance, no mention is made of any other DC superheroes, because Momoa’s Aquaman is obviously about to not be one anymore.
He might not even be king very long. Now on the throne of Atlantis, Arthur — a k a Aquaman — hates the job, whining, “It’s just meetings all day and politics!” So he spends half his time on the surface — like an NYC mayor who lives in New Jersey — with Mera, their new baby (who’s already able to talk to fish) and his dad.
The joys of fatherhood are interrupted, though, when David Cane (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), a k a Black Manta, infiltrates and attacks Atlantis, using ancient technology he discovered in the Arctic, to avenge his dad’s death.
Black Manta’s devices are powered by a dangerous element called orichalcum, which is a word the actors utter far, far too many times.
Aquaman has to break his imprisoned brother/ enemy Orm (Patrick Wilson) out of his cell to help defeat Manta. The duo also has to wrestle with the issue of the orichalcum, which is causing “Day After Tomorrow”-style weather patterns and also making insects gigantic for some reason. They are assisted by a super-smart octopus named Topo, who’s less a lovable sidekick and more that sea creature over there.
All of this splashing around continues to take place on a tacky CGI ocean set that would be a better fit for “The Little Mermaid.” It’s more glaringly ugly this time, because since the 2018 film, audiences have seen two major blockbusters — “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” — in which the ocean actually resembled the ocean.
“The Lost Kingdom” isn’t well done, but it isn’t miserable either. This same movie has been made countless times before, if less messily. However, what resulted from the many reshoots and edits is neither an enjoyable stand-alone film or a useful part of a broader universe. It’s nothing except the final film in the old DCEU.
Our long national nightmare is over.