Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Review: Big, Loud, and Buried Under Explosions

James Wan’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom wants to be a big, loud, retro adventure movie about climate change and Atlantis. It mostly succeeds at being big and loud. The retro part is a stretch, and the climate change message gets buried under explosions.

The film picks up four years after Arthur Curry became king of Atlantis. He has married Mera and has a son, Arthur Jr., splitting his life between land and sea. Black Manta, still seeking revenge for his father’s death, teams up with marine biologist Stephen Shin to find Atlantean artifacts. When Shin discovers a cavern in Antarctica, Manta finds the Black Trident, which takes over his mind and promises to give him the power to destroy Arthur and Atlantis.

Five months later, Manta breaks into an Orichalcum reserve on Atlantis to steal it and power his Atlantean machines. Atlantean forces chase them, injuring Mera in the battle. Arthur learns that Orichalcum, which emits greenhouse gases, has raised planetary temperatures, caused extreme weather and ocean acidification, and nearly caused a planetary extinction in the past. To track Manta, Arthur breaks his brother Orm out of prison. Together they visit a pirate haven called the Sunken Citadel, meet Kingfish, and follow Manta to a volcanic island in the South Pacific.

Trailer, via Warner Bros..

A Buddy Comedy That Never Takes Flight

Wan pitched a story for an Aquaman sequel during the first film’s production. He did not want to rush a sequel after the first film’s commercial success but agreed in January 2019 to oversee development. Screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick signed on a month later, and Wan was confirmed as director in August 2020. Wan said the film would expand Aquaman’s worldbuilding and have a more serious tone, with themes including climate change. The final product presents a buddy comedy between Aquaman and Orm, inspired by the Silver Age of Comic Books, with a retro science fiction vibe similar to Ray Harryhausen’s animation and 1960s horror films.

“The ultimate outsider.”

Peter Safran called Arthur that, explaining that Arthur “doesn’t believe he’s part of the surface world or Atlantis” and never felt he belonged in either world. Wan said the film was a true continuation of Arthur’s story from the first film, forcing him to juggle duties as king of Atlantis with his role as a father while protecting his family and kingdom. Safran framed the story as a superhero who is both human and superhuman, caught in an epic battle with high stakes.

The problem is that the buddy comedy framing never quite lands. Orm is a former king stripped of his title as Ocean Master, imprisoned in the Sahara desert by the Deserter tribe with a limited water supply that damps his powers, giving him a gaunt, scraggly appearance. His release and recruitment by Arthur feel functional rather than funny. The chemistry between Momoa and Wilson is competent, but it never sparks into the kind of easy rapport that would justify the film’s self-awareness.

Manta’s Revenge and the Lost Kingdom

Black Manta’s revenge arc is the spine of the story. He wants vengeance for his father’s death, and the Black Trident promises him the power to destroy Arthur and Atlantis. The film spends considerable time establishing that Manta is not just a villain but a man consumed by grief and anger. That is a good idea. The execution leans on spectacle over substance.

The Orichalcum plot is the film’s most ambitious element. Orichalcum, an ancient Atlantean resource, releases greenhouse gases when used. The film ties its use to planetary warming, extreme weather, and ocean acidification, drawing a direct line to the planet’s current environmental crisis. It is a bold move for a summer blockbuster, and the film even references a past planetary extinction caused by Orichalcum use by an ancient Atlantean kingdom. But the message gets diluted by the sheer scale of the action sequences.

Atlantis Expands Its Reach

The film expands its world considerably. The Sunken Citadel is a pirate haven, and Kingfish provides information about Manta’s whereabouts. The volcanic island in the South Pacific is filled with flora and fauna mutated by Orichalcum. The film also digs into the Black Trident’s origins.

When Orm touches it, he sees visions of its provenance. He learns the trident was created by Kordax, the brother of King Atlan and ruler of the lost kingdom of Necrus. Kordax was imprisoned with blood magic following a failed attempt to usurp the throne. The blood of any of Atlan’s descendants could release Kordax, and the film sets up a potential future threat from that lineage.

This is the kind of worldbuilding that could support a rich franchise. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the 15th and final film in the DC Extended Universe.

The Cast Carries the Weight

Jason Momoa remains the engine of the film. He plays Arthur Curry / Aquaman as a half-Atlantean, half-human king who can swim at supersonic speeds and summon aquatic life, the father of Arthur Jr. with Mera. Patrick Wilson brings a weary desperation to Orm, a man who has lost everything and now has nothing left to lose. Amber Heard appears as Mera, Arthur’s wife and the mother of Arthur Jr., who can control water. She is the queen of Atlantis and the former princess of Xebel, King Nereus’ daughter.

Randall Park plays Dr. Shin, the marine biologist who helps Manta find the Black Trident. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays Black Manta himself, a man whose grief has become a curse. Nicole Kidman plays Atlanna, Arthur’s mother. Temuera Morrison plays Tom, and Lillah Indya Moore plays Karshon. Pilou Asbæk plays Kordax, the imprisoned ruler of Necrus. Jani Zhao plays Stingray, and Vincent Regan plays Atlan.

The supporting cast is strong. The film balances action with character moments, though the buddy comedy framing means those moments are often brief.

What Works and What Doesn’t

The film’s strengths are its ambition and its world. It tries to do something different from the typical superhero blockbuster, reaching back to the Silver Age of Comic Books and the 1960s horror films that inspired it. The climate change message is a genuine attempt to engage with a real-world issue, even if it gets overwhelmed by the action. The performances are solid across the board, and the visual effects are stunning.

The weaknesses are structural. The buddy comedy framing is underdeveloped, and the retro aesthetic feels like a costume rather than a character. The pacing is uneven, with long stretches of setup that never fully pay off. The film’s final act rushes to a conclusion, leaving threads unresolved.

Here is what stands out:

• Momoa’s commitment to the role
• The climate change framing, despite its flaws
• The worldbuilding around Necrus and Orichalcum
• The action sequences, particularly the volcanic island sequence

Here is what falls short:

• The buddy comedy framing that never gels
• The pacing issues in the middle of the film
• The rushed conclusion that leaves threads unresolved
• The underdeveloped supporting characters

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a mixed bag. It is ambitious, visually stunning, and occasionally moving. But it is also scattered, rushed, and ultimately unsatisfying. Wan’s final outing in the DCEU ends on a note of promise rather than resolution. The film is a worthy entry in the series, but it is not the definitive Aquaman story it could have been.

Aquaman · climate change · DC Comics · movie review · superhero movies