‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ – A more fun comic book movie

If there’s anything to take away from 2018’s Aquaman, it’s to disregard anything but the flashing lights. The world of Atlantis and its undersea inhabitants gave the Jason Momoa-led original a feeling of vibrance and scale. The story and characters, on the other hand, cheapened the film drastically, resulting in an experience that felt like a really expensive made for television movie. The sequel is no different, but with expectations measured, it manages to exceed its predecessor.

The film begins quite literally with a scene of action figures smashing against each other. In his downtime when not running his kingdom, Aquaman spends his time with his newborn baby regaling him with tales of his escapades. It’s his preferred way to end his evenings, as the day-to-day of ruling doesn’t quite do it for the surfer superhero. Thankfully, an old foe rears his scarred head to bring Aquaman off of his throne and into the fight.

As far as superhero plots go, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom starts out fairly simply. Your typical end of the world plot involves a previously vanquished enemy out for revenge in Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta. The villain is played up wonderfully as a classic foil fuelled only by white hot hatred for the swimming superhero.

As the movie goes on, it gets immensely more complicated. Several characters and storylines burden the film as it starts to buckle under the weight of its own story. Returning cast members like Amber Heard get benched until they’re put into play as plot devices, but get nothing for their characters to do or say of import.

Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom eventually shifts gears to become a road trip adventure movie between squabbling super siblings. The party boy Arthur Curry and his stern and stoic brother Orm are an entertaining odd couple. This segment combined with the movie’s material on fatherhood helps to ground the chaos with some good old-fashioned family values.

The film bites off a bit more than it can chew but it can’t be understated just how impressive it can be. With sprawling action and a grandiose world, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom is moving at a disorienting pace, and admittedly has the visuals to back it up. The underwater world is filled with unique and well-rendered effects that help to sell the immersion, with a creative edge that gives the movie originality despite how derivative it can be.

It’s far from perfect, but by a very slight margin, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom just ekes out to be an enjoyable adventure film that got me to forgive its worst, by admiring its best.

Rating: Half Price

Damian Levy is a film critic and podcaster for Damian Michael Movies.