Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom
A couple months ago, I spent a rainy Saturday afternoon watching Aquaman (2018). Frankly, I've never felt so visually attacked with CGI, but I was planning on coming to The Lost Kingdom and wanted to be sure I had all the context. A lot has changed since then: the Depp/Heard trial, James Gunn and Peter Safran taking over the DC Extended Universe, Oreo releasing ANOTHER new cookie. Could Aquaman 2 survive? Would it even be worth it? Um, well, maybe-ish. But there might not have been much they could do to salvage this wreck anyway.
Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom finds Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa) managing fatherhood and his kingdom, Atlantis. When melting glaciers threaten to release an ancient enemy capable of destroying both the sea and land, he must reunite with his imprisoned brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) to put a stop to Black Manta's (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) plan.
The problem is: it doesn't really matter that Jason Momoa (who may well be a real life superhero) is still fun to watch as Aquaman, bringing a lot of personality to a sometimes dour DCEU. Or that his sibling rivalry chemistry with Patrick Wilson works, despite me not being convinced Wilson is a good fit for a superhero movie. It doesn't even matter that, regardless of what the producer said at trial, it definitely looks like Amber Heard's role as Mera was significantly shaved down (part of the reason I wanted to see this sequel was her noticeable, almost complete, absence from the trailer).
The problem is: this movie never mattered. The DCEU is being rebooted with a full new slate of actors and stories, resetting everything we've seen over the last 10 years. And, since we know that going into the movie, the best we can hope for is a nice send-off.
And at that, Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom is ok. Perhaps its high point is the villain. Not necessarily the round-about way he enacts his evil master plan; I know it's a bad plan, but did it have to be a bad plan? In regards to Abdul-Mateen's acting, though, it's certainly intriguing to watch. His character picks up right from the first Aquaman five years ago, seeking revenge on Aquaman for killing his father. It's a dynamic that plays well against Aquaman's new fatherhood.
Perhaps, in a bit better of a movie, a movie that didn't know it was the last, the family theme could've been explored further. For example, Aquaman's forced proximity to his brother Orm provides another layer. Given Manta's plan to destroy Aquaman's loved ones, there's a decent incentive to draw away, to insulate yourself from the pain and your family from the burden of you. But The Lost Kingdom never seems to realize what an opportunity they have there.
On the other hand, the CGI here seems better integrated than the last film. The quality seems similar and, if not for a few floating crowns on heads, a step up. Mostly though, the CGI is relegated to serving the story as opposed to the first Aquaman where the plan seemed to entail throwing everything at the screen to see what they could get away with. That's not to say there's not still an absolute ton, but in the filmmakers' defense, they are creating an entire world underwater. I'll give a little more leeway (or "line," if you prefer a fishing pun).
...the CGI is relegated to serving the story as opposed to the first Aquaman where the plan seemed to be to just throw everything at the screen to see what they could get away with.
All in all, Aquaman is quite action-packed, if somewhat by-the-book, fun. I wish, and believe, it could have been better (definitely tighter storywise) and less aware of its inevitable end, but it certainly wasn't an un-fun way to spend a Tuesday night. Were it not for a blatant, last-minute Marvel line rip-off, I may have left the theater a little less salty. But, now that I think about it, I can't help but appreciate the joke.