Review: 'Aquaman 2' Closes Out DC Films With Wet, Wild But Only Occasionally Wonderful Fantasy Spectacular

If this is DC Films' time to go, James Wan and Jason Momoa gave us a hell of a show

“Raise the curtains, hit the lights, strike up the band for the final night.” So sings the title character amid the action finale of Anna and the Apocalypse, arguing that — even as humanity nears extinction amid a zombie outbreak — fighting the good fight is still worth it even in the face of inevitable defeat. James Wan would probably agree, clearly unwilling to go quietly into that dark (k)night as he raises the curtain and lights the lights. There’s no raging at the dying of the light to be found in this cheerfully spectacular, visually astonishing, gee-whiz pulpy action fantasy. But if this is DC Films’ time to go, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom gives us one hell of a show. 

The Lost Kingdom is set four years after half-human/half-Atlantean Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) took the throne of Atlantis by force to stop his half-brother (Patrick Wilson) from destroying the surface world. Leadership has become a drag on the novice king, with those who sympathized with the “kill the land animals to save the sea” sentiment refusing to accept Curry’s idea to reveal themselves to the world. Being king isn’t so fun when you’re not really a dictator, is it? 

Conflict arises amid the emergence of the not-quite-dead David Kane/Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). Still aching after Aquaman chose not to save his (murderous) father, Cane discovers an ancient technology and a cursed mystical weapon that transforms him from villain to supervillain. After a brutal attack leaves innocents dead and allies injured, with both worlds teetering on the edge of annihilation, Arthur remembers that one MCU sequel from a decade ago and recruits his imprisoned brother for help.  

All of this is handled with the nuance and pathos of (as loosely implied by the end credit visuals) kids playing with their action figure playsets. The opening action sequence is presented as Arthur excitedly telling his infant son of his latest heroic exploits, which frankly sets the mood accordingly. The family drama is surface-level. Arthur and Mera are still happily married, and he mostly confides in his dad about the challenges of raising a mostly human baby on the surface world. The initial interplay between Arthur and the newly freed Orm is frankly a bit forced, but their scenes improve once they start having real conversations.  

There are enough notions of long-forgotten horrors reappearing due to melting polar ice caps – and the idea of climate change being a problem requiring total global unity – to make it more than an empty spectacle. Amusingly, the most nuanced character is probably Randall Park’s naïve marine biologist who teams with Manta in hopes of seeing Atlantis. Nonetheless, Momoa is again a sincere and sympathetic superhero, while Wilson offers a measured and level-headed pessimism as the two brothers avoid just repeating a Thor/Loki situation.  

We’re not talking about Black Panther, Shazam or Across the Spider-verse. Even the first Aquaman played Arthur’s stranger-in-both-worlds alienation for a dash of pathos. This is more of a breathless, high-energy, “this week’s adventures with the Aquaman family,” which would fit amid a sane world where comic book superhero movies weren’t the end-all/be-all for mainstream pop culture, you know back when kids and families enjoyed Batman Forever and Congo while adults showed up to Bridges of Madison County and Crimson Tide.  

Speaking of pop culture discourse, without knowing what was rewritten, revised or removed, Amber Heard is in the film about as much as you’d expect for a sequel that mostly focuses on brotherly love. Is it possible that she lost a dramatic scene or expository moment along the way to delivering a 124-minute sequel to a 142-minute predecessor? I suppose, but – again no details – she’s in the story at every moment where it would make sense. Mega spoiler: There’s no Batman cameo. If that really mattered to you, then you’re part of the problem.  

Even if this sequel is thinner and less impactful, it does have Wan’s kitchen sink sensibility and his love of the unapologetically ridiculous and horror-skewed fantastical. The visuals are spectacular, with a tangible realism even for clearly unreal imagery. Heck, this offers some of the best and most seamless non-Avatar 3-D imagery I’ve seen in years. The almost casual offering of sprawling undersea and above-surface locations, larger-than-life monsters and gleefully inventive Super Mario Bros.-like action won’t get the credit it deserves amid all the discourse concerning comic book superhero movies and Warner Bros. Discovery’s latest melodrama.  

As far as year-end fantasy tentpoles go, this isn’t Avatar, but it sure as hell isn’t Rise of Skywalker or even (your least favorite Hobbit prequel). Removed from the years of handwringing and discourse, 94% of it entirely unrelated to the movie itself, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a visual spectacular that nails the spectacle thanks to a deeply talented commercial filmmaker who can meld mainstream tropes and personal quirks/passions with the best of them.  

That it flirts with the notion of superheroes helping to solve real-world macro-problems as opposed to just the latest world-ending supervillain threat makes it an ironic series finale to both the DC Films franchise and the notion of DC/Marvel movies as uncontested pop culture titans. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom won’t “save” DC Films, the superhero genre or Warner Bros. Discovery from their latest issues, but it’s a relentlessly endearing and eye-popping Imax-worthy spectacle. Once upon a time, that was enough for well-earned fortune and glory.