He failed to defeat Aquaman (Jason Momoa) for killing his Dad in the first film, so Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) gives it a second go in the turgidly-dreary sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Aquaman forges an unlikely alliance with his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) to save the world from his aggressive adversary.
There we go again, another rehashed plotline on a well-worn subject of saving the world.
Mera, the Queen of Atlantis (Amber Heard) has very little screen time and very little dialogue.
Most of what she did before the camera was neglected in scriptwriting or ended up on the cutting room floor.
Director, James Wan, (co-creator of the Saw and Insidious franchises) should, instead, be saving us moviegoers from two hours worth of expensive drivel.
The original Aquaman opened with a worthy box office of $67.8 million domestically (USA). Back in 2018 it was an overall billion dollar grosser.
This one only managed to peak at $27.7 million and may not rise to financiers’ fancies.
Its budget was $205-$215 million, so it looks unlikely to break even.
What are we to make of these numbers?
Aquaman 2 is the 15th and final instalment (thank goodness) in the DC extended universe.
Just as had the action hero, think Schwartzenegger, Stallone, et al in the 1980s, it’s possible the DC universe and Marvel universe superheroes have run their course.
The decline may have come with Marvel’s release of Avengers: Infinity War in 2018.
Where does any superhero go after that extravaganza? And are we just plain bored seeing superheroes?
Jason Momoa’s Aquaman is the king of Atlantis.
Though he doesn’t really want the job, he relishes telling others he’s the king.
It’s simply ego at that point. His heart isn’t in it. Reminds me of some politicians.
The dialogue doesn’t reach above the 12-year-old oft-used expressions of “Whoa!” “My bad,” and the all-inclusive overly-used praise word “Awesome!” for something that isn’t.
Oh, let’s not overlook the overused and agonising trailing off “NOOO-ooo-ooo!” while holding one’s hands to one’s head.
The movie lacks focus and suffers an identity crisis.
It could be bad-arsed, it was tongue-in-cheek slapstick; it sometimes even managed to be dramatic. This was stuff you pick up at the $2 shop.
Maybe looks nice, but lacks real substance.
The trident fight between Aquaman and Manta was excellent, but couldn’t make up for all the wasted minutes preceding it.
Battles aside, most of the time characters just stand underwater and exchange dull dialogue.
You need to identify hair slowly waving indicating, oh yeah, under water.
Personally, I kept checking my watch. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, we’re only an hour in?”
There will, of course, be diehard fans, but could we be witness to the demise of the DC Superhero Universe?
Movie: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Duration: 129 mins
Director: James Wan
Starring: Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman,Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Reviewed by Lawrenty
