Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom (2023)

 

The first 'Aquaman' was an enjoyable romp. In stark contrast to a lot of DC adapted works, it wasn't drenched in greys and swamped in depression but it was colourful, spirited and pretty much as silly as one would expect from a story about a man who can talk to fish. In short: it was fun. High art? Of course not. Fun? Absolutely.

So making a follow-up was perhaps a little tricky, but the makers honestly didn't care about what people on the Internet had to say and just went for it. This makes this sequel also a fun romp, even though they upped the quips and the silliness, thus making it probably a little too lighthearted for some. But if you can have Jason Momoa being his charming self in a film that embraces the absurdity of comics, then you're in luck.

Arthur Curry (Momoa) has been the king of Atlantis for a few years and has a baby boy with Mera (Heard). Things are going fine, except all the diplomacy and diplomatic hodgepodge isn't his thing. So when his former rival/nemesis Black Manta (Abdul-Mateen) reappears, Aquaman sets off what he does best: bash some heads. But he can't do it alone, because Black Manta is swiftly pushing global warming to some nefarious end.

That green-glowing trident surely has nothing to do with this. Surely.

But because Aquaman can't do it alone, he breaks his brother Orm (Wilson) out of prison to aid him in this quest and now it becomes a kind of buddycop formula as '48 Hrs' only much lighter, as both don't really get along. You have seen this sort of dynamic a million times and often done better, but seeing Wilson and Momoa spar with one another, trading quips, it sometimes feels as if a comedic duo has missed an opportunity somewhere. Especially Wilson's timing and deadpan delivery is pretty funny at times. 

Sure, you can see a lot of jokes coming a mile away, but they are at least committed to the silly. 

It transpires that Black Manta is possessed by the spirit of an ancient and evil king, who was not only locked in ice, but the memory of whom has been stricken from any record the Atlanteans still have. 

Stupid idea. If there was an ancient evil that could possibly resurface if ever the icecaps melted, you'd want to know at least of the possibility of this happening. But that's film logic for you, I guess.

Anyway, big showdown, things go boom, you know the drill.

So of course there's not a single innovative idea here, but that is not what this film was going for and you can tell. This film wants to have fun and you know what? Fun is had. Sure, the overabundance of (occasionally iffy) CG, reliance on quips and predictable storyline are nothing new, but for an enjoyable popcorn romp in the superhero genre that doesn't require you having seen about 25 previous outings, this isn't half bad. So if you have some time to spend, give it a go. It's nice.