Aquaman: Lost Kingdom

Rating: 5/10 Format: Regular Theatre

A script that doesn't have any story to hold it tight together. It's a very interesting story that discusses many aspects like family, brotherhood, fatherhood, and leadership. But, perhaps this was its core problem, that it was trying to be so many things at the same time. At times i didn't know where the story was heading which made the story jump from discussing topics like fatherhood to an adventure with two brothers who had beef in their past. The film is unfortunately a typical superhero film in terms of expecting what's coming next from events, and sequences.

On top of that and with all the chaos, the film re-discusses the villain's story which revolves around his revenge but it was so weak comparing to how it was in the first film. I didn't feel his presence nor i felt his evilness. He was suppose to be much stronger here but i barely felt him. The film also brings back old characters that just all of a sudden showed up in some sequences to save the day and be the superhero of the act which felt so weird because they came out of nowhere.

The film's CGI is okay at most times. It's defiantly not as good as the first one but it is for sure better than most of the MCU's latest projects this year like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). The cinematography unfortunately got downgraded which is something that I was anticipated for especially after seeing the first part. But I felt like there was no room for that because of how messy the sequences and story was especially that we were jumping between the past and present a lot and from one place to another.

Not to mention, the whole last sequence of the film was so good in terms of the action sequences and grabbing the audience's attention. Really got me hooked and interested and wished if the rest was like that.

Going to this film, I expected little to nothing after hearing how awful people thought it was. To my surprise, it wasn't that bad and I actually enjoyed this film. It wasn't without its problems, but I was pretty satisfied with it being what it was.

The cons of this film are mainly dialogue and CGI. There are all of these cheesy lines that you would expect to hear and one line jokes at the end of a scene, almost like you are watching a sitcom series. Jason Mamoa as an actor has charisma and knows how to steal the show. But unlike the first Aquaman, here it feels as if he's just playing himself. There is no real depth to Arthur's (Jason Mamoa) arc, by the end he is still this punk cool guy which is fine but really nothing else.

Here you have two villains. Black manta who was alright but ultimately fell short and then this monstrosity named Kordax who honestly looks like a power ranger villain, it's rough. The problem here for me is that this could've been an exciting hunt movie where Black Manta is just wreaking havoc on Arthurs life, without all of the supposed fleshing out of this universe.

CGI here was just bad. Didn't look real or feel real. What's funny is that if you go back ten years or so, where the technology wasn't near what it is today, you have all these high- budget blockbuster films that are just beautiful. What happened?

Now for what I did like. The biggest pro in my opinion is the Arthur and Orm dynamic. They have this wonderful chemistry and it turned out to have a heartwarming send off to Orm's character. I think Patrick Wilson is great as Orm. His character had a redemption arc which I just loved.

The action here was also fun. There is a scene between Arthur and Black Manta where they are fighting with their tridents which was intense. Another sequence I had a really great time with was when Arthur breaks Orm out of prison. Quite a few jokes landed for me too.

This film is a mess and yet has its moments. I finished the film thinking to myself "Wow, don't judge a book by its cover". Give this a shot, you might also enjoy this enough. It sums up to a brotherly fun adventure movie, without taking it too seriously.

Aquaman and The Lost of Kingdom suffers THE SAME problem with the first installment; it DOES NOT have a distinct identity. We were shocked to see that the major problem they had in Aquaman 1 was again manifested in this sequel. If you watch a film, you know the kind of tone and feel that a movie is giving you. But this movie feels like a jumbled medley of imitations from different kinds of films, almost like a parody. There's a 10-minute scene where you felt like this is from an Indiana Jones world, and then the next thing you know, you're stuck in the realm of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. We can name a lot of different movies that this film takes its tone and design and pastes it into the movie. War of the Worlds, The Matrix Revolutions, Ridley Scott's Aliens and... okay, we'll stop now. The result is an endless patchwork of downgraded recreations from various movies. It felt like Aquaman had a day at Disneyland going into different kind of movie-themed rides (minus the 'fun').

Adding to that, the first act felt like it was venturing into a documentary style format mixed with Ridley Scott's Alien style of exposition. Alien was a masterpiece but like we said, this is a dumpster reiteration, it was slow, it had little to no suspense, it tried to build momentum but it didn't work. They could have cut 10 minutes but they didn't. It was unnecessarily drawn out as they spent time showing the entirety of their journey into the deep unknown like this is some kind of art house film.

Now, a lot are asking, is Amber Heard in it? Well, yes. Did she have many scenes? Her presence was only about 15% of the whole film. Her character, Mera did play a pivotal role for the story but James Wan, the director knew when to show her on screen. The question, 'Is her presence important on screen?' seems like what James Wan would ask himself before making the decision to put her in. She only had few dialogues but her performance was still flat.

We also have a problem with how much they made use of 'space'. Especially in the first act, we saw they're a lot of wide shots used but the issue here is the space that filled in those shots; the surroundings, locations or/and environments were only there because... they were made to be there. It barely did anything to the story. But when it comes to scenes that were crowded or had various props or extras, the cameras ddin't give audience the time to breathe and process the visuals. A lot of mid to fast cuts, there wasn't much of a sense of appreciation to enjoy the visuals they have built. In the end, we felt discontented.

First Aquaman at least had villains that were enjoyable to watch. This time, the villain or again, villains were just forgettable. The motivations were weak. The main villain didn't really drive the story forward. It had a backstory and conflict that were created merely for the purpose of this movie's existence. We couldn't care less because it's nowhere interesting, let alone enjoyable.

And talking about that final battle... oh man. It was unbearable to the point that it turned laughable. Was it because of the reshoots that they suffered here? The whole movie, led to the final battle, it was a journey between Aquaman and his brother, only for us to find out that the villain was feeble and it gave the benefit of the plot armor for Aquaman and his weapon. It's just bad storytelling on top of bad execution overall.

And the movie draggggggsssssss so much, we even questioned, 'What happened to James Wan?' From the beginning up until the climax, we were just waiting for something cool or unique to happen, but it didn't. It drags until the final battle where it should be longer but then that's when they decided to just cut things off and ended it abruptly the moment the exciting thing was about to pop up. We're confused.

Amidst these flaws, one thing that truly stood out is its message on brotherhood. A beautiful message combo with good pairing, Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson have commendable chemistry, we can see it from the way they talk to each other. There's certainly some dedication they put into establishing their relationship. It's nothing that you can remember for years but it's enough to at least carry this movie despite the many bad outcomes this movie turned out to be.

Ultimately, Aquaman 2 seems tailored for a younger audience who just want to enjoy monsters and sea creatures fighting against literally anything or anyone, rather than catering to teenagers or adults seeking a compelling narrative.

Verdict: Similar to its predecessor, this sequel fails to find its identity, drowning in an ocean of borrowed tones and styles from previous movies. With a shallow story, forgettable villains and inconsistent pacing, this film struggles to stay afloat. While it's a tidal wave of disappointing results, the portrayal of brotherhood between the two leads stands out as a beacon, carrying the entire movie. Overall, this final chapter from the DCEU serves as a testament we're in dire need for a total reboot of these superheroes.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is an ugly film that disappoints expectations. The story is trite and predictable, the characters are flat the script is ugly, only the special effects are saved.

The story is full of clichés and situations already seen in other movies, such as the final battle between good and evil, the reconciliation between brothers, and the sacrifice to save the world.

The characters are uninteresting and shallowly developed. Aquaman is a generic hero, with no particular characteristics that distinguish him from others.

The special effects are spectacular, but fail to save the film. The action scenes are well done, but the CGI is often obvious and unrealistic.

In conclusion, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is an ugly movie as a script, which disappoints the expectations I had.

Amongst the fall of superhero movies, Aquaman 2 stands out as a completely average movie that actually doesn't stand out at all. The genre is really on its last legs at this point. Drained completely dry. It is a shame as the movie does have its qualities. The action and vfx are pretty on point, while very jarring, I think it fits the already ridiculous setting and plot.

Aquaman 2 knows exactly what it is, but it doesn't try to do anything to improve upon the first film. The writers especially didn't improve anything. Multiple times I was scratching my head at stupid inconsistencies within the script. In summary, the film has its ups and downs, there is fun too be had somewhere...5/10.