I’m typically a Marvel person, but I’ll give in and watch a DC movie when it comes to a few DC heroes.
Aquaman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are the only DC heroes that I can tolerate and watch to enjoy their movies. Therefore, I was excited to see that a second Aquaman movie was going to be coming out in December 2023.
I saw the first Aquaman movie starring Jason Momoa when it first came out in theaters in 2018; I loved it. The cinematography of the entire movie was incredible, and the many underwater scenes seemed so lifelike. The storyline was interesting and easy to follow.
As for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, it didn’t fall short of many of my expectations. The one thing I wasn’t too in love with was the predictability. I could see the plot twists coming, and the ending was probably the biggest letdown because of how predictable and rushed it was.
I’m not saying that the elements of the movie that were predictable were bad, because they weren’t, I just feel like there should have been more surprises. There shouldn’t have been so many hints, clues, or obviousness leading up to certain parts of the movie.
Due to the unfortunate amount of predictability, I’ll say that the plot was just good. It really was a good plot; it got me hooked and kept me interested as well as excited to see how everything plays out. The reason why, again, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom doesn’t get any more than “good” is because of how predictable it was.
The cinematography was nothing short of beautiful. Like the first Aquaman, the underwater scenes were so lifelike and turned out really well. The movie was visually very interesting and had a majority of the visual elements made with CGI. Being fantastical, the underwater kingdom of Atlantis was very detailed, and so were all of the other exotic and irregular settings.
The casting of the movie was superb, with famous names such as Jason Momoa (Aquaman/Arthur), Patrick Wilson (Ocean Master/Orm), Amber Heard (Mera), Randall Park (Dr. Shin), and Nicole Kidman (Atlanna). Along with them are the other members of the cast, such as Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Black Manta), Dolph Lundgren (King Nereus), and Temuera Morrison (Tom). Together, this is a cast of very talented and exceptional actors who all play important roles in the story of Aquaman.
The ending of the movie is something I would like to bring attention to. The lead-up to the ending of the final battle was intense and fabulously executed. I’m not going to include spoilers, but it ended way too quickly. Again, what happened was predictable, but they could have made it last a little bit longer. It was a good ending to the battle, but it just felt rushed. The rest of the conclusion of the movie after that was paced just fine.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was a great addition to the story of the well-known hero, the story of Atlantis, and the DC universe. The only two downsides of the movie were the predictable elements and the rushed ending; other than those, however, it was an enjoyable film.
