Without a doubt, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was doomed almost from the start. It didn’t help matters that just about everything was keeping this movie from being made. The first Aquaman was a refreshing beam of light that the DCEU might actually be as successful as the MCU. It grossed about $1.5 billion worldwide and received good reviews.
But so many things happened since 2018. The Covid-19 pandemic delayed production just like every other movie in the works. Then, there was the domestic abuse allegations against Amber Heard, who plays Mera, in regards to her marriage to Johnny Depp. This was followed by trials that revealed Heard had defecated on the bed to spite Depp leading to the phrase “Amber Turd.” This case divided people in the aftermath of the #MeToo Movement as some feminist and women advocates defended Depp while others felt Heard was again a victim of public opinion.
But many people had to be in agreement that Heard and Aquaman himself Jason Mamoa had little to no chemistry in the movie and a lot of things felt forced. Would Mera be recast or would Heard find her role greatly diminished? James Wan, who directed both the first and second movie, assured people Mera is still in the movie but her character isn’t as major as the first one. Just like issues surrounding The Flash, Warner Bros. and DC Studios was facing a huge public relations crisis on a major movie. For that, Heard isn’t featured much in the advertising and the movie poster.
It doesn’t help. The movie just doesn’t work. I think superhero fatigue and the lackluster productions of the recent DCEU movies like Black Adam, Blue Beetle (which was somewhat enjoyable), that Shazam sequel and The Flash lead to a damaged production. It sucks that this movie has to come at the end because Mamoa has a lot of charisma as Arthur Curry. The problem is the script is all over the place with a tone that resembles what Taika Watiti brought to Thor: Ragnarok and at the worst Thor: Love and Thunder. And that’s also a problem. It looks so much like it’s trying to be very lighter. Some of the criticism I and others had with the first one was it had a darker tone and a darker look. I mean, you couldn’t tell what was happening.
The CGI is obvious and it doesn’t look as amazing as it should. The plot has Arthur team up with his half-brother, Orm Marius (Patrick Wilson) to stop David Kane (Yahya Abdul Manteen II) who is dressing as Black Manta and has obtained the Black Trident with the help from Stephen Shin (Randall Park). I kinda like Black Manta when he appeared on the TV show Superfriends. But here, I felt he was underused despite Manteen’s abilities.
To be honest, it feels like this entire production learned halfway through how Warner Bros. and DC wanted to end the DCEU and restart it as the DCU, so everyone involved half-assed it. Why should they make a great movie if nothing is going to matter. Mamoa and Wilson actually have good chemistry together. I just felt the story was a lot better. By the time Martin Short shows up as the voice of Kingfish, ruler of the Sunken Citadel, a pirate haven, a lot of people have thrown up their hands hard to believe how silly it is. And just a few years ago, they had us amazed at King Shark in The Suicide Sqaud.
I wanted to like this movie just as much as I did the previous one and the underrated Bird of Prey. But those movies were made with great scripts by actors who were well into the roles. The Lost Kingdom like so many other superhero movies such as The Marvels and The Flash look more and more like they were chopped up, reshot and re-edited to the point that it feels like some kid turning in a term paper that they know is going to get a failing grade.
The mediocre reception where this made less than a third worldwide and got mostly negative reviews from critics and the audience proves that Aquaman won’t have a third solo outing. There’s even discussion of having Mamoa recast as Lobo. How about just making better movies?
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 