Jason Momoa’s charisma cannot save ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’
By Bob Tremblay/Boston Movie News
Count “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” as the latest cash grab from DC Studios to wash up in theaters as cinematic detritus.
Totally devoid of originality, the film, a sequel to the 2018 “Aquaman,” strings together a series of dull battle scenes interspersed with lame dialogue. Looking for a never-before-employed plot? The good guys have to save the world from a bad guy bent on world destruction. The bad guy also wants to avenge his father’s death. Another film first. To be topical, the movie slips global warming into the fray. Watch out for those greenhouse gases!
If you want to amuse yourself, you can keep track of how many times characters get saved at the last second from certain death. Or how many films it rips off. For example, we get an underwater version of the cantina scene from “Star Wars.” There’s even an aquatic Jabba the Hutt and an octopus acting as a marine R2-D2.
The film also features two brothers: one good and one bad. Holy Cain and Abel, Batman! Or how about Thor and Loki? And, please, don’t confuse Black Manta with the Black Panther. David Kane, aka Black Manta, is the film’s villain. He gets to wear a high-tech suit, and any similarities with Iron Man’s outfit are purely coincidental. But wait, there’s more. We have a trident that bestows power on those who handle it but with consequences. All we needed was a character to utter “My precious.” Oh, there’s a dark lord of sorts, too. He’s dying to be freed so he can learn how to make macaroons. No, he wants to put a big hurt on humanity. To be fair, maybe screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, who co-wrote the first film, is simply paying homage to all these movies. Expect this film to appeal to lots of people who only care about wisecracking superheroes and violence. The first film became the high-grossing movie based on a DC Comics character.
The 3-D sequel opens with Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, on dry land playing dad to his infant son Arthur Jr., who gets to pee in his father’s face during a diaper change. Hysterical. For bigger laughs, Aquaman’s brother Orm eats a cockroach—twice. You should know that Aquaman is also the king of Atlantis, that underwater kingdom just off the coast of Perth Amboy. OK, maybe not there. Anyway, Aquaman has to break his brother out of prison to help him stop Black Manta. Since Aquaman put him there in the first film, Orm is not exactly a happy camper. But you’ll never guess what happens? The movie turns into a buddy comedy with Aquaman and Orm teaming up to subdue all kinds of creatures, big and small while exchanging barbs.
All the main thespians are back from the first film: Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Patrick Wilson as Orm, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Amber Heard as Mera, Arthur’s wife and queen of Atlantis, and Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Aquaman and Orm’s mother. Heard and Kidman don’t have much screen time with Heard’s role reportedly reduced in the wake of her courtroom contretemps with former husband Johnny Depp. Trust me, folks, she couldn’t have saved this film from drowning.
Director James Wan returns, too, proving again how adept he is at staging action scenes. Too bad they’re about as exciting as watching sloths mate. The 3-D component is underutilized, as usual. The movie’s big song is “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf. Fans of DC Comics will know that Steppenwolf is also the name of a supervillain. For the record, the band’s name comes from a Hermann Hesse novel.
“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” avoids total turkey status thanks to the charismatic Momoa, who actually looks and acts like a superhero. The good news is another Aquaman film seems unlikely as the DC Comics-based film franchise is getting a reboot. Of course, that doesn’t mean we’ll be spared from more feeble films based on comic book characters. I’m waiting for one based on gnats. Who wouldn’t want to cheer on Gnatman?
‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’
Rating: PG-13 for some naughty words and sci-fi violence
Cast: Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, and Yahya Abudul-Mateen II
Director: James Wan
Writer: David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick
Running time: 124 minutes
Where to watch: In theaters now
Grade: D
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