By the title alone, I wanted to see an Indiana Jones style adventure unfold. After Arthur (Jason Momoa) realises he can’t stop Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) alone, he’ll have to do more than find an ally. That’s because this villain found an artefact, a black trident, and in order to counter this item, this guardian of the sea needs a way to destroy it. And along the way, the backstory gets quite involved since it is as crazy as Lord of the Rings when concerning how he who welds that power will–no matter what–become corrupt.
Arthur asks Ohm (Patrick Wilson) to help find where the evil weapon came from. However, he’s in prison, and to help him escape means taking up valuable screen time. This brother has the better story arc when compared to the previous and that’s because he’s more in tune to wanting to rule Atlantis more so than Arthur. Had this element been the focus in this sequel, I’d say there’s a film to admire. All of that filling in between that moment to saying brother dearest makes for a better diplomat says it all.
As for the significance of what terrors from the darkest corners of the ocean exist, this director has some clear visions. All he really wants is every horror trope to be reused again Lost Kingdom, and that’s about the only time I was truly excited. I pretty much said the same thing in my review of the first film, and what I said back then still stands now.
It makes me believe all James Wan really wants is to produce a horror film more than anything else. And for anyone who’s been following the news from last month, he’s finally getting that chance to make that Call of Cthulhu movie. As for whether it’ll be good, this is Wan after all.
2 Stars out of 5
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Trailer
