A Bittersweet End to the DCEU (Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom)

 

Aquaman was the only film in the DCEU that made a billion dollars, which proved that the franchise was going on the right track of fan service. Still, as of late, DC's shared universe has been going through a slump, and with it being rebooted, Zack Snyder's vision of the infamous characters is finally being put to an end with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. 

The sequel takes place a few years after the previous film, where Arthur, now the King of Atlantis, is married to Mera, and they have a kid, Arthur Jr. (pretentious, I know). When Black Manta returns for his revenge, he finds a dark trident once held by a dark force that threatened the seven seas. Arthur has to enlist the help of his half-brother, Orm to defeat Manta and stop his plans of causing a global crisis that is caused by the dormant dark force that not possesses Manta. 

The film is fun by comic book standards as it meets the required parts of a superhero film, by including action, monsters, a beloved superhero, and an appealing plot. However, a lot of what is being used in this film has been used from other superhero films. Another recent DC film did a variation of this attempt but none has done it as horribly as that film (I'm looking at you, Black Adam). On the other hand, Aquaman does make these seen-before visual points appealing, but only some of the things that make this movie appealing aren't original. Most of the plot points have been borrowed from not one but two Marvel films and one of them is considered to be Marvel Studios' weakest films. In fact, this film even tries to spoof a particular Marvel staple moment that ultimately just makes it seem like the DCEU exists to only make fun of the MCU which feels a little degrading to this franchise rather than attempting to degrade the other. 

What keeps the film grounded is Jason Momoa's portrayal as the titular hero. Even if it is not the character we know from the source material but rather just a role where Momoa is basically being himself in a bulky suit, he has moments where the audience will be reminded of why we adored him in the first place in the predecessor. With his chemistry with both Temuerra Morrison and Patrick Wilson as his father and half-brother respectively, the film is more than just a loud, monster-filler. 

What came as a surprise is the involvement of Amber Heard in this film. Due to her legal controversy, her character Mera, is considered as Arthur's love interest and played a heavy role in the first film. However, it was surprising that she had quite an involvement in the storyline, despite her lack of lines. even if she was completely sidelined to no relevance other than being Arthur's wife, she is very much a presence in the film. The same can be said for Nicole Kidman's Atlanna but she has more relevance to the story but only by hoping and encouraging her two sons to finally bond. 

Patrick Wilson, although his portrayal as Ocean Master/Orm is a compelling one sadly, is yet too similar to how Loki was done in MCU. Once that gets to your head, you can't get it out of your head. I know, I know, all I'm doing is comparing this movie but it does have its merits. The monsters in this film are what keep the movie interesting but keeping a specific aquatic creature whether anthropomorphic or not, present does make the film better. There is barely any depth in the film but it heavily features bombastic explosions and guttural roars to keep audiences entertained rather than noticing the bad dialogue choices and the clear similarities to most fantasy/action films.