It's over, bro - a final salute to our old DC, the one we grew up with, loved, hated and fought. Finally, with Aquaman in The Last Kingdom, our old DC comes to a full stop. I see it as a fun popcorn entertainment, where Aquaman 2 is one of those movies, as is the first adventure movie Journey to the Center of the Earth's Mysterious Island. You will not lose much knowledge watching the movie, but you will enjoy it as a cool, fun and time pass. And in the same category, I'd like to put Aquaman 2.
Well, if anyone thinks about The Lost Kingdom, let me tell you that many years after the events of Aquaman, Arthur is now the king of Atlantis. He has a son, and is trying to be a good father. The main thrust of the movie is that he is now living the good life, trying to be David Kane's brother. To avenge his father, Bhai tries to become a big movie villain but is unable to do so. In his quest for more power to defeat Aquaman, he acquires the Black Trident, which wields power and belongs to Kord Nana, King Atal's exiled brother.
Years later, when Manta finds Cord's broken trident, it begins to possess him, forcing him to do evil deeds to free himself. The goal is to awaken and use Cord's power to destroy the world. The only way to break the curse is the blood of Atal's reign, and to achieve this, Black Manta begins to sacrifice Arthur's child in the story. It was a crazy moment with a lot of action in between. This is the overall narrative from which the movie begins.
Speaking of positives, first, I'd like to talk about its visuals. I loved James Wan; Before, I thought he was a one-hit wonder. Now, he proved to be very creative. We see so many amazing visuals that make you feel like a child seeing such beautiful and wonderful things. It was a sweet experience. I didn't like the way the movie started, but when Arthur was describing his life, innocent with his wife Mera, I loved it. The action sequences and visuals were so enjoyable, it made for a mind-blowing experience. The creatures in that world add humor, making it a great popcorn entertainer. The action is complemented by humor, and the biggest thing is the style - James Wan's style impresses me a lot. Everything moves in a rhythm that you can understand if you pay attention. Like the Russo Brothers' action sequences, all great sequences have a rhythm. When a song is played, it sounds great and you enjoy it a lot. That's why you watch the movie. Rewatchability is surprisingly enhanced as it's not dumb at all, just enough to give you a good time.
Now, let's talk about the negatives. I was annoyed with the movie because, story-wise, it has a lot of elements. Nothing is different - it's a blend of parent-child dynamics, family, kingdom, revenge, like a masala Bollywood movie. It tries to make an impact, but when it comes to a child sacrifice, it falls short. There is an instant soft spot in one's heart for children, but poor performances in those moments make it challenging to feel heavy emotions. If we talk about Amber Heard, she doesn't get much screen time, and even if everything is balanced, considering her as the main character, she is quite good.
In films where there are constant errors or trying to compensate with action set pieces is common, this is good, but it is not enough. If there were any flaws, they tried to cover them with experience. James Bond tried to create a trench-like fear in Aquaman One, which was excellent. This time with the jungle scene would have been more enjoyable if it was a bit longer. If you added 10 minutes of drama to your two hour and four minute film, it would have made the important moments better. I know the writing may not be the best, but if the drama could have been enhanced it could have been more impactful. The movie tries to show all the spectacle to be a hit, but it could be more emotional. People can be affected, the movie makes heavy, and we can take home a special feeling. It's nothing like coming back from the fair after seeing it and taking it home. I will also say no respect to the movie's villain, Black Manta Bhai. He wants to avenge his father's brother, but his character has no weight. Same with Cordax – he comes and goes. There's a scene when he puts Arthur down and says he's not equal to my brother, which feels a bit personal. However, that scene ends, and the overall effect feels like an anticlimactic moment.
I won't say it's bad because the brother looks great, and the visuals are impressive. It's presented well, but it couldn't impact the sight. He should have left the Trident and abandoned the play he wanted to give. Brother Jason Momoa, you like him when he does fearless action and enjoys jokes. When he's doing that, it feels natural. However, when you watch him act, it feels like, bro, you're acting like Johnson. Well, speaking of performances, I want to praise Patrick Wilson. Even though the picture is average, his performance is not. He entertains a lot, even in frames where there's not much to do. When the two fight like children, it's quite impressive, providing an innocent kind of fun. Nothing too deep, but you still enjoy it. However, good scenes are spoiled for humor in just 10 seconds. The emotional impact starts to change to comedy. Keeping all these things in mind, it can be clearly said that this movie is made with one and only objective – to be an enjoyable movie for the audience. To some extent, it achieves that. Like a fair that you enjoy and pay attention to, but it's not something important that you take home with you and think, oh bro, what did you see? Because it's pretty common. It has so many predictable tropes that you easily forget after watching. It's the same feeling as watching an episode of a sitcom – you enjoy it and forget it.
I'd say the film is not as bad as early reviews suggested. It didn't receive the same praise as in test screenings, but it's not bad at all. In the grand scheme of things, the movie just provides a good time and passes the test. However, why should it pass number two? Whenever I'm at home or with the kids, I can comfortably watch it because it's a great world. The last action world is a lot of fun, and you enjoy it to an extent. It's not as bad as beating it from the beginning.
Well, tell us your opinion if you're a fan of this crowd-pleaser from the DC Universe.