Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (English) Review {2.5/5} & Review Rating
AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM is the story of a man teaming up with his half-brother for a greater cause. Arthur Curry aka Aquaman (Jason Momoa) is married to Mera (Amber Heard) and are proud parents to a baby boy. Arthur is finding it difficult to fulfil his duties as a king. He wants Atlantis to establish contact with the surface world as the sea residents get sick due to pollution. But Lady Karshon (Indya Moore) rejects this idea. She also has reservations about Aquaman not being around half of the time. Meanwhile, David Kane (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) has teamed up with Dr Stephen Shin (Randall Park) and their expedition takes them to the farthest corner of the Earth. There, David finds a trident. The trident, belonging to an evil force, possesses David and he suddenly gets knowledge of a lot of Atlantean secrets. David takes Dr Shin and his team's help in extracting Orichalcum, a substance that fuels ancient technology but which also can cause catastrophe on the planet. While David tries to extract Orichalcum, he comes into contact with Atlantis. And all hell breaks loose. Aquaman decides to go behind David, for which he has no choice but to team up with his half-brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson), who is imprisoned following his crimes against Atlantis. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
James Wan, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Jason Momoa and Thomas Pa'a Sibbett's story is entertaining. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick's screenplay has its share of fun and dramatic moments but leaves a lot to be desired. The dialogues are sharp and witty.
James Wan's direction is simple and to the point. The director doesn’t waste time and gets straight to the point. The USP of the film is how Aquaman and Orm form a bond and it makes for a great watch. In fact, it is the best part of the film. The scene where Aquaman rescues Orm and they both cross a 'bridge' are hilarious scenes. The track of Dr Shin is also quite good, especially how he introduces himself to Aquaman and Orm.
On the flipside, the climax is underwhelming. A lot of build-up is done for the villain but nothing much happens thereafter. The final flight is also quite clichéd. The family members of Aquaman are conveniently forgotten. One can understand Mera’s track being supposedly chopped off but it’s sad to see even Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) hardly being there. Lastly, the mid-credit scene is disgusting and the makers should have used their imagination better.
Speaking of performances, Jason Momoa is in fine form. One can sense that he enjoys playing the superhero. Patrick Wilson is too good and it’s fun to root for his character this time. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is decent as the villain. Randall Park leaves a huge mark. Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman and Dolph Lundgren (Nereus) don’t have much to do. The same goes for Indya Moore.
Rupert Gregson-Williams' music has a cinematic feel. Don Burgess's cinematography is breathtaking. Bill Brzeski and Sahby Mehalla's production design is world-class. Richard Sale's costumes are appealing. Action is not disturbing. VFX is great but could have been better. Kirk Morri's editing is slick.
On the whole, AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM works due to Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson’s equation and performances in the film but suffers on account of a disappointing climax. At the box office, it’ll face a tough time since it’ll get sandwiched between SALAAR and DUNKI.
