Post by PhantomKnight on Dec 27, 2023 20:56:42 GMT -5
Aaaand the DCEU officially goes out on something of a whimper with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, a sequel that's nowhere near as good as its predecessor, but also one that manages to entertain at least a decent amount so that it's not a complete wash -- no pun intended. To get the negatives out of the way first, the plot of Lost Kingdom continues the recent pitfall that most superhero cinema in 2023 especially has been victim to, which is standard/uninspired storytelling. Not that the first Aquaman reinvented the wheel or pushed any boundaries with its script, but it at least had what felt like a real vigor and sense of glee in its storytelling that kind of seems to be missing here. To the movie's -- and by extension, James Wan's -- credit, this sequel also fully embraces its zaniness, maybe even more so than the first, but there doesn't seem to be quite as much investment in the storytelling this time around. Whether that's because of all the rounds of reshoots/potential studio meddling this movie went through on its arduous journey to the big screen, who knows, but the bottom line is Lost Kingdom doesn't feel as exciting as the first movie did. The plot feels fairly recycled/standard, as do the character arcs, and even a few of the action sequences sort of had my eyes glazing over.
So what is it about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom that I think keeps it from falling into complete mediocrity? Well, like I said, it embraces the zaniness, and while that can lead to comedy that doesn't always work, it DOES help give this movie enough of a personality to help carry us through. The opening, for example, is a cross-cut between Aquaman fighting pirates on a shipping container and him relaying the events of said fight to his infant son using action figures -- all set to Born to be Wild. That right there lets you know not only what this movie is going to be overall, but also that it's committing to that, and I was onboard for it mostly. Its sense of zaniness helps distinguish it enough from other recent entries into the genre. Another thing this has going for it is the chemistry between Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson, who have a fairly solid buddy cop kind of vibe with their characters.
This movie is a mixed bag for sure, but better that the DCEU goes out with something with at least a good sense of style rather than something like Shazam! 2 or The Flash.
**1/2 /****
