Like its predecessor, this sequel gets by almost exclusively on the charisma of Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry/Aquaman, this time forced to team-up with his estranged half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson), in a mis-matched, action-packed buddy comedy.

Premise: Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) has settled into his life as King of Atlantis, husband of Mera (Amber Heard) and father of Arthur Jr, but when David Kane’s (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) quest for vengeance leads him to discover the Black Trident of the Lost Kingdom, Aquaman is forced to turn to his treacherous half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) for help.

Review:

Despite being the highest grossing film of the DCEU, I always felt that 2018’s Aquaman was a bit of knockabout fun – no more, no less. In that respect, the same can pretty much be said of this sequel, which won’t tax the braincells of audiences, but taken for what it is, does deliver a couple of hours of gonzo fun (how can anyone hate a film in which an octopus rides a giant seahorse at one point?!). But whereas the first film channelled the rom-com action adventure energy of films like Romancing the Stone with it’s focus on the relationship between Arthur (Jason Momoa) and Mera (Amber Heard), this sequel instead goes for the mis-matched buddy comedy vibe, teaming up Jason Momoa with Patrick Wilson for a chunk of its runtime.

Like the last film, the plot is fairly straightforward, and this time, the villain’s motivations are arguably even more basic - Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is back as the pirate David Kane/Manta, but this time his quest for vengeance against Aquaman (who he blames for the death of his father) pushes him to the brink of insanity. Helping him on his search for Atlantean technology to use against Aquaman is Dr Stephen Shin, played by the always reliable Randall Park, expanding on his mid-credits introduction at the end of the last film. In many ways, you could argue that Randall Park gets more to do in this sequel than Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, even though Abdul-Mateen is meant to be the main antagonist.

“…the best thing about the movie is Jason Momoa…”

Director James Wan has kept the energy, pace and technicolour grandeur from the previous film, although it I’m being completely honest, I did find a couple of the underwater action sequences to be a bit too busy, with it sometimes difficult to follow everything that was going on amongst all of the heavily CGI’ed spectacle. Ironically, the best action sequences in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom were those that happened on dry land!

Like with the last film, the best thing about the movie is Jason Momoa – his charisma, his energy and his screen presence are what make this movie as enjoyable as it is. It may not be high art, and it certainly has its flaws, but Jason Momoa makes sure every scene he’s in is entertaining. The decision to pair him with Patrick Wilson works well here, as Wilson gets to exercise the comedic skills that he didn’t get a chance to use in the first Aquaman film, and his straight-faced deadpan humour works as a great foil to Momoa’ exuberance.

“…at its best when it focuses on the odd-couple comedy between Jason Momoa & Patrick Wilson…”

The film also avoids the danger of being too overstuffed with characters - Willem Defoe’s Vulko isn’t back for the sequel, and Nicole Kidman and Dolph Lundgren have little more than cameos. Temuera Morrison is back, and gets some nice father/son scenes with Jason Momoa, but even Amber Heard’s Mera feels largely sidelined to free up screentime for Momoa, Wilson, Abdul-Mateen and Park. I’m also not normally one to speculate about reshoots … but Pilou Asbæk is literally in this film for a 10-second, blink-and-you-miss-it, cameo, and I can’t believe that was all he shot.

Ultimately, this film is at its best when it embraces its ridiculousness and focuses on the odd-couple comedy between Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson, and the chemistry between the two of them is enough to keep things entertaining for a couple of hours.

“…the new DCU will kick off in 2025…”

In case you were wondering, the film does have a mid-credits scene (but not an end-credits scene), which delivers a gag rather than a set-up for future storylines – which makes sense, as this is the last film in the current “DCEU” series. You should also manage your expectations if you were hoping for any final cameos from other DCEU characters – there are none, and so The Flash marked the final appearances of those Justice League characters.

And with this film, the DCEU officially draws to a close. Your mileage may vary on how much you enjoyed the 11-year run of the DCEU, and while I’ll be the first to admit that there were some missteps and problems along the way, I still have a real soft spot for Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, Zack Snyder’s Justice League and The Suicide Squad in particular. In 2025, the new DCU will kick off with James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy, and we’ll get to see what the next iteration of DC comics’ heroes will look like.