From 2013 – 2023, Warner Bros. Pictures has released 15 films featuring characters from DC Comics beginning with The Trinity — Superman (Henry Cavill), Batman (Ben Affleck), and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) — and now it’s all over with the James Wan-directed (Saw; Malignant) Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. This final film does nothing to shore up or finalize any of the threads from the prior films, but stands alone as a proper sequel to Wan’s 2018 Aquaman, starring Jason Momoa (Fast X) as Arthur Curry. It would be unfair to Lost Kingdom to put any of the weight that the end of the cinematic era possesses onto the film, so, instead, it’s better to consider it as it sees itself, a story apart from the others, focused entirely on giving audiences a Lovecraftian-tinged family adventure, just like the first. Delightfully, both Wan and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (Orphan) return to write the script with Momoa and Thomas Pa’a Sibbett (The Last Manhunt), creating an adventure that leans into what makes comic book stories so great — endless possibility. If you enjoyed the first film and have looked forward to Lost Kingdom, rejoice for the home release also includes nearly two-hours of behind-the-scenes footage that inform how Wan, Momoa, and the rest of the cast and crew closed out their time in Atlantis.

Jason Momoa as Aquaman in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, a Warner Bros. Pictures release. © 2023 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved. TM & © DC.

Since the end of Aquaman, Arthur has taken on the responsibilities as King of Atlantis, he and Mera (Amber Heard) have married and had a child, and the two split their time between living with Arthur’s father, Tom (Temuera Morrison), and overseeing the kingdom. While Arthur struggles to push through any of his own plans due to the resistance of the Atlantean council, his old foe David Kane/Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is making strides with scientist Dr. Shin (Randall Park) to uncover forgotten Atlantean technology that may help him repair his helmet. What the two discover, however, is far more dangerous than just the means to give Kane the vengeance he hungers for, it may bring about the end of everything.

With this being both a home release and the final film in the DCEU, this home release review will be discussing the film without concern for keeping secrets. So if you’d like to learn about the bonus features without necessarily learning about the film, jump to the image of actor Patrick Wilson on set with James Wan below.

L-R: Director/Producer/Writer James Wan and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II on the set of Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Christian Black/ ™ & © DC Comics. © 2023 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved. TM & © DC.

The quickest way to describe Lost Kingdom is “more of the same.” Now, how you take that will depend on your own reaction to the first Aquaman. If you found it silly, boorish, and juvenile, you’ll find the same here. If you found it adventurous, comedic, and tinted with horror, that’s exactly what you get. Both can be true at the same time, which is how both the first and second outing were received by this reviewer. Though introduced in director Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), it wasn’t until Justice League (2017) that audiences got the chance to meet Momoa’s half-breed hero. We’re given a character who resents being unable to exist in either world he’s part of, yet who finds himself helping others on the smaller scale until he’s called to action to join in a larger fight. This is carried forward to Aquaman where he must begrudgingly take on his half-brother Orn (Patrick Wilson) for leadership of Atlantis in order to prevent an all-out war between the oceans and the surface and goes even further now that Arthur is on the throne and never wanted to be. The throughline from introduction to Lost Kingdom is clearly defined, even if some of the characterization or presentation shifts a tad along the way, depending on who’s directing and/or writing. Momoa’s Arthur is one who possessed incredible abilities, yet always felt like a man apart from everything and, through his journey in the DCEU, went from loner outcast to team member to found family to creating one of his own. By the end of Lost Kingdom, it even goes a step further into starting to erase the line between his human identity and Atlantean one as Arthur makes Atlantis known to the world. One of the very reasonable complaints is that the film often careens into the juvenile when it probably shouldn’t, such as Arthur getting silly-stupid at the end of his press coverage unveiling the existence of Atlantis, but, not doing so, would kinda be the opposite of who this version of Arthur is. Put another way, it’s not that audiences need to lower their standards for what characters “should” or “shouldn’t do,” but remember that the filmmakers have a specific vision that they seek to keep true to. This version is its authentic self no matter what and much of what makes the character so damned charming comes from Momoa’s embodiment of the role.

L-R: Patrick Wilson as Orn and Jason Momoa as Aquaman in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, a Warner Bros. Pictures release. © 2023 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved. TM & © DC.

In some cases, this presentation is viewed as nearly cavemanish due to the *few* jokes related to urine that occur in both of the two solo films. But where the first film’s reference was, admittedly gross, within the context of the scene makes a great deal of sense — need something wet to activate an Atlantean machine? Urine’ll do the job. In Lost Kingdom, the two instances are less about being gross and more the state of fatherhood. The first instance shows Arthur changing his son’s diaper and, by using the traditional forward-facing vs. side technique while also failing to cover the penis, he finds himself with an open mouth full of warm urine while his son giggles. Having been peed on many times, even from the defensive side position, it’s less a moment that reduces Arthur, but showcases how happy he is. The man is being peed on and, rather than growing dysregulated, he rolls with it because he’s just delighted to be a father. The second time, well, that’s because Mera made it happen using her own abilities to manipulate water as Arthur manages to duck out of the way, gloating about it. That *she* would do this, again gross as it is, speaks to the way in which the pair have mingled their worlds, almost like a strange callback to her reaction to Arthur’s suggestion of peeing on the machine. This is growth, folks, and often what a healthy marriage looks like wherein both people meet in the middle, while also accepting the other for who they are. This is, of course, where the theme of the film finds its footing with the conflict rising from Arthur’s failure to do the right thing and save Kane’s father in the first film and King Atlan’s (Vincent Regan) inability to stop his own brother, Kordax (Pilou Asbæk), from threatening to destroy the world. Thus, by the end of the film, we come to understand that Lost Kingdom is entirely an adventure story surrounding a tale of family and social responsibility. The Arthur whom we met formally in Justice League is not the one here. That one would’ve been more likely to get angry, even if his own child peed on him, whereas this one rejoices in the opportunity to be near his child. That’s why, in my view, the film is at its strongest when it incorporates the Orn/Arthur brother bonding aspects of the film with the central narrative, not just because Wilson and Momoa have excellent chemistry, but because of how the film handles resolving their conflict through open communication rather than fighting. Even when the film turns predictable and the magical possession that Kane willingly accepts by Kordax if it means finally getting his revenge on Arthur transfer to Orn, it’s resolved through talking and recognition of past mistakes. Humility and love win the day, rather than pride and hatred. Frankly, if the writer’s had slipped in an “Ohana means family” before the end of the film, I wouldn’t have been mad at it.

L-R: Patrick Wilson and Director/Producer/Writer James Wan on the set of Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Christian Black/ ™ & © DC Comics. © 2023 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved. TM & © DC.

Just like Black Adam (2022), Shazam 2 (2023), and Blue Beetle (2023), the home release for Lost Kingdom offers a bevy of materials that provide an inside look on the making of the feature. For folks who enjoy learning about the making of movies, that Warner Bros. put so much on-disc and on the digital edition is a surprise, given the typical lack of materials on home releases today. It’s a touch frustrating that there’s no commentary track as one can imagine the kinds of stories any member of the cast or crew could tell; however, given the politics behind the scenes of the film — the Heard/Depp trial, Heard’s public comments about her reduced role, the transition of the DC Studios arm to James Gunn and Peter Safran, and the overall state of WB as a studio — one can certainly understand why creating an opportunity to talk at length in a loose situation might be a bad idea PR-wise. That said, commentary tracks seem to be growing rarer and rarer on mainstream releases, so it’s a bummer nonetheless. However, there’s still plenty to learn as the cast and crew take you through quite literally everything about the film with focuses on each major location, the narrative, and characters. This means we get a closer look at the creatures of the deep from which the horrors come, as well as how they increased the size of this film compared to the last (despite no drumming octopus or kraken to be seen). Be advised that the only way to access the motion comic that accompanies the home release is through the digital edition.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM, a Warner Bros. Pictures release. © 2023 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved. TM & © DC.

Admittedly, the CG gets a little iffy at times, the separation between real sets and technological filler being extraordinarily obvious, not to mention the rubbery visage of CG characters in motion, and the film leans too heavily on exposition in order to shave its runtime to under two-hours (minus credits), but it’s still a darn good time. The sets are imaginative, the characters feel lived-in, and the use of practical suits helps reduce the faceless CG enemy-trope of a lot of superhero films while also making the combat feel more tangible and weighted dramatically. Does Lost Kingdom wrap up any threads established from other films? No. Does it really connect to any film outside of Arthur’s stories? Also no. But no one said it had too. An expectation has formed from more than a decade of superhero films that “everything is connected” and that expectation basically failed the DCEU from the start. Tell good stories and the people will come. Connect them as you need to, but it’s ok for there to be solo stories and for them to stay solo stories, like the comics themselves.

So, goodbye, DCEU. You were a wild ride where you spent the majority of it course-correcting to what you thought audiences wanted instead of just making damn great movies. What you could have been without all the drama, we’ll never know. See you in the funny pages.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special Features:

• Finding the Lost Kingdom – Go behind the scenes as director James Wan reveals how he​ and the cast and crew pulled off their biggest endeavor yet, an epic sequel to​ the largest grossing film in the history of DC. (21:24)
• Aquaman: Worlds Above and Below​ – When the filmmakers set out to create a sequel that eclipsed​ the original in scale and scope, they knew they would have to send Arthur and​ the rest of the cast to all kinds of new wild and wonderful worlds both above and​ below the sea. (9:40)
• It’s a Manta World – Black Manta is more powerful than ever now that he has discovered the Lost Kingdom of Necrus and taken possession of the Black Trident. From inspiration to execution, filmmakers reveal how they leveled Black Manta up to the realm of supervillains​. (10:10)
• Necrus, The Lost Black City​ – Ages ago the great battle for the earth took place here, in this legendary lost Atlantean city. Discover how the filmmakers created the Black City from its “surface city” concept and its inhabitants: Undead Necrusians (Zombies), to its execution​. (5:54)
• Escape from the Deserter World – From idea to execution, explore how the filmmakers created this​ barren desert landscape and the Deserter Prison, how its creatures and​ inhabitants were brought to life, and how they planned and executed the daring Orm “breakout” sequence. (8:08)
• Brawling at Kingfish’s Lair – The Citadel is the last frontier of the ocean, a deep trench filled​ with sunken old ships, stacked high like a rusty city. From concept to​ completion, discover Kingfish’s Lair, a bar within, where the worst of the worst​ hang out​. (4:09)
• Oh TOPO!​ – The Tactical Observation and Pursuit Operative Octopus is a​ living legend and all-time fan favorite. Director James Wan and the filmmakers discuss​ the decision behind bringing TOPO back to the sequel and its promotion to​ Arthur’s on-screen sidekick. (2:15)
• Atlantean Blood Is Thicker Than Water: At its core, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a movie about​ brotherhood. Explore how Patrick and Jason bonded over the new unexpected​ alliance between Arthur and Orm and came together both as characters and as​ friends on and off set​. (4:19)
• Aquaman Through Fire and Water – Original motion comic from DC: Arthur Curry is constantly being pulled between two worlds – his responsibility as King of Atlantis and his mantle as Aquaman, defender of the surface. So, what happens when a nefarious attack puts those worlds on a collision course? (6:52) (Digital only)

Available on digital January 23^rd, 2024.
Available on Max March 8^th, 2024.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD March 12^th, 2024.

For more information, head to the official Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom website.

Final Score: 3.5 out of 5.

Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming

Tags: action, adventure, Amber Heard, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Atomic Monster, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, DC Comics, DC Films, DCEU, Dolph Lundgren, Domain Entertainment, fantasy, home release, home video, Indya Moore, James Wan, Jani Zhao, Jason Momoa, John Rhys-Davies, Martin Short, Max, Natalia Safran, Nicole Kidman, Patrick Wilson, Pilou Asbæk, Randall Park, streaming, Temuera Morrison, The Safran Company, Thomas Pa'a Sibbett, Vincent Regan, Warner Bros. Pictures, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II