5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 2.7 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 2.7 |
Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction.
Starring: Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Amber Heard, Nicole KidmanAction | 100% |
Adventure | 79% |
Comic book | 70% |
Sci-Fi | 66% |
Fantasy | 61% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 0.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Unleashed more than five full years after the inexplicably popular first film, James Wan's direct sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a fatally floundering follow-up that features many of the same highs and lows as its predecessor. Perhaps its only real advantages are slightly more consistent special effects, better tonal consistency, and a shorter running time, but almost everything else about it doesn't even measure up to lowered expectations.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom doesn't take an hour to get dumb; it starts there immediately with a goofy opening sequence where our smirking hero leaps from a giant seahorse to dispense Batman-like justice to a group of evil sea pirates. In another five minutes or so, he'll be getting peed on multiple times by his infant son Arthur Jr. while glowing new mom Mera folds laundry. From there, we're treated to an extended recap of the first film with obligatory sarcastic narration and eventually introduced to Aquaman's latest threat: the returning David Kane / Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, also returning from the first film), who's working with marine biologist Stephen Shin (Randall Park, ditto) to search for Atlantean artifacts. They unwittingly find a hidden cavern in Antarctica which is home to a mysterious Black Trident that grants Kane unimaginable power; not surprisingly, he'll use to it get revenge on Aquaman and his family -- including Mera, Arthur Jr., and Aquaman's mom Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) -- for the death of his father.
This kind of setup -- one that embraces over-the-top absurdity -- actually works in the film's favor a little more than expected. Where Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom actually improves upon its predecessor is that it actually gets a bit more entertaining as it goes on; specifically almost anything that happens after the rescue of Aquaman's half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson), the former Ocean Master who's currently rotting in prison where he's given just enough water to stay alive. Their initially reluctant reunion and the begrudging brotherhood that follows (which includes an admittedly enjoyable extended mission and series of tag-team fight scenes that make up the film's most satisfying stretch) are perhaps the heart of Lost Kingdom, which unfortunately is buried under several layers of cheese.
At the risk of going back to negative mode too early, just about every other part of Aquaman I didn't like returns here. Annoying supporting characters? Check. A less-than-memorable villain? Double check. More than one sensory-depleting large-scale battle loaded to the gills with uneven CGI? Triple check. But despite my kinda-sorta acceptance of its more consistent(ly goofy) tone, the featherweight script falls as flat as ever. Written by no less than four people (including Momoa himself, with the only returning contributor being James Wan), the end result feels as scattershot as you might expect, the kind of endeavor where nobody probably got exactly what they wanted out of it. Yet Lost Kingdom's limited highlights, looser flow, and mercifully shorter running time translate to a film you might actually be more likely to re-watch than the first one, if only because it's not quite as taxing to your eyes, ears, and free time.
A lot has changed since 2019, including the moviegoing public's blanket acceptance of comic book films, almost every aspect of life itself,
and of course the fact that Warner Bros. annoyingly no longer offers 4K/Blu-ray combo packs. Yet whether you buy this beefy, triple-layer 100GB
UHD disc or its 50GB 1080p
counterpart, you can expect a top-quality transfer, foundation-shaking Dolby Atmos audio, and a decent selection of bonus features to boot.
NOTE: This review's screenshots are sourced from the Blu-ray edition, available separately.
Unsurprisingly, Warner Bros.' 2160p/HDR10 (Dolby Vision compatible) transfer of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a visual spectacle on this full-strength 100GB disc, where its "full screen" aspect ratio basically maxes out the field of vision on most modern displays. It's arrestingly detailed at times and quite stunning from start to finish, meaning that your eyes will at least have something to do when your brain involuntarily goes into sleep mode. Textures -- mostly by way of costume design -- and extremely small background items can easily be fished out, black levels run especially deep, whites are extremely bright, and color saturation frequently borders on overkill but in a way that feels consistent with the film's intended visual design. Obviously it shares more than a few similarities with the 2018 film as well as its respective 4K edition aside from that aspect ratio, which remains fixed at 1.78:1 on land and sea this time around. So as not to belabor the point, if you loved how the original Aquaman looked on UHD you'll potentially find even more to enjoy here; it really is a great-looking disc, one that clearly takes advantage of HDR enhancement and its triple-layer real estate to deliver an extremely satisfying (and frequently pause-worthy) visual presentation.
Again at the risk of repeating myself, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom shares an awful lot of sonic similarities with its predecessor, from unusually crisp underwater dialogue to frequently active surround channel usage during its sporadic but overwhelming action sequences. Neither film is especially subtle at any point -- an observation that applies to their stories and separate sound designs -- but there are some nice little tricks here and there, such as a somewhat faint but effective low frequency drop right around the 15-minute mark that'll be smooth as silk on a decent setup. Most other moments aren't subtle, at least in comparison, with the wide majority of Lost Kingdom sporting an largely active sound field (including the height channels, which are obviously used most often in underwater scenarios or during weather-related events) that convincingly immerses its audience in full-throttle audio during the bulk of its two-hour runtime. Within those specific base-level boundaries, this is about as faithful a presentation as fans could ask for.
Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are offered during the main feature and all extras listed below.
This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with stylish cover artwork, a matching spot-gloss slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption code. Its bonus features are similar in tone and style but cover the bases nicely.
James Wan's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a belated sequel to the wildly popular first film, a surprise smash hit released near the zenith of superhero movie popularity. Five years later the glow has obviously worn off a bit, but what hurts Lost Kingdom as a whole is its inability to switch up the formula: highlights aside, much of what I didn't like about the original returns here in spades. Even so, those who enjoyed the film during its (much less profitable) theatrical run will enjoy WB's home video treatment, available separately on 4K UHD and Blu-ray. Either option offers very good to outstanding A/V merits and a nice little collection of extras, but it's obviously not the strongest blind buy.
2018
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2019
2023
Extended and Theatrical versions
2011
2006 Original Release
2006
1980
2024
2014
2004
2023
2009
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2019
Cinematic Universe Edition
2019
2023
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2013
Cinematic Universe Edition
2015
Cinematic Universe Edition
2012