Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Ocean of noise.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III March 8, 2024

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.

To its credit, the original Aquaman at least took a little bit of time to go off off the rails: it began with an emotionally effective opening act that even included a well-placed track from Icelandic rock band Sigur Rós... but within an hour, ocean-bro Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and his future wife Mera (Amber Heard) emerged from the ocean in slo-mo to a Pitbull song. Though not without its moments, the 143-minute blockbuster mostly felt like every minute of its excessive running time and was capped off by an overwhelming CGI war that felt like total sensory overload. But the mere fact that DC made an intermittently decent movie about Aquaman was enough to rake in massive ticket sales, which I'll credit more to the mercifully fading comic book-movie craze than any real indication of quality.

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.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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.

• Finding the Lost Kingdom (21:22) - Jason Momoa, director James Wan, DC honcho Jim Lee, production design Bill Brzeski, and other key members of the cast and crew are your guides at this usually scenic behind-the-scenes featurette, which includes bits and pieces of on-set footage and others supportive clips.

• Aquaman: Worlds Above and Below (9:39) - A like-minded look at various locales on both sides of the surface that covers special effects, location shoots, and Aquaman lore by way of a few vintage comics.

• Atlantean Blood is Thicker than Water (4:17) - A short but sweet look at the history of Arthur and his half-brother Orm, again with some comics history and short interviews with Momoa and Patrick Wilson.

• It's a Manta World (10:08) - Another character-focused featurette, this short piece sits down with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and others to speak about David Kane, Black Manta, the power suit, and more.

• Necrus, the Lost Black City (5:51) - James Wan, producer Peter Safran, Bill Brzeski, and others chat briefly about the titular lost kingdom, its visual creation, and its history in the franchise.

• Escape from the Deserter World (8:05) - Another like-minded featurette about the location -- or in this case, sequence -- featured in the film, a handful of familiar faces share about its creation and execution while being supported by behind-the-scenes footage, concept art, rehearsals, costume and set design, and more.

• Brawling at Kingfish's Lair (4:07) - A quick look at one of the film's many visually overloaded action scenes and some of the goofier details and supporting characters featured in it.

• Oh, Topo! (2:12) - And speaking of goofy supporting characters, this short and light-hearted tribute acts as an appreciation and highlight reel for everyone's favorite comedy relief cephalopod.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.