Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Blu-ray Movie Review

"Heard" any good jokes lately?

Reviewed by Randy Miller III March 8, 2024

Released more than a half-decade after the somehow popular first film, James Wan's direct sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a fatally floundering follow-up featuring several of the same exact highs and lows as its predecessor. Perhaps its only actual advantages are slightly more convincing special effects, smoother tonal consistency, and a reasonable running time, but almost everything else about it can't even measure up to lowered expectations.

For a full synopsis and critique of the film, please see my recent review of the 4K UHD edition. Comparatively, this separate Blu-ray release -- which is the only way to get a copy, besides for an all-inclusive, elusive, and exclusive Wal-Mart Steelbook Edition -- is a decent runner-up in its own right with solid A/V merits and the same slate of extras.

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

As always, please see my review of the separate 4K UHD edition for an overview of the film's visual style and general appearance, which for this Blu-ray edition has been downsampled to 1080p/SDR on a 50GB disc with bonus features. As expected there are some compromises made, as this almost aggressively crisp film -- which uses the entire 1.78:1 frame from start to finish, unlike its predecessor -- obviously can't quite wring the same amount of precision and clarity as its full-strength UHD counterpart. As a result, more finely rendered details tend to look a little waxy at times, with slightly boosted contrast and color saturation attempting to split the difference. The effect works well enough on small to medium-sized displays, but other stray issues such as black crush and macro blocking can be spotted regardless of screen size. Of course, I'm saying this in hindsight having watched the 4K edition first, so anyone who doesn't know what they're missing... well, they won't be missing it. What they'll likely see instead is a proportionately eye-catching and overall solid transfer that, mild complaints aside, does what it can with challenging source material.

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

For an overview of the Dolby Atmos mix, please see my review of the separate 4K UHD edition.

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

This release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover art, a matching matte-finish slipcover, and a Digital Copy code. On-disc extras are identical to the 4K UHD edition, so please see my review for more details.

• Finding the Lost Kingdom (21:22)

• Aquaman: Worlds Above and Below (9:39)

• Atlantean Blood is Thicker than Water (4:17)

• It's a Manta World (10:08)

• Necrus, the Lost Black City (5:51)

• Escape from the Deserter World (8:05)

• Brawling at Kingfish's Lair (4:07)

• Oh, Topo! (2:12)

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

James Wan's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a belated sequel to the blockbuster 2018 film, a surprise smash hit released near the height of superhero movie popularity. Five years later the glow has clearly worn off a bit, but what cripples Lost Kingdom as a whole is its inability to switch up the formula: highlights aside, most of what I didn't care for about the original returns here in spades. Even so, anyone who liked the film during its (much less profitable) theatrical run will love 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 pile of bonus features, but it's not exactly a recommended blind buy.