Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom Film Review: Arthur Curry's Struggle Becomes DCEU's Closing

Patrick Wilson - Jason Momoa (Warner Bros. Pictures)

JAKARTA - Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom or Aquaman 2 is the closing film of the cinematic DC universe before starting with a new era under the leaders of James Gunn and Peter Safran. This film is also a sequel to the first film in 2018.

Before its release, the film Aquaman 2 could not be separated from the conversation. The reason is, this film stars Amber Heard, who some time ago was involved in a defamation case with Johnny Depp. Various issues began to drag the release of this film.

Even so, director James Wan doesn't seem to worry about this problem. Amber Heard seems to be joining Aquaman 2 production. Apart from Heard, this film is still directed by Jason Momoa, Nicole Kidman, Yahya Abdul Madeen II, Patrick Wilson and others.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom tells the story of Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) who is married to Mera (Amber Heard) and has children. Their life went well at first when Arthur led Atlantis and took care of the child.

However, Arthur's life is threatened after Black Manta (Yahya Abdul Mateen II) controlled the black trident which made his strength even more increased.

Arthur Curry had to save the black trident, but he was required to get help from his younger brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson).

Given that this film is a sequel, of course, the story is still related to the first film. Starting from characters to dialogue, there are many elements that refer to the first part. This film focuses more on the relationship between Arthur and Orm who had a fight.

Like brothers and sisters, both of them have moments of love hate relationship which are of course combined with comedy.

On the other hand, the presence of Maeteen II as David Kane or Black Manta is actually very interesting. Unfortunately, as a villain, his role is not made that same in which there are moments of revenge that still feel weak. As a result, the moment of the battle that was awaited was not felt enough.

Of course, even though the gong was not felt, the shooting of the scene felt good. The fight at sea that requires energy also makes Aquaman and Black Manta appear quickly. The scoring, which is dominated by drum and guitar beatings, also supports the scene.

James Wan, known for his horror films, was also able to present the horror to the audience. Several fishing scenes, as well as jumpscare under the sea, succeeded in surprising the audience. It's a fairly successful formula for Wan.

Unfortunately behind the excitement, CGI in the Aquaman 2 film is less consistent. Some scenes under the sea sometimes look very quality, but not infrequently the CGI displayed is also lacking.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the mainstay of the interesting DC cinematic universe to watch. Arthur Curry's character, which is still full of humor, is still a source of comedy but the action is also still enjoyed.

This film also contains a post-credit scene that has succeeded in making the audience laugh. Meanwhile, the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom film will air starting today, Wednesday, December 20, throughout the Indonesian cinema network.