Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: Aqua Good? [critique]

Aquaman 2 concludes the DC universe launched 10 years ago. A degenerate film that pulls in all directions, but where some good ideas float.

The encrypted channel will offer this Thursday evening Aquaman 2We are republishing our review, initially broadcast when it was released in cinemas last December.

That's it, it's the end. With Aquaman and the Lost KingdomWarner Bros. closes an erratic chapter in its history, a ten-year superhero interlude during which the studio tried to compete with Marvel by creating its own shared universe (James Gunn will reset the counters in 2025 with a new Superman). Don't expect any fanfare or fireworks: the Burbank firm has decided to release Aquaman 2 in theaters with a minimalist promo and without showing it to the press beforehand. Preceded by persistent rumors of chaotic filming, catastrophic test screenings and messy reshoots, is this final part of the DCEU really the disaster predicted? It's (a little bit) more complicated than that.

After a brief summary of what happened off-screen since the first Aquaman (Arthur Curry tries to assume both his role as king of Atlantis and that of father), James Wan plants the seeds of a great adventure film with around ten minutes of exploration under Antarctica, where the famous Lost Kingdom is hidden. Summoning both Jules Verne and Lovecraft, the filmmaker imposes a mysterious and disturbing universe, full of steampunk ideas, mythological monsters and ancient curses. It's obvious that it's this movie, so Twenty thousand leagues under sea tinged with horror, which Wan really wants to achieve.

Unfortunately, he will only reappear too furtively, cannibalized by the character of Aquaman, still as hollow and under-incarnated by Jason Momoa. Caught between his ambitions and the specifications imposed on him, Wan no longer really knows what he is filming and tries to transform the project into ” water opera “, kind of Star Wars completely messy underwater, stuffed to the brim with hideous digital special effects. These passages also exist in an in-between space, both quite embarrassing and vaguely funny.

James Wan also has to deal with an insane script, which was clearly rewritten during production: we are dragged from one scene to another without further ado, between a story of a magic trident stolen by Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), ancient fuel that warms the planet (the film's ecological message is so first degree that it becomes ridiculous) and siblings forced to work together to save the world (thanks to Patrick Wilson for drastically raising the level of acting). There is very little room left for the secondary characters, with Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman appearing for no more than five minutes. You might wonder why they were asked to come back.

However, if Aquaman 2 resembles a Frankenstein's monster constantly charging headfirst into the wall, it does so with a certain panache and mind-boggling pace. It is often dismaying (especially the final scene which refers to the conclusion ofIron Man for some unknown reason) but it is absolutely impossible to get bored in front of this bizarre spectacle. Which has the merit of already being much more than what we expected.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomby James Wan, with Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard… Currently in cinemas Watch the trailer:

Aquaman 2 even disappointed Dolph Lundgren!