Let's be real for a second. By the time Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom actually hit theaters in late 2023, it felt like a relic from a different era. The "Snyderverse" was effectively dead, James Gunn was already drafting a new blueprint for the DC Universe, and Jason Momoa was essentially playing a version of Arthur Curry that knew the party was over. It's a weird spot for a sequel to be in. Usually, a follow-up to a billion-dollar hit like the first Aquaman arrives with massive fanfare, but this one arrived with a shrug from the studio and a lot of behind-the-scenes baggage that almost overshadowed the movie itself.
The Messy Reality of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Making movies is hard. Making a massive superhero sequel during a global pandemic, while your parent company (Warner Bros.) is merging with Discovery, and your entire cinematic universe is being rebooted is... well, it’s a miracle the movie exists at all. James Wan, the director who gave us Saw and The Conjuring, is a master of visual flair, but even he couldn't fully mask the fact that this movie went through significant reshoots.
You’ve probably heard the rumors about the test screenings. There were reports that people walked out. There were claims that the plot was "incoherent." While the final product wasn't the disaster some predicted, you can definitely see the seams. The story follows Arthur Curry balancing his duties as King of Atlantis with being a new dad, all while Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) returns with a supernatural power-up called the Black Trident. It’s a classic "buddy cop" setup once Arthur breaks his brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) out of prison. Honestly? The chemistry between Momoa and Wilson is the only thing that truly saves the film from being a total CGI wash.
Why the "Lost Kingdom" Matters for Lore Nerds
The movie introduces Necrus, the titular lost kingdom. In the comics, Necrus is also known as the "Black City." It’s a nomadic undersea city that only appears for brief periods of time. In the film, it’s reimagined as a frozen, cursed wasteland ruled by Kordax, the undead brother of King Atlan.
- The Global Warming Subplot: James Wan leaned heavily into the environmental message. The burning of "Orichalcum"—an ancient fuel source—is what accelerates the melting of the ice caps and threatens to release Kordax.
- The Black Trident: This isn't just a shiny prop. It represents the dark mirror to Atlan’s trident, feeding on the blood of the royal lineage to break the seals on the frozen prison.
It’s actually kinda interesting how they tried to tie the mythology to real-world climate anxieties, even if it was wrapped in a layer of neon-colored sea dragons and giant robotic octopuses.
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The Amber Heard Elephant in the Room
We can't talk about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom without mentioning the controversy. During the highly publicized Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial, the actress claimed her role as Mera was significantly "pared down" due to the legal drama. James Wan later pushed back on this, telling Empire and Entertainment Weekly that the sequel was always intended to be a "bromance" between Arthur and Orm, rather than a romantic focus on Mera.
Whatever the truth is, Mera is barely in the movie. She shows up for the beginning, gets sidelined by an injury, and reappears for the finale. For a character who was the co-lead of the first film, her absence is jarring. It makes the narrative feel lopsided, as if a chunk of the emotional core was surgically removed and replaced with more scenes of Patrick Wilson eating a cockroach. (Yes, that actually happens. It was a weird choice.)
The Death of the DCEU
This movie was the final nail in the coffin for the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) that started with Man of Steel back in 2013. Think about that for a minute. Ten years of storytelling, multiple recasts, "Snyder Cuts," and internal pivots all led to a movie about a fish-man and his brother fighting a zombie king.
The box office reflected that fatigue. While the first Aquaman surged to $1.15 billion, the sequel struggled to cross the $430 million mark. It wasn't a "bomb" in the traditional sense like The Flash was, but it certainly didn't have the cultural footprint of its predecessor. People knew that whatever happened in this movie didn't matter. There was no post-credits scene teasing a future battle. There was no "Aquaman 3" on the horizon. It was a goodbye disguised as a blockbuster.
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Fact-Checking the "Lost" Details
- The Batman Cameos: It is a documented fact that both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton filmed scenes as Batman for this movie. In the end, James Wan cut them both because the DC timeline kept shifting, and having either Batman show up would have made the continuity even more confusing.
- The Visual Effects: The film used a new technology called "Eyebolts" which allowed actors to perform underwater scenes without being on painful wires. Instead, they were surrounded by circular rigs of cameras. It’s why the movement looks slightly different than the first one.
- Momoa’s Involvement: Jason Momoa actually received a "Story By" credit. He pitched the initial concept for the sequel to Warner Bros. executives shortly after the first film premiered. He wanted it to be about fatherhood and the environment.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ending
There’s a common misconception that the ending of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was changed to accommodate James Gunn’s new DCU. In reality, the ending is pretty self-contained. Arthur reveals the existence of Atlantis to the United Nations, basically pulling an "I am Iron Man" moment. It doesn't set up the Justice League; it doesn't mention Superman. It just ends Arthur’s arc as a man who finally accepted his responsibility to two worlds.
If you look closely at the CGI in the final battle, it’s a bit of a mess. Reports suggest that the budget was stretched thin because of the multiple rounds of reshoots. Some shots look gorgeous—James Wan’s eye for creature design is still top-tier—but other shots look like a PS4 game from 2016. It’s the result of a studio trying to finish a project they had already mentally moved on from.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Collectors
If you're a fan of the franchise or a collector of physical media, there are a few things you should know about how this movie sits in the history of DC.
Watch it for the Visuals, Not the Stakes
Don't go into Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom expecting it to bridge the gap to the new Superman movie. It doesn't. Watch it as a standalone high-fantasy action flick. The "Trench" sequences and the "Lost Kingdom" architecture are genuinely cool bits of world-building.
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Physical Media Value
For collectors, the 4K Blu-ray is actually worth picking up because of the HDR. The colors in the undersea kingdoms are incredibly vibrant, and since this is the "final" film of an era, it’s a weirdly important piece of cinema history. It marks the end of a very specific, chaotic chapter in Hollywood.
The Future of Jason Momoa
It’s widely rumored in the industry—though not officially confirmed for a specific project yet—that Momoa might return to the DCU as a different character: Lobo. If you watch his performance in The Lost Kingdom, you can see he’s leaning more into that "rough-and-tumble" biker energy than the regal king persona.
Summary of What to Do Now:
- Skip the tie-in comics: Unless you're a completionist, the "prequel" comics for this movie don't add much that isn't explained in the first ten minutes.
- Check out James Wan’s other work: If you liked the "horror" elements of the Trench or the undead soldiers in Necrus, go watch Malignant. It shows where Wan’s head was at creatively during this period.
- Manage expectations for the DCU: Understand that nothing in this movie carries over. Treat it as a "What If?" story rather than a foundation.
The movie serves as a colorful, somewhat frantic capstone to a decade of filmmaking. It’s a bit messy, sure. It’s definitely a victim of its own production environment. But at its heart, it’s a movie about two brothers trying to get along while everything around them is literally and figuratively underwater. That’s about as human as a superhero movie gets.