In 2013, DC Comics and Warner Bros. began their own brand of crossover superhero movies known as the DC Extended Universe with Zack Snyder at the helm, starting with ‘Man of Steel’. Since then, the DCEU has seen more lows than highs and just hasn’t been able to replicate the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

With the upcoming DCU brand of movies led by James Gunn and Peter Safran set to reboot the franchise, the DCEU comes to a close with the latest and final film, ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ starring Jason Mamoa, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and more returning from the original film, with James Wan in the director’s chair once again.

The sequel to 2018’s ‘Aquaman’ sees Arthur Curry living a happy and fulfilling life as a husband, a father, and of course, the King of Atlantis. Balancing all three comes with its challenges though, as being king is much more work than he was prepared for. While speaking with the Atlantean council, they discuss the global warming issues on the surface world and how it’s now affecting the seas.

Arthur believes revealing themselves to the rest of the world and sharing their technology will help heal the planet instead of going to war with them. Meanwhile, David Kane has unfinished business with Aquaman and is still seeking revenge after his father was left to die.

Looking to improve his Black Manta suit, he works with a marine biologist, Stephen Shin to find ancient Atlantean artifacts, where he discovers a black trident that possesses him and grants him the power to kill Aquaman and destroy Atlantis. With Atlantis under threat, Aquaman reluctantly seeks the help of his half-brother, Orm to track down Black Manta, to protect his family and prevent the destruction of Atlantis.

After many delays and reshoots due to several factors, things weren’t looking promising for the Aquaman sequel. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has now finally been released in theatres worldwide, continuing the story of the original film and bringing back the stars of the original cast.

Jason Mamoa is back in the iconic golden armour, wielding the ‘Trident of Neptune’. Much like the original film and 2017’s ‘Justice League’, Mamoa’s performance portrays Aquaman as smarter-mouthed and a bit of a comedic version of his comic book counterpart in his role as the ’King of Atlantis’.

Mamoa’s version, however, is still as entertaining as ever and can get serious when it matters most, creating some intense and emotional scenes. Some of the best moments throughout the film are with his half-brother Orm, who in the first film was battling Arthur to keep the Throne of Atlantis.

Patrick Wilson returns as Orm Marius, aka Ocean Master. The sequel sees him imprisoned to pay for his crimes and in a very weakened state due to a severe lack of water. After Arthur breaks him out of prison, the two must somehow work together and find Black Manta.

Wilson’s performance portrays him just as serious and as stern as before and still with no love for his half-brother. The dysfunctional brothers dynamic creates some hilarious moments in the film, as Arthur constantly cracks jokes at Orm, who takes everything far too seriously.

Wilson also shows Orm’s inexperience with the surface world, since he’s spent most of his life in the sea, such as the way he runs and Arthur tricking him into eating a cockroach. Oddly enough, in some ways, Wilson’s portrayal of Ocean Master on screen feels closer to the comic version of Aquaman.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II also returns as David Kane, better known as Black Manta, and relishes that role. After coming up short against Aquaman in the first film, Black Manta is back with a vengeance. His pure hatred for Aquaman grows even bigger and he doesn’t hesitate to be consumed by the evil within the black trident, just to see Aquaman dead and burn Atlantis to ash. Everything Yahya does on screen is done so well that the audience can feel his blood boiling.

The sequel goes even deeper into the character that was set up in the first film. Even though being possessed by the Black Trident feels it takes the character in a different direction than what he could’ve been without it, Yahya’s performance is still one of the biggest highlights of the film.

Other returning stars include Temuera Morrison as Thomas Curry, Nicole Kidman as Atlanna and Dolph Lundgren as Nereus who have smaller roles this time but still get plenty of big moments throughout the film. Randall Park also returns as Dr. Stephen Shin who now has a bigger role working with Black Manta. He first joined him because he was always fascinated by Atlantis and wanted to see it for himself but starts to second guess that decision after learning more about Black Manta’s real intentions.

Returning as well is Amber Heard as Mera, now a wife, a mother, and the Queen of Atlantis alongside her husband, Aquaman. She was meant to have a bigger role like in the first film but has been heavily reduced due to her real-life controversy, so she only appears in the film when necessary, and there is a scene that explains her limited screen time.

With a lot of the movie set deep in the ocean, the set pieces feature some breathtaking underwater scenery, incredible architecture, and vibrant sea life. Atlantis looks as marvellous as ever and this time, the film even explores some other civilizations as well as the ‘Lost Kingdom’ as implied in the title, learning about its dark history. The special effects did an amazing job creating all the set pieces and really gives that underwater feeling, especially with how each character’s hair flows in the water.

The action sequences are exciting and highly entertaining to watch. Whether the characters are in a battle, taking on armies or traversing through various unique locations, the Aquaman sequel has no shortage of action scenes. The special effects help illustrate the characters’ special abilities such as moving through water at high speeds, their enhanced strength, Mera’s hydrokinesis, Black Manta’s destructive laser beams and so much more. The special effects look unfinished in some parts, but it’s barely noticeable. Seeing Aquaman riding the giant seahorse, Storm will certainly please fans of the comics.

The film’s soundtrack was composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams, who like much of the cast, also returns from the first film and whose work also includes 2017’s ‘Wonder Woman’. The tracks have something for every occasion and even features the brand new song, “Deep End” performed by X Ambassadors.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom already had people divided with their opinions long before the film’s release and being part of the DCEU didn’t help give much hope either. The first film from 2018 surprisingly became the highest DCEU film, the highest-grossing film based on a DC Comics character, the fifth-highest film of that year, and the 20th highest-grossing film of all time. The sequel has still grossed a very high number of box office sales, but far less than its predecessor.

Reviews so far have been mostly negative, but personally, I actually really enjoyed the sequel as it continues the story from the first film, ties up some loose ends, supplies a lot of memorable moments and fan service, and gives closure to a franchise, which some other DCEU movies failed to do.

While other DC movie franchises will still be continuing in their own separate universes such as Joaquin Phoenix’s ‘Joker’ and Robert Pattinson’s ‘The Batman’, plus the upcoming DCU set to reboot the franchise of crossover movies, Zack Snyder’s DC Extended Universe has officially reached its end. The two solo Aquaman movies feels more like standalone films disconnected from the DCEU, since they don’t feature any cameos from other DC characters. It may not be the fitting end to the DCEU, but it’s still really enjoyable for what it is.

It’ll be interesting to see what direction James Gunn and Peter Safran take the DCU, and if Jason Mamoa gets cast as Lobo as rumours have been heavily suggesting, since his real-life personality would be perfect for the ‘Intergalactic Bounty Hunter’. Until then, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom truly makes a splash and closes out the DC Extended Universe.

Written by: Sammy Hanson