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| Aquaman is ready to ride...the seahorse! Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. |
When I saw Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, it was similar to other adventure films, e.g. Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Avatar, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, you get the idea. But what really astounded me was how it helped the main man Arthur Curry become more than his usual reckless, happy hour-loving self, and brought out his true heroic nature.
In The Lost Kingdom, Aquaman, played by Jason Momoa, is trying to be a responsible king of Atlantis and have a life on land. But his hands, or should I say "fins", are about to get fuller when Black Manta/David Kane, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateem II, seeks revenge and tries to destroy Atlantis and its multiple kingdoms. To save his loved ones and the sea, Aquaman has to turn to his least favorite person: his half-brother, Orm, played by Patrick Wilson.
It started off with Aquaman telling a literal hard rock tale of his battling pirates with Steppenwolf in the background music, and gets more humorous as he gets exhausted keeping the kingdom balanced and loosening the uptight Orm. I said he didn't seem like a true hero to me, but Aquaman proved himself when it came to protecting his loved ones, even if it meant knocking down a statue with his head on purpose to get to some ancient temple.
Orm was like Loki and Thor in having a trickster and traitorous side (Loki), but still wanted to be strategic and keep truces at bay (Thor). In the end, Orm came through and helped save the day. It is funny how he tries some unorthodox stuff to fit in with the human world.
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| Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Orm (Patrick Wilson), half brothers-in-arms. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. |
Though Mera, played by Amber Heard, had shorter screen time this film, she still fought hard by Arthur's side, and I was glad Temuera Morrison's character of his father Thomas Curry reminded him that not every superhero has to have powers as long as they protect their loved ones.
Abdul-Mateem as Black Manta was still like Killmonger from Black Panther with the whole malevolent conquering behavior. He was a pretty determined and convincing antagonist. The different sea creatures from Arthur and Orm's ventures had some vibes of the cantina at Mos Eisley from Star Wars or Harry Potter/Avatar/Pirates of the Caribbean, in both funny and terrifying ways.
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| Black Manta (Yayha Abdul-Mateem II) has the face of a man you don't want to mess with, Aquaman. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. |
Character evolvement and crazy sea world aside, there was also the great scoring by Rupert Gregson-Williams. With the synthesizers highlighting Black Manta's treachery and all the other action, it was reminiscent of Ludwig Göransson's Black Panther scoring or that of Hans Zimmer from his previous superhero films, and it worked well. And let's just say the talks about climate problems around the world seem like reflections of our real life problems with wildfires or polar ice caps melting. Hope that puts a reminder to keep our environments safe.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was an 8/10 for bringing a more human Aquaman, strengthening his bond with Orm and his family, and cool music in the background. It may have been the last DC movie before they reboot, but I think it sent them off on a decent note. Thank you, cast and crew of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
P.S. Some of the filming was done in Jersey City! #JerseyPride!!!
