International cinemas are currently showing the superhero movie “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”, which is the second part of the “Aquaman” series, and the 15th film in the “DC Extended Universe”, and it is also the final work in the series that Studios announced “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”. Warner has finished and relaunched a new series that is currently being worked on.
“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” was directed by Australian James Wan and stars Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, and Nicole Kidman, and has so far grossed more than $400 million, against a budget of only $200 million.
Like most superhero films, the film showed a major contradiction on the critical reviews website Rotten Tomatoes, where critics gave it a rating of only 34%, while viewers gave it a rating of 81%.
Big issues within a weak film
The events of the movie “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” begin a few years after the end of the first part, where Prince Arthur/Aquaman assumed the throne of the Kingdom of the Seas, married his lover, Mera, and gave birth to a son. His life is divided between caring for the child in the surface world or Earth as we know it, and caring for His marine division.
Aquaman’s life is going on at a normal pace, but he is not aware of the revenge that Black Minta is secretly preparing for him, after Aquaman killed his father in the first part. Manta was able to find a secret weapon for a lost marine kingdom, and begins a plan that… Destroying not only his enemy, Aquaman, but the entire Earth.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen in the movie Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (IMDP)
Over a period of 6 months, “Black Minta” extracted an ancient type of fossil fuel, which was prohibited by the Kingdom of the Seas due to its bad effects on the environment, whether under water or on land. Soon climate changes began to intensify, the seasons of the year overlapped, and the level of pollution rose to a degree it had never reached before.
Aquaman uncovers Black Manta’s plan, but cannot find him in the wide seas, so he seeks the help of his brother, the former king Orm, who is imprisoned after attempting a coup and seizing royal power.
The plot of the movie “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” deals with two main issues. The first is climate change, the greatest threat to human life on Earth at the present time, and requires a large package of changes in industrial and environmental behaviours, changes that capitalist systems reject; As it is in its interest for the situation to continue, whatever its consequences for future generations.
On the other hand, we find that the “brotherly relationship” is the second basis on which the film relied, by monitoring the contradiction between “Aquaman” and “Orm”, the first with his lenient nature, wit, and superhuman strength, and the second with his devilish intelligence and lack of a sense of humor, while monitoring the complex relationship. Between them as a result of the previous war between them, but in the end they overcome these obstacles and engage in a struggle to save the world.
The movie “Aquaman” attempts to address major issues within the framework of traditional adventure. Climate changes attract wider attention every day, despite the wars and tragedies that occur whether in Gaza or Ukraine, but the movie tends to directly present the issue, and make it primarily focused on the simplified conflict. Between good and evil, while neglecting the most important elements such as the impact of large economic entities, technological development and the results of the use of artificial intelligence on the environment.
Humble conclusion
It is noted in the movie “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” the great similarities between the hero and his brother, “Rom”, and the “Thor” films of the Marvel series. In both of them, the hero is a person whose abilities exceed normal humans, and he is considered an example of strength, wit, handsomeness, and justice, and he obtains… All the privileges from the love of his parents to the ideal girlfriend, while on the sidelines comes the figure of the younger brother, more intelligent but easily swayed to the side of evil.
This is not the first time that the DC series has imitated Marvel films, but it is supposed to be the last after this strategy proved to be a failure over the course of 15 films that were unable to achieve the ambitions of the producing studio or the viewers.
It may seem from this diligent pursuit by DC that Marvel films are truly special, but that is not the truth, they are only relatively better, which has become clear in light of the recent decline in the popularity of superhero films, as a result of viewers becoming saturated with them and these films resorting to repetitive plots and the use of special effects. The visuals are in a way that makes the film closer to a video game experience than a movie.
Jason Momoa and Bartick Wilson in a scene from the final film of the Aquaman series (IMDP)
All of these defects appeared in the movie “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” which was filmed almost entirely in front of green screens. Then the filmmakers used CGI techniques to fill these voids, so the picture of the movie appeared artificial to the point of ugliness, and brings to mind what the director said. American Martin Scorsese described this type of film as an amusement park-like experience, not real cinema. When elements such as the interaction between the actors or their real communication with the filming locations are absent from the film-making, we find that we are faced with a visual experience devoid of any aesthetics.
The film’s scenario is dominated by extreme directness, such as Aquaman launching into a direct conversation with the viewers at the beginning, in which he tells what he did in the period between the events of the two films, which is a very weak technique, and this directness continued throughout the events, such as the long monologues of the evil being that controls “Black Manta”, while the struggle between good and evil resulting from one of the characters’ revenge for the killing of his father or mother is a cinematic trick that has been used in many of the second parts previously.
The movie “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” represents the best conclusion for this series, because it reminds everyone – including the producing studio – of all the reasons that led to the failure of the DC Extended Universe to avoid repeating its mistakes in the upcoming series, the first of which is expected to be shown, “Superman: Legacy.” :Legacy) in 2025.
