This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) is looking a little more like a grownup these days. He’s no longer a wanderer, but a husband and a father and, oh, yeah, the king of Atlantis.
It’s a soggy job, but someone’s gotta do it. And someone else has gotta be mad about it, of course.
Despite the title being Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, I do not, at the end of this trailer, have a clear idea what the “lost kingdom” is. There were seven kingdoms, and there’s an ominously named “Black Trident” wielded by Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who is “going to destroy Aquaman and everything he holds dear,” just in case anyone is vague on his intentions. Black Manta sort of seems to be treated like the living embodiment of climate change, given that Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) says there’ll be global meltdown if he wins. And they have to defeat him for their children! We are being subtle.
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The Jinn Bot of Shantiport
Anyway, Aquaman’s former nemesis (and half-brother, sticking with the family theme) Orm (Patrick Wilson) (ed note: WE CALL HIM OCEAN MASTER THANK YOU) is back for an odd-couple team-up with Aquaman that definitely looks like the best part of this movie. Here’s the synopsis:
Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction.
All returning to the roles they originated, Jason Momoa plays Arthur Curry/Aquaman, now balancing his duties as both the King of Atlantis and a new father; Patrick Wilson is Orm, Aquaman’s half-brother and his nemesis, who must now step into a new role as his brother’s reluctant ally; Amber Heard is Mera, Atlantis’ Queen and mother of the heir to the throne; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is Black Manta, committed more than ever to avenge his father’s death by destroying Aquaman, his family and Atlantis; and Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, a fierce leader and mother with the heart of a warrior. Also reprising their roles are Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus and Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is in theaters December 20th.
