Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom2(2023)
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| Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | James Wan |
| Screenplay by | David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick |
| Story by |
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| Based on | Characters from DC |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Don Burgess |
| Edited by | Kirk Morri |
| Music by | Rupert Gregson-Williams |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 124 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $205 million[2] |
| Box office | $4.5 million[3] |
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a 2023 American superhero film based on the DC character Aquaman. Produced by DC Studios, Atomic Monster, and the Safran Company, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the sequel to Aquaman (2018), and the 15th film and final installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film was directed by James Wan from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, based on a story conceived by Wan, Johnson-McGoldrick, Thomas Pa'a Sibbett, and Jason Momoa, who stars as Arthur Curry / Aquaman. The film also stars Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Randall Park, Dolph Lundgren, Temuera Morrison, Martin Short, and Nicole Kidman. In the film, Arthur must work with his half-brother Orm (Wilson) to prevent Black Manta (Abul-Mateen II) from killing his family and using the cursed Black Trident to overheat the world while searching for the lost seventh kingdom of the seas.
Momoa pitched a story for an Aquaman sequel during production of the first film.[4] Wan did not want to rush a sequel but agreed in January 2019 to oversee development. Johnson-McGoldrick signed on to return as screenwriter a month later, and Wan was confirmed to be returning as director in August 2020. He said the film would expand on Aquaman's worldbuilding, and announced the sequel's title in June 2021. Filming began at the end of the month and concluded in January 2022, taking place in the United Kingdom, Hawaii, Los Angeles, and New Jersey, with additional filming in New Zealand.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom premiered at a fan event at the Grove, Los Angeles on December 19, 2023, and was released in the United States on December 22, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film has grossed $4.5 million, and received mixed reviews from critics who considered it inferior to its predecessor and an underwhelming closure to the DCEU.[5]
Plot[edit]
Several years after becoming king of Atlantis,[a] Arthur Curry has married Mera and had a son, Arthur Jr., while splitting his life between land and sea. Meanwhile, David Kane continues to seek revenge against Arthur for his father's death, working with marine biologist Stephen Shin to find Atlantean artifacts. He finds a black trident that possesses him, its creator promising to give him the power to destroy Arthur.
Five months later, David attacks Atlantis and breaks into its orichalcum reserves to power Shin's Atlantean machines. Arthur learns that this usage of orichalcum, which emits high quantities of greenhouse gases, has not only raised planetary temperatures and caused extreme weather and ocean acidification but nearly caused a planetary extinction when used by an ancient Atlantean kingdom. To learn where David is hiding, Arthur breaks his half-brother Orm out of prison. The two meet with the crime lord Kingfish, who provides information leading to a volcanic island in the South Pacific.
While on the island, Arthur and Orm stumble across the black trident, which Orm reveals was created by Kordax, the brother of King Atlan and ruler of the lost kingdom of Necrus who was imprisoned with blood magic following a failed attempt to usurp the throne. Realizing the blood of any of Atlan's descendants could release Kordax, the two make their way to Amnesty Bay, where they learn David has kidnapped Arthur Jr. The Atlanteans, with a reluctant Shin's help, determine that Necrus's prison is located in Antarctica.
In Necrus, Arthur fights David to stop him from injuring Arthur Jr., and David almost kills Arthur before Mera arrives and saves her husband. Following this, David throws the black Trident at Mera, as she is getting away with her son, but Orm gets hold of the trident before it strikes her. The spirit of Kordax leaves David for Orm, who proceeds to fight Arthur and uses his blood to thaw the ice, freeing Kordax. With his half-brother freed, Arthur throws the black trident at Kordax, who catches it in mid-air, before throwing his trident to destroy the black trident and fatally impale Kordax. With Kordax's magic vanishing, Necrus starts to collapse, and as David hangs from a fissure, he refuses Arthur's help and throws himself down the cliff to his death. The Atlanteans and Shin escape to safety, and Arthur and Mera decide to let Orm go and tell the rest of Atlantis that he died on the condition he remains hidden. Believing the unification of the land and sea is necessary, Arthur reveals Atlantis' existence through an announcement at the United Nations and declares his intentions of making the kingdom a member state.
Cast[edit]
- Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman: The half-Atlantean/half-human king of Atlantis who can swim at supersonic speeds and summon and command aquatic life.[6]
- Patrick Wilson as Orm Marius:
Arthur's Atlantean half-brother and the former king of Atlantis who is stripped of his title as Ocean Master and imprisoned following his crimes against Atlantis in Aquaman (2018). He is freed from prison and recruited by Arthur to find and defeat Manta.[7] - Amber Heard as Mera: The queen of Atlantis, Arthur's wife and mother of their child Arthur Jr., and King Nereus's daughter who can control water.[8][9][10]
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as David Kane / Black Manta:
A ruthless pirate and high-seas mercenary who uses an Atlantean armored suit and wields the powerful Black Trident, seeking to kill Arthur and his family as revenge for the death of his father.[11][12][13] Director James Wan had planned since the first film to have Kane become the main villain of its sequel, hence why he opted to set up his conflictive relationship with Arthur in the previous film with Kane as a "glorified side character" before bringing him back with a "much bigger role", involving him coming across something "bigger" to get back at Arthur.[14] - Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin: A marine biologist obsessed with finding Atlantis who works for Kane.[15]
- Dolph Lundgren as Nereus: The king of Xebel and Mera's father.[16]
- Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry: Arthur's father who works as a lighthouse keeper.[17]
- Martin Short as the voice of Kingfish: The ruler of the pirate haven called the Sunken Citadel.[18]
- Nicole Kidman as Atlanna: Arthur and Orm's mother and the former queen of Atlantis.[19]
Also appearing are Vincent Regan as Atlan, the first king of Atlantis; Jani Zhao as Stingray; Indya Moore as Karshon;[15] and Pilou Asbæk as Kordax, Atlan's brother who was the creator of the cursed Black Trident and the undead king of the lost kingdom Necrus whose evil spirit possesses Black Manta.[20][21] John Rhys-Davies returns from the first film as the voice of the Brine King.[22]
