Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

I was wondering where all the films were for the end of year film season, and all of a sudden, boom!, here they are. there will be seven plus films released in just two days. Some of these films probably won't profit very much because of the onslaught of releases. Well, the start of this massive list is that of "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom", which is a follow up of 2018's "Aquaman". 

Having failed to defeat Aquaman/Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) the first time, Black Manta/David Kane (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), 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 (Patrick Wilson), 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.

Others to round out the cast are Amber Heard as Mera, Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin, Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry, Arthur's father, Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus, Martin Short as Kingfish, Jani Zhao as Stingray, Pilou Asbaek as Kordax, Indya Moore as Karshon and John Rhys-Davies as Brine King. 

This was intensely directed with grit by James Wan ("Stygian" 2000, "Saw" '04, "Insidious" '10, "The Conjuring" '13, "Furious 7" '15, "Aquaman" '18, "Malignant" '21) plus others, TV, a short and a video. While this filmmaker was once the 'king of horror', has now graduated to other genres which is healthy. Even though this director will probably never helm a comedy, he certainly has been willing to go out of his comfort zone which is my definition of talented. This was directed with the same intensity and action as its predecessor, however the predecessor being directed by Wan, one can see the similarity. It was penned well by writer David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick ("Orphan" '09,"Red Riding Hood" '11, "Wrath of the Titans" '12, :The Conjuring 2" '16, "Aquaman" '18, "The Conjuring : The Devil Made Me Do It" '21) plus TV and a short. What makes this film work is, like Wan directed both "Aquaman" and Aquaman 2, this writer has also written both films. Although Johnson-McGoldrick has adhered himself to mostly the horror genre, he has still proven himself with the action packed type of films. There were a couple of places of predictability in this, but that could be purposed in order to make it that much more captivating considering the major demographic involved. Also, the visual effects predominantly designed by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic), MPC (Moving Picture Company) and Double Negative were seamless and amazing, but were a bit over-the-top in some places of script.

Certainly, if you liked "Aquaman" '18, you'll like this as well. It has a plethora of action, explosives, adventure all in a fantasical setting, all the while holding an element of family and how important that is. It has been rumored that this is the end of the franchise since DC is involved in overhauling the company. We'll see.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                       Rated: PG-13                                           124mins.