Rating: 5/10 Format: Regular Theatre

A script that doesn't have any story to hold it tight together. It's a very interesting story that discusses many aspects like family, brotherhood, fatherhood, and leadership. But, perhaps this was its core problem, that it was trying to be so many things at the same time. At times i didn't know where the story was heading which made the story jump from discussing topics like fatherhood to an adventure with two brothers who had beef in their past. The film is unfortunately a typical superhero film in terms of expecting what's coming next from events, and sequences.

On top of that and with all the chaos, the film re-discusses the villain's story which revolves around his revenge but it was so weak comparing to how it was in the first film. I didn't feel his presence nor i felt his evilness. He was suppose to be much stronger here but i barely felt him. The film also brings back old characters that just all of a sudden showed up in some sequences to save the day and be the superhero of the act which felt so weird because they came out of nowhere.

The film's CGI is okay at most times. It's defiantly not as good as the first one but it is for sure better than most of the MCU's latest projects this year like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). The cinematography unfortunately got downgraded which is something that I was anticipated for especially after seeing the first part. But I felt like there was no room for that because of how messy the sequences and story was especially that we were jumping between the past and present a lot and from one place to another.

Not to mention, the whole last sequence of the film was so good in terms of the action sequences and grabbing the audience's attention. Really got me hooked and interested and wished if the rest was like that.

Rating: 4/10 Format: Regular Theatre

A script that doesn't have any story to hold it tight together. It's a very interesting story that discusses many aspects like family, brotherhood, fatherhood, and leadership. But, perhaps this was its core problem, that it was trying to be so many things at the same time. At times i didn't know where the story was heading which made the story jump from discussing topics like fatherhood to an adventure with two brothers who had beef in their past. The film is unfortunately a typical superhero film in terms of expecting what's coming next from events, and sequences.

On top of that and with all the chaos, the film re-discusses the villain's story which revolves around his revenge but it was so weak comparing to how it was in the first film. I didn't feel his presence nor i felt his evilness. He was suppose to be much stronger here but i barely felt him. The film also brings back old characters that just all of a sudden showed up in some sequences to save the day and be the superhero of the act which felt so weird because they came out of nowhere.

The film's CGI is okay at most times. It's defiantly not as good as the first one but it is for sure better than most of the MCU's latest projects this year like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). The cinematography unfortunately got downgraded which is something that I was anticipated for especially after seeing the first part. But I felt like there was no room for that because of how messy the sequences and story was especially that we were jumping between the past and present a lot and from one place to another.

Not to mention, the whole last sequence of the film was so good in terms of the action sequences and grabbing the audience's attention. Really got me hooked and interested and wished if the rest was like that.

IF this was made in the early days of superhero franchises, say when Iron Man first came out, then it might have stood out. Unfortunately Aquaman 2 has to bear the burden of having to follow through the recent flops and/or mixed bag of superhero output from both MCU/DCEU.

James Wan doesn't offer anything new under sky; a baddie who wants revenge - saw that in the Marvels. Sibling tension? Saw that in Thor. Supposedly all powerful, final-baddie who then gets thumped easily? Saw that in Black Adam. By now, there's such an air of familiarity in superhero fares, that I think it' gonna take a complete shift in narrative/plots to offer audiences a fresh take.

Jason Momoa's charisma and screen presence is basically the backbone of the movie and it pretty much carries it through. His timing, especially humour, is spot on, while his Aquaman is also convincingly authoritative. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's somewhat wasted here. A capable actor, but he's reduced to portraying a stock baddie out for revenge, while his right arm, Stingray, is as one dimensional as they come. Plus it doesn't help that the actress who plays Stingray is kinda cardboard too.

I find Randall Park, while dependable, nevertheless still plays Randall Park from other movies/Tv shows. You've seen his character in Blockbuster, or in the mcu outfits.

Don't have any complaints on Amber Heard or Nicole Kidman, but they don't have enough screen time to make much of an impact. But I have to admit, I did wonder, what if Nicole played Capt. Marvel instead of Brie? I think I would have bought into it a lot faster. Kidman's talent is such that, even small screen time doesn't stop her from exuding enough screen presence to make her contribution count.

Which leaves me with Patrick Wilson. His portrayal of Orm is brilliant, suffusing the character with the tension his inner conflicts have with his motives - "do I live in hate, or do I forgive?" The fact that Wilson achieves this without any acting histrionics but leaves his angst just right above the surface, just enough for us to feel it, is probably the standout feature of Aquaman and Lost Kingdom. I think he kinda redeemed himself from the poor and dumb Moonfall.

I hope James Gunn will be able to create not only a new trajectory for DCEU, but an entire different take on superhero movies. While Aquaman 2 is entertaining enough to fill your 2h, it's also a by the numbers' effort. Not something you and I will live to remember.