Though the film takes a bit to properly get going, once the adventure and the road trip begin, “Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom” swims. This is clearly a film made by the same guy who directed “Furious 7,” as the humor is silly and there are plenty of bonkers moments, but they work because of how earnest the film is, with director James Wan grounding it in one idea — family.
Wan is good at balancing silliness with emotion. We see this in the Orm and Arthur dynamic, which is equal parts funny and also sweet. Patrick Wilson steals the film as Orm, literally doing a fish out of water as Orm learns about the human world (including how not to Naruto-run). Sure, the rest of the Aquaman family is back, but they all play second-fiddle to the Orm-Arthur duo, and it works. This is half a road trip movie and half an old-school adventure movie, as we go from one exotic location to the other.
Much like with the first film, the key to “Aquaman 2” is its world-building and fantastical creatures. Favorites like The Brine King and Topo are back, while new creatures and locations make this an exciting sci-fi/fantasy blend that makes Aquaman unique. From a pirate citadel made out of sunken ships, to a vast desert kingdom, to the film’s answer to Mordor. The lost kingdom of Necrus looks stunning, with a mix of VFX and practical sets to make it feel like a real place, and a neat visual style that informs its history and lore through visuals. It’s the kind of lived-in location that can sustain countless other stories.