Yet another DC misadventure floats into and out of movie history with more of a ripple than a splash.  The second, and almost certainly final, Aquaman adventure follows a similar path as the first one five years ago.  Only, when the first one divided two Atlantean brothers who would be king, this one brings them back together.  The enemy is the son of a pirate who was killed in the first film, a guy who swears vengeance against Aquaman and his family, no matter what.  He says so, twice.

James Wan’s fishy tale has some merits; its production design is nice and the design of the Atlantean machines (especially the hammerhead submarine!) are pretty darn cool.  It is undeniably appealing for Aquaman (Jason Mamoa) to ride a knightly seahorse to battle, and the propulsion methods of the squid-like vehicles are almost hypnotic to watch.  But those elements are visual and have nothing to do with the story.  It is a mistake for Amber Heard to be present as Mera, the beautiful soulmate of Aquaman, and yet to give her so little to do.  She should have been a full part of the story, not its necessary evil.

The troubled relationship between Aquaman Arthur and his brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) is center stage, and it is amusing; later, even touching.  But the central story, which revolves around the misuse of orichalcum (yes, it is a legendary element; I thought they just made it up) is illogical and confusing.  Atlantis seems like a good place for undersea lock pickers; its security could use some serious upgrades.  And yes, this is one of those movies where much of the action happens so fast that it is hard to decipher exactly just what is going on — or to care too much about all the mayhem.

Plus, at the end Aquaman takes action that can never be reversed, changing the world forever.  Perhaps it is the right decision, but maybe it’s not.  Only time — and a bunch of sequels — would tell, and there aren’t going to be any sequels, so it’s kind of an empty move anyway.  Since the DC universe is going to be rebooted soon it really seems as though this movie really didn’t need to be made, and had no real support behind it.  Fans of the Fish Guy may mourn; many others won’t even notice that he has come and gone.  ☆ ☆.  1 January 2024.