Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) is a superhero film adapted from DC Comics, directed by James Wan and starring Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson. The film is part of the DCEU and was released by Warner Bros.. Runtime: 2h 4m. Rated PG-13. Audience rating: 5.9/10.
What is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) about?
Aquaman must forge an uneasy alliance with his imprisoned brother Orm to protect Atlantis and the surface world from the wrath of Black Manta wielding the power of the Black Trident.
Released in 2023, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was directed by James Wan and produced under the Warner Bros. banner. The film occupies a significant place within the DCEU — contributing to the ongoing narrative and mythology of that cinematic universe.
The film features lead performances from Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, among others, anchoring a story that adapts characters first brought to life in DC Comics. Its source material gives the film a foundation rooted in decades of published storytelling, which Wan and the creative team interpret through a cinematic lens.
The film's 5.9 audience rating indicates a mixed response. Even so, it holds interest as part of the broader DCEU catalogue and for how it fits into the lineage of DC Comics-based cinema.
What happens in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)? — Full Plot
We open four years after the events of Aquaman (2018). Arthur Curry is now King of Atlantis. He has a one-year-old son, Arthur Jr. — born to Mera. He spends his time juggling Atlantean royal duties with surface-world parenthood. He has been informally working with the U.S. government on environmental policy.
Black Manta — David Kane (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) — has resurfaced. He has obtained a powerful artifact called the Black Trident, an ancient cursed weapon from the lost kingdom of Necrus. The Trident drives its wielder mad while granting them godlike power. Black Manta intends to use it to kill Arthur in revenge for his father's death.
Arthur recruits his exiled half-brother Orm Marius (Patrick Wilson) — the antagonist of the first film — to help him hunt Black Manta. Orm has been imprisoned in a remote desert wasteland; Arthur breaks him out under royal pardon. The brothers, despite the bad history, work together for the first time. Their road-trip dynamic across multiple international locations becomes the film's emotional centerpiece.
Black Manta is gathering ingredients for an ancient reanimation ritual. He intends to release Necrus, the lost kingdom — an Atlantean civilization destroyed by its own corruption millennia earlier. Necrus's emergence would unleash environmental devastation across the surface world.
Black Manta succeeds in the ritual. Necrus emerges. Arthur and Orm lead an Atlantean army into battle against Necrus's resurrected forces. The Black Trident drives Black Manta into deeper madness with every kill. Arthur eventually confronts Black Manta directly.
Arthur defeats Black Manta. Orm, having proven his redemption arc, is given conditional freedom to live in the surface world. Black Manta is captured. The Trident is destroyed. The film closes with Arthur formally announcing Atlantean diplomatic relations with the surface world — for the first time in centuries — at a United Nations address.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom grossed $437 million globally on a $215 million budget — significantly below the original. The film's release coincided with the James Gunn DC reset announcement; audiences were aware the DCEU was ending. The film was the last theatrically-released DCEU film of the Snyder-era continuity. James Wan and Jason Momoa have not returned for any subsequent DC projects.
Who stars in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)?
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What are some facts about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)?
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom released in 2023, placing it within the 2020s era of comic book cinema — a decade that saw superhero films become the dominant force at the global box office.
Directed by James Wan, the film was produced by Warner Bros. and adapts source material from DC Comics.
The principal cast features Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson, with key supporting roles played by Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
The film belongs to DCEU — the DC Extended Universe, Warner Bros' connected superhero continuity.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom carries an audience rating of 5.9 — a mixed reception that highlights the divisive nature of superhero film adaptations.
The DC Comics source material for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has been in continuous publication for decades, giving filmmakers a rich well of storylines, character arcs, and iconography to draw upon.
Modern superhero films like this one use a mix of practical effects and digital VFX, with entire sequences often shot against volume walls or LED stages pioneered by shows like The Mandalorian.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is catalogued on Movies on Comics among our collection of 162 comic book films spanning 48 years of cinema — from Richard Donner's 1978 Superman to the present day.
