AQUAMAN and the Lost Kingdom (2023) Movie Recap & Review

The recap of the film AQUAMAN and the Lost Kingdom 2023 begins with criminals raiding a cargo ship during a storm. Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa) emerges from the ocean riding his giant seahorse Storm. He defeats the criminals while discussing his life over the past few years in his voiceover. Having conquered his brother Orm/Ocean Master (Patrick Wilson), Arthur now rules Atlantis and finds the job boring. He is married to Mera (Amber Heard), and they have a son, Arthur Jr. Arthur’s parents, Thomas (Temeura Morrison) and Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), assist in raising Junior while Arthur manages his duties as king and Aquaman. Junior inherits Arthur’s ability to communicate with underwater creatures.

AQUAMAN 2 and the Lost Kingdom Movie Recap

In the Arctic, David Kane/Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) leads an expedition seeking revenge against Aquaman. He collaborates with marine biologist Dr. Stephen Shin (Randall Park) and others to locate Atlantis. During the expedition, Shin and a crew member fall down an icy chasm.

A long-dormant creature in the ice breaks its tentacle out, pulling the crew member to his death. David and his men recover Shin and discover other creatures frozen in ice. David goes underwater, finds the Black Trident, puts both halves together, and has a vision of a monstrous king, Kordax (Pilou Absaek). Kordax calls to David, offering help to kill his enemy if David frees him.

Five months later, temperatures worldwide start rising at an alarming rate. Mera presents Arthur before the Council of Atlantis, led by Karshon (Indya Moore), to discuss the issue. Arthur advocates for Atlantis to reveal itself to the surface world, a notion met with quick disagreement. Frustrated, Arthur shares a beer with his dad, discussing the challenges of his duties as king when others don’t share his perspective.

In the Atlantic, David seeks a fuel source called Orichalcum in Atlantis, capable of powering machines created by Shin. After discovering the Atlantean Orichalcum reserves, David launches an attack on Atlantis.

Atlanna and Mera defend the kingdom, but Black Manta, using his laser helmet, incapacitates Mera. Before he can harm her, Aquaman intervenes. Manta wields the Black Trident, enhancing his strength and power without his suit. Arthur pursues David, who employs a device on his ship to emit a sonic pulse, knocking out Aquaman.

In the aftermath, Karshon tries to blame Arthur for the Atlantis attack, and Mera ends up in the hospital. Arthur confers with Atlanna and King Nereus (Dolph Lundgren) on dealing with Black Manta’s threat.

They conclude that David is using Orichalcum to raise global temperatures. To locate Manta, Arthur suggests seeking Orm's help, despite Atlanna and Nereus cautioning against releasing him from prison. Arthur believes he can trust his brother this time.

Arthur dons a stealth suit to infiltrate the prison in the Fisherman Kingdom, accompanied by a cephalopod named Topo, skilled in camouflage. Orm, deprived of most of his water, appears emaciated and weakened. Arthur confronts the harsh guards, freeing Orm, who is displeased to see his brother.

They seize control of two large beasts, ascending to the surface. Guards pursue them, but Orm reaches the beach, regaining strength to defeat them. Arthur and Orm retreat into the ocean before reinforcements arrive.

The brothers head to an underwater pirate sanctuary called the Sunken Citadel. Seeking information on David, they approach crime boss Kingfish (Martin Short). When Kingfish refuses assistance, Arthur and Orm fight his goons.

Arthur places a helmet on Kingfish, draining water until he reveals Manta's possible location in a dormant volcano named Devil’s Deep. After obtaining enough information, Arthur breaks the helmet and escapes with Orm.

Shin catches David talking to Kordax in the mirror, but the image disappears before Shin sees it. After David leaves, Shin touches the Black Trident, experiencing visions of Kordax. David warns Shin against snooping into his affairs.

Arthur, Orm, and Topo arrive on an island where Devil’s Deep is situated, surrounded by a vast jungle. They observe mutated plant and animal life, fleeing from giant insects. To create a bridge, Arthur body-slams a statue, and they push it over the ledge to eliminate the pursuing insects.

Despite ongoing bickering, they reach Manta’s base, knocking out some of his men. Shin joins them, expressing concern about David's insanity and danger. Before Shin can elaborate, Stingray (Jani Zhao), David’s right-hand woman, renders Shin unconscious. The villains chase the brothers, with Stingray controlling a large robot with tentacles.

Arthur and Orm collaborate to defeat the mecha before Manta appears. They engage in a fight, and just before Manta can kill Orm, Atlantean forces led by Nereus attack, destroying the base. Manta and his goons escape using the sonic pulse on Arthur again, but Mera saves him.

Everyone recovers on the surface. Orm begins sharing what he knows about the Black Trident, mentioning his brief encounter with it during the Manta fight. Kordax, King Atlan’s (Vincent Regan) brother, started Necrus, his own kingdom, and forged the Black Trident in an attempt to seize control of Atlantis.

The trident corrupted him, turning Kordax and his subjects into monsters. To free Kordax, blood from a direct descendant of Atlan must be used, making Manta a threat to Arthur, Orm, Atlanna, or Arthur Jr.

True to form, Manta descends upon Amnesty Bay, attacking Thomas in his home, kidnapping Junior, and setting the house ablaze. Arthur saves his father, leaving him in Atlanna's care. Shin, upon learning of David's abduction of Junior, signals the Atlanteans to locate them. Arthur, alongside Mera, Orm, Nereus, and the Brine King (John Rhys-Davies), sets out to find Manta.

David and Stingray discover Necrus, intending to bring Junior to Kordax’s throne. Arthur summons sea creatures to overload the frequencies in the villains' base, causing an explosion that eliminates Stingray and other henchmen.

Just before Manta can use Junior’s blood, Shin hands him a bag with a bomb while escorting Junior to safety. After dealing with other goons, Arthur and Orm confront Manta, who strikes Arthur hard enough to draw blood and awaken Kordax. Orm takes the Black Trident and starts succumbing to Kordax’s influence.

The evil king attempts to turn the brothers against each other, but Arthur appeals to Orm’s better nature, and they overcome the possession. Arthur hurls the Black Trident toward Kordax, who catches it. Shin tosses Arthur his own trident, which he hurls directly through the Black Trident, shattering it and destroying Kordax.

With Kordax's demise, Necrus begins to crumble. David falls through a chasm, and Arthur offers to save him, but he defiantly chooses to fall to his death, sneering “Never!” Everyone else escapes.

After their escape, Arthur and Mera express gratitude to Shin for saving Junior, and the group decides to let Orm go free by pretending he perished in the collapse. Orm bids farewell to his brother and mother before swimming away.

Arthur returns to Atlantis and fulfills his commitment to reveal the kingdom to the surface world. Atlantis emerges from the ocean before the entire world, and Arthur addresses the United Nations, attempting to foster unity between land and sea. He concludes his speech by proudly declaring himself the king of Atlantis and, of course, AQUAMAN!

During the credit scene of the movie, Orm is shown eating a cheeseburger for the first time, following Arthur's suggestion. He spots a cockroach crawling by (a detail Arthur had earlier convinced him about people eating cockroaches) and adds it to his burger.