Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details of classification and consumer advice lines for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
• a review of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 27 December 2023.

Overall comments and recommendations

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• themes
• use of violence
• material that may scare or disturb children
• product placement
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie’s message

A synopsis of the story

Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and his wife Mera (Amber Herd) have just had a baby son and he is trying to find the balance between meeting the needs of his family on land and the demands of ruling the city of Atlantis. Battling the effects of global warming and various plagues that rising acid levels are having on the sea, things go from bad to worse when David Kane/Black Manta (Yahya Abdul Mateen II), who has long sought revenge on Aquaman for killing his father, finds the ancient trident that once belonged to Kordax (Pilau Asbaek), an evil ruler of a city who transformed all his people into monsters to fight against the original King of Atlantis. When Kordax and his demon army were defeated, they were frozen in an icy prison, never to be free again. The trident has powers and through it, Kordax offers David the chance to take his revenge on Aquaman. Instructed by Kordax, David steals large amounts of a dangerous compound called Orichalcum, which he uses to raise ocean temperatures even further, causing environmental catastrophes all over the world. When Aquaman learns what is happening, he sets off to free his half-brother Orm from the desert prison holding him captive, as Orm is the only person who can help him track down David. Together, they must find a way to stop David from releasing Kordax, save Atlantis and find a way to repair the catastrophic damage to the world’s eco-systems.

Revenge; Global warming; Climate change; Environmental degradation.

There is some violence in this movie, including:

• Multiple people are roughly shoved and pushed against shipping containers, as pirates take over a large vessel.
• Ice cracks apart and two men fall into a crevice running deep below the surface. One of the men has a broken leg and their car falls, nearly crushing them. The injured man is then attacked by a snake-like monster that bursts forth from the ice and drags the man into a cavern while he screams for help.
• Aquaman brags that he is good at “breaking heads”. He play fights with two dolls, while telling his baby son the story of a battle. The battle itself is shown (hitting, kicking throwing, slamming, punching etc), interspersed with images of Aquaman recounting the fight to his infant son.
• Multiple divers are thrown, snatched or killed by a deep-sea creature with snake-like tentacles.
• Kordax tells David that he will give him the power to kill Aquaman, his family and kingdom. The promise is accompanied by brutal images of death and destruction as David carries out his hopes for revenge.
• A character declares that if they make contact, it will be to eradicate and not to coexist.
• David’s ship attacks Atlantis. Ships explode, and people are hit as a battle ensues and the ship is chased through a night market.
• Aquaman’s mother tries to stop David but she is hit by a sonic pulse and then knocked out by a beam.
• Black Manta uses a laser ray on Mera, burning through her chest and knocking her unconscious against a far-off rock ledge. He is about to plunge a trident through her when Aquaman intervenes.
• Black Manta uses his laser rays to attack an Atlantean train, in order to distract Aquaman and make his escape. Aquaman manages to save the train just in the nick of time. He is then blasted backwards by a sonic pulse.
• It is mentioned that in the desert prison, blood is used for sustenance.
• Monsters grab, punch, kick, electrocute, and torture Orm.
• Arthur kicks, punches and shoots monster guards while wearing an invisible suit. He and Orm hijack the guards’ transportation (skeletal creatures with powerful mouths for faces that can chew through rock and climb up any surface.)
• Arthur fights a skeletal guard while Orm crawls to the water. Orm them takes on four of the guards and spears them while Arthur tackles two other guards that are trying to spear and shoot him.
• A character threatens to blind Aquaman, and Aquaman begins to punch people.
• Aquaman nearly drowns a Ruler by subjecting him to a helmet full of air.
• Large, creepy insects are devouring an enormous rat carcass, deep in a remote jungle.
• Lots of large plants and flowers try to attack and eat bugs, along with Arthur and Orm.
• Arthur punches a huge bug-creature in the face and knocks over a statue so that the bugs following him and Orm fall off into a deep ravine and die.
• Black Manta says that he is going to kill Aquaman, murder his family and burn Atlantis to the ground.
• David holds a character at knife point and threatens to kill him.
• Guards are attacked and their guns taken.
• A man is punched and guards are shot at.
• Orm and Arthur are held at gun point.
• A firebomb blasts Arthur and Orm through a window and down onto a ledge below.
• An entire row of men are knocked out with a pipe.
• Multiple people are shot at and there are numerous explosions.
• A machine with tentacles tries to grab, stab, pinch, crush, and puncture Orm.
• Arthur ties a chain around the legs of a mechanical monster, causing it to crash to the ground.
• A character is lasered in the chest.
• A character is nearly stabbed in the chest with a trident.
• Missiles are shot to an island, causing multiple explosions.
• A sonic weapon blasts Aquaman back and he is nearly crushed beneath boulders.
• Aquaman’s father is stabbed through the chest and told that he will be left alive long enough for his son to watch him die.
• Arthur and Mera’s son is kidnapped.
• Aquaman uses the ocean animals to create a huge sonic pulse to destroy the weapon often used against him and his people. The powerful sonic pulse explodes the sonic weapon, killing passengers and sinking a ship.
• A monster army attacks a group of sea creatures, and a fierce battle ensues with multiple decapitations.
• A snake-like monster grabs hold of a character and is about to pull him down towards his mouth, when Orm chops off the tentacle holding the man captive.
• Two men are skewered by a trident.
• Black Manta is about to stab a baby.
• Two characters fight with tridents, slashing, hitting and smacking each other as they blast into ice and walls.
• Aquaman is about to be killed but Mera intervenes at the last second and saves him.
• Orm is told that he must either kill his brother or die.
• A trident is thrown at Kordax but he catches it just before it flies through his face. Aquaman throws another trident, smashing Kordax’s trident down the centre and ultimately impaling and killing the creature.
• There is a massive explosion as the ice cavern begins to collapse.
• David falls into a crater but rather than take Aquaman’s hand for help, he throws himself backwards to his death.
• A character is shown, post-battle, with his claw cut off.

Material that may scare or disturb children

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:

• There are numerous creepy-looking characters, many of whom are monsters, that are likely to be disturbing for young children. These include a deep-sea creature with snake-like tentacles and a wide gaping mouth full of razor sharp teeth. It is stealthy and lethal and kills many men. There are a whole crew of demon-like skeleton monsters who are trying to escape a prison they have been frozen inside for centuries.
• Kordax tries to possess anyone who touches his trident and get them to do his bidding. The person’s eyes will glow green, just like the eyes of the demon himself, and suddenly they are not in control of their decisions.
• David often wears a bug-like suit with a helmet, featuring large, red, glowing eyes. He is evil and bent on revenge and does not care whom he hurts or kills.
• There are evil-looking monsters with skeletal faces that guard the prison where Orm is held captive. They are menacing, lethal and appear to be what nightmares are made of.
• Images are shown of an evil ruler turning his people into skeletal monsters.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:

• Arthur’s father is babysitting when the lights go out. He gets up from the couch to grab a torch and behind him, in the darkness, Black Manta is waiting with huge, red, glowing eyes. He viciously stabs Arthur’s father through the chest and takes the screaming baby to use his blood to free Kordax from his prison. The little baby is screaming, and the house is set on fire. The baby is later stuffed in a bag and can be heard crying. A character tries to save him from Black Manta, but the baby is taken and nearly impaled with a dagger.

• Nothing further noted.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in this movie:

• Guinness beer
• There is reference to the movie, Castaway.

Sexual references

• None noted.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:

• Aquaman’s wife gives birth in the water and his naked, newborn son is taken straight from the sea.
• While Aquaman changes his son’s nappy, the baby often pees in his face.
• Aquaman’s bare chest is often shown.

Use of substances

There is some use of substances in this movie, including:

• Aquaman and his father frequently share beers together.
• Hammerhead shark creatures drink strange substances in a bar.
• Numerous, unusual-looking drinks are served in a bar in the Sunken Citadel.

Coarse language

There is some coarse language in this movie, including:

• Ass
• Frickin
• A cut off use of the word, “Fuck”, is heard.
• Dick bag
• Crap
• Son of a bitch
• Shit
• Suck
• Asses and asshole
• Piss
• Hell
• Bastard
• Stupid
• Tight butthole.

In a nutshell

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a fantasy adventure that picks up where the film Aquaman left off. It features special effects, lots of action and a fast-paced plot. While the film may appeal to children it is not meant for young viewers and will be best enjoyed by older teen and adult audiences.

The main messages from this movie are that true kings build bridges; that we must do the right thing, especially when doing the wrong thing is so much easier; and that, sometimes, not giving up is the most heroic act of all.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

• Teamwork
• Loyalty
• Compassion
• Courage
• Forgiveness.

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children the importance of looking after the natural environment and making choices that help rather than harm.