Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) Trailer Review

Despite very little fanfare and very little promotional material, we finally have our first trailer for the upcoming film Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. I am going to look through the trailer and take the biggest things from it. 

This film is set 4 years after the original film. 

Straight away in the trailer we find out that this film is set 4 years after the first film and that Aquaman has become a father. He has also been King of Atlantis the entire time, which is a job that clearly frustrates him. We have seen him in small cameos in recent DC films but I highly doubt any of them will be acknowledged here. 

Black Manta is back and is the main villain

Black Manta played by Yahya Abdul-Matten was an interesting side villain in the first Aquaman film but was ultimatley a small part of the film. He is back here and he is clearly taking a step up in terms of his role. He still holds a massive grudge against Arthur Curry and by having a new weapon he is trying to destroy the whole of Atlantis. 

Is Tom Curry killed off here?

Tom Curry played by the amazing Temuera Morrison is a nice addition to the cast and a good father to Arthur. But there is a shot in the trailer which shows his house burning, does this herald the death of Tom or is it just a red herring in the trailer. His death would make sense as Black Manta's grudge with Aquaman started with the death of his own father so would link well as a story. 

Atlanna is back but Vulko is not. 

The trailer confirms that Arthur's mother Atlanna played by Nicole Kidman reprises her role in this film. It has been pretty much confirmed that she will be Arthur's biggest ally and helping him run Atlantis. It is like she is taking the role of Willem Dafoe's Vulko from the first film, it has been confirmed he won't be back for this film which is a shame. 

Patrick Wilson is back as Orm

At the end of the first film Orm is arrested and loses the right of King of Atlantis. He is brought back here and it seems that he will be a reluctant ally of Aquaman as they look to stop Black Manta. It does seem a very Thor & Loki relationship and it will be interesting to see how Orm and Arthur's relationship is handled during this film. 

Amber Heard is back as Mera, but very shortly

In a fleeting moment in the trailer we see Amber Heard as Mera. It is clear that she is married to Arthur here and she gave birth to their child. However, after all the controversial events in her personal life it is likely her role will be significantly reduced here. Director James Wan has said it was always the plan for her to have a smaller role but I have no doubt the real life stuff has had an impact on the film. 

Overall

Overall, this looks like a fun film. DC have had some bad times recently and clearly have little faith in this film but this trailer got me a bit more excited and it will be nice to see this character one more time before the big DC reboot.