Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom|Raising Children Network

Story

Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa) has just had a baby son with his wife Mera (Amber Herd) and 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 rising acid levels in 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). Kordax was an evil ruler who transformed all his people into monsters to fight against the original King of Atlantis. And when Kordax and his demon army were defeated, they were frozen in an icy prison, never to be free again.

Kordax offers David the chance to use the trident 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’s happening, he sets off to free his half-brother Orm from the desert prison holding him captive. 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.

Themes

Revenge; global warming; climate change; environmental degradation

Violence

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has some violence. For example:

Multiple people are roughly shoved and pushed against shipping containers, as pirates take over a large vessel.
Ice cracks apart and 2 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 from the ice and drags the man into a cavern while he screams for help.
Aquaman brags that he’s good at ‘breaking heads’. He play fights with 2 dolls, while telling his baby son the story of a battle. The battle itself is shown in parts, and includes hitting, kicking throwing, slamming, and punching.
Multiple divers are thrown, snatched or killed by a deep-sea creature with snake-like tentacles.
Kordax tells David that he’ll give him the power to kill Aquaman and 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 follows and the ship is chased through a night market.
Aquaman’s mother tries to stop David but she’s 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’s 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 time. He’s then blasted backwards by a sonic pulse.
It’s 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 and skeletal creatures with powerful mouths for faces chew through rock and climb over every surface.
Arthur fights a skeletal guard while Orm crawls to the water. Orm them takes on 4 of the guards and spears them while Arthur tackles 2 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 devour 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’s 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 that is 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.

Sexual references

There are no sexual references in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has some substance use. For example:

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.

Nudity and sexual activity

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:

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.

Product placement

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has some product placement. For example, Guinness beer is shown and there is reference to the movie, Castaway.

Coarse language

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has some coarse language.

Ideas to discuss with your children

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

These are the main messages from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom:

True kings build bridges.
We should all do the right thing, even when the wrong thing is easier.
Sometimes, not giving up is the most heroic act of all.

Values in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom that you could reinforce with your children include teamwork, loyalty, compassion, courage and forgiveness.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the importance of looking after the natural environment and making choices that help it rather than harm it.