Overview: As Arthur Curry confronts the responsibilities of being King of the Seven Seas, a long-buried ancient power is unleashed.

After witnessing the full effect of these dark forces, Aquaman must forge an uneasy alliance with an old enemy, and embark on a treacherous journey to protect his family, his kingdom, and the world from irreversible devastation.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment/Studio Distribution Services is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this March 12th, 2024.

For my money, this Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom [4K UHD Blu-ray + Digital] combo pack sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom presented to us as a two-disc combo pack with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, Aspect ratio: 1.78:1 and Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

One of those moments now being what we shall call the Meeting Topo the Cephalopod scene. Although we briefly glimpsed Topo in the first film, playing the drums during Arthur and Orm’s ceremonial fight, Topo finally gets his time to shine. Not only is he a skilled musician but he is also a renowned spy. Cephalopods are pretty handy.

When he first meets Topo, Arthur rudely says, “That’s an octopus.” But the cephalopod quickly proves his worth by squeezing into tight spots and helping Orm escape. From there on out, Arthur warmly refers to his aquatic companion as “a dumb squid.”

Another scene now highlighted we shall call the Revenge of the Whales scene. It couldn’t be an Aquaman adventure without calling upon the creatures of the sea to help save the day. Black Manta’s orichalcum-fueled weaponry features a devastating sonic disruptor. This device incapacitates Aquaman and his allies immediately. Fortunately, Arthur summons all the whales of the ocean to counteract the frequencies. Whale that was a good idea!!

As for the audio, well we get: English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps) and Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps).

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the story to hand, well, Aquaman returns to our screens in this follow up to his solidly enjoyable 2018 solo movie, and for the most part this sequel follows its predecessor in delivering a decently fun and entertaining movie.

In a world of convoluted multi-verses and overly tiresome connected characters, there’s a pleasing simplicity to this story that is appealing and engaging. It follows Aquaman as he faces a familiar foe to protect his Kingdom. It’s certainly nothing groundbreaking or overly original within the superhero genre, but it’s a more than solid plot nonetheless.

I mean, sure, recycling a villain in only the second movie for this character could be seen as a little lazy. I’m no Aquaman super fan so I’ve no idea what his rogues gallery is like, but there was surely potential to have a bit more fun with this. In any case, the return of a familiar character removes the need for any excessive exposition and ensures the story moves along at a good pace.

Speaking of characters, the cast list is pretty thin and there isn’t much in the way of new blood in this film. You’d think this would give the script a chance to really develop these existing characters more, but that doesn’t really happen. Perhaps another missed opportunity here.

The action throughout is fine if nothing special. The effects are a mixed bag but are sometimes quite impressive. In addition, aside from some awkward humor that doesn’t really work, the tone and feel of the film is quite good. In fact, for my money, this is a better constructed film than the first one.

Ultimately, if you enjoy the superhero genre this film will give you a good time. It doesn’t really push the boat out or take too many risks, but at the same time it feels like a superhero film from years gone by in that it is contained and simple in a refreshing way. A must-watch for those lonely rainy nights spent inside alone, for sure.