Movie review
December 20, 2023 · 124 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom follows Aquaman as he balances life as king of Atlantis, husband, and father while teaming up with his imprisoned half-brother Orm to stop Black Manta. The villain wields a cursed Black Trident that unleashes ancient power, causing greenhouse gas spikes, extreme weather, ocean acidification, and threats to both Atlantis and the surface world. The story highlights family protection, brotherly reconciliation, and a call for global unity through an environmental crisis plot device. Audience-visible elements include a UN address on planetary threats and background climate stakes tied directly to the villain's actions.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Woke representation / casting
Background diverse supporting roles and extras appear without prominent quotas, swaps, or audience-visible identity signaling. Black Manta casting aligns with long-established comic canon.
Woke political dialogue
Arthur delivers a UN speech urging unity against environmental threats; climate stakes drive the villain's plan but remain fantasy plot mechanics rather than real-world ideological lectures.
Identity-driven story themes
Narrative centers on family loyalty, fatherhood, and brotherly redemption with no race, gender, sexuality, or identity-politics arcs.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Villain-caused climate disasters prompt a call to end isolation between worlds; mild environmental stakes exist without targeting capitalism, patriarchy, traditional norms, or Western institutions.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. The film draws from Aquaman comics without reported ideological reinterpretations.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Some viewers and reviews noted climate messaging as hamfisted or political, but complaints stayed minor and scattered. Dominant backlash involved Amber Heard's personal controversies, not thematic content. No widespread right-leaning claims of DEI or identity politics.
Creator track record context
Jason Momoa brings mild environmental and cultural advocacy; Thomas Pa'a Sibbett emphasizes Polynesian storytelling; remaining key creatives have clean, non-activist genre histories.
Production
