Arthur Curry, the half-human heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, has spent his life rejecting his royal heritage. But when his power-hungry half-brother, King Orm, plots to unite the seven underwater kingdoms and declare war on the surface world, Arthur must embark on a quest to retrieve the legendary Trident of Atlan, embrace his destiny, and become the protector of the deep.
Information |
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|---|---|
Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
December 21, 2018 |
Running time |
143 minutes |
Genre |
Action Adventure Fantasy Sci-Fi |
Budget |
$160,000,000 |
Box Office |
$1,148,528,393 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
James Wan |
Produced by |
Peter Safran Rob Cowan |
Written by |
David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick Will Beall |
Music by |
Rupert Gregson-Williams |
Cinematography |
Don Burgess |
Edited by |
Kirk M. Morri |
Production Co. |
Warner Bros. DC Films The Safran Company |
Distributed by |
Warner Bros. Pictures |
Official Trailer
The Plot
The Queen and the Lighthouse Keeper
In 1985, amidst a raging storm on the coast of Maine, lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry discovers an unconscious woman washed ashore. She is Atlanna, the Queen of the underwater nation of Atlantis, who has fled an arranged marriage to the tyrannical King Orvax. Thomas nurses her back to health, and over time, their bond deepens into love. They give birth to a son, Arthur Curry, who exhibits the miraculous ability to communicate with marine lifeforms even as a toddler. However, their domestic peace is shattered when Atlantean soldiers, known as Men-of-War, storm the lighthouse to retrieve the Queen. Atlanna fights them off to protect her family but realizes she must return to Atlantis to ensure their safety. promising to return one day at the sunrise on the pier. Before leaving, she entrusts her loyal advisor, Nuidis Vulko, with the secret mission of training Arthur. Under Vulko's clandestine tutelage, Arthur grows into a skilled warrior, yet he is ultimately rejected by Atlantean society for being a "half-breed," causing him to turn his back on his mother's underwater kingdom.
The Pirate and the Submarine
One year following Steppenwolf’s failed invasion of Earth, Arthur has become a vigilante figure known as the "Aquaman." He intervenes during a high-stakes hijacking of a Russian nuclear submarine by a team of high-tech pirates led by Jesse Kane and his son, David. Arthur effortlessly overpowers the pirates, breaching the sub and confronting the leaders. During the skirmish, Jesse becomes pinned under a torpedo as the vessel takes on water. David begs Arthur to help free his father, but Arthur refuses, citing the innocents the pirates killed. Jesse, refusing to let his son drown with him, detonates a grenade to force David to escape. David survives, fleeing the sinking sub, but vows a blood oath of revenge against Arthur for refusing to save his father.
The Drums of War
Beneath the waves, Arthur’s younger half-brother, King Orm, orchestrates a false flag operation. He uses the second Russian submarine to stage an attack on a secret meeting place, making it appear as if the surface world has struck Atlantis. This manipulation allows Orm to invoke an ancient treaty and declare war on the surface. King Nereus of Xebel, initially skeptical, pledges his allegiance to Orm's cause after witnessing the devastation. However, Nereus’ daughter, Princess Mera, who has been betrothed to Orm, sees through the deception. Unwilling to participate in the slaughter of billions, she journeys to the surface to seek Arthur's help. Arthur initially rebuffs her, but Orm sends massive tidal waves crashing into the world's coastlines as a warning shot. One such wave strikes Maine, nearly drowning Thomas Curry. Mera uses her hydrokinetic powers to extract the water from Thomas’s lungs, saving his life. Grateful and realizing the stakes, Arthur agrees to accompany Mera to Atlantis.
The Ring of Fire
Arthur and Mera travel to a hidden rendezvous point to meet Vulko. The advisor reveals that the only way to stop Orm's crusade and prevent civil war is for Arthur to claim his birthright. To do so, he must find the lost Trident of Atlan, a magical artifact belonging to Atlantis’ first ruler, which grants control over the seven seas. Their meeting is ambushed by Orm's soldiers. Mera and Vulko manage to escape, but Arthur is subdued and captured. Chains bound, Arthur is brought before Orm, who reveals a painful truth: their mother, Atlanna, did not leave voluntarily but was executed by being sacrificed to the Trench creatures for the crime of bearing a human's son. Blaming Arthur for her death, Orm offers him a chance to flee forever. Arthur refuses and challenges Orm to a duel for the throne in the "Ring of Fire," an arena situated over underwater lava flows.
The duel is brutal, with Orm displaying superior martial skill and underwater adaptation. He shatters Arthur's mother’s trident and prepares to deliver a killing blow. Before he can strike, Mera intervenes, manipulating the water to create a vortex that allows them to escape the arena. They flee Atlantis in a stolen submersible, prompting Orm to initiate a relentless manhunt.
The Desert and the Black Manta
Following clues from an ancient cylinder, Arthur and Mera journey to the Sahara Desert to find the fallen Kingdom of the Deserters. Beneath the sands, they discover an ancient forge and unlock a holographic message from King Atlan, which directs them to Sicily, Italy, to find the coordinates of the Trident. Meanwhile, Orm grants David Kane access to prototype Atlantean armor and weaponry, rebranding him as "Black Manta," and sends him to assassinate Arthur. Orm also learns of Vulko's betrayal and has his former mentor arrested.
In Sicily, Arthur and Mera retrieve the coordinates from a statue of Romulus. Moments later, they are ambushed by Black Manta and a squad of Atlantean commandos. A destructive battle ensues across the seaside rooftops. Black Manta’s optic plasma blasts severely injure Arthur, but the hero manages to grapple with David, attaching a grenade to the villain's armor. David is knocked off a cliff into the rocky waters below, presumably to his death. Mera treats Arthur’s wounds, and as they travel toward the Trident's location, she encourages him to embrace the duality of his heritage rather than fighting it.
The Trench and the Hidden Sea
Arriving at the coordinates in the mid-Atlantic, Arthur and Mera are swarmed by the Trench—savage, amphibious monsters that dwell in the deepest parts of the ocean. Using flares to hold back the light-sensitive creatures, they dive deep into the water, entering a high-velocity wormhole that transports them to a prehistoric, uncharted sea located at the Earth's core. There, they are shocked to find Queen Atlanna alive. She explains that she survived the sacrifice to the Trench and escaped to this hidden world but has been stranded for twenty years due to the impassable wormhole.
Atlanna informs Arthur that the Trident of Atlan is guarded by the Karathen, a mythical leviathan so terrified that no challenger has ever survived. Arthur enters the beast's lair. The Karathen mocks him as a "mongrel" unworthy of the crown. However, Arthur surprises the creature by understanding its voice and speaking back. He declares that he does not seek the Trident for power, but to protect his loved ones and both the surface and underwater worlds. Deeming him worthy, the Karathen allows him to take the Trident. Arthur emerges clad in the golden armor of Atlan, wielding the artifact that commands the ocean.
The Battle of the Brine
On the ocean floor, Orm attempts to coerce the crustacean Kingdom of the Brine into joining his alliance against the surface. When the Brine King refuses, Orm prepares to execute him. Suddenly, Arthur leads an army of marine creatures, including the Karathen and the Trench, into the fray. A massive battle erupts. Arthur rides the Karathen into the heart of the conflict, decimating Orm's forces. Seeing Arthur wield the true Trident, the marine life and the soldiers of the other kingdoms pause their fighting, recognizing him as the true King.
Arthur engages Orm in combat on the deck of a surfacing Atlantean vessel. Unlike their previous duel, Arthur uses the Trident's power and his surface-learned fighting style to shatter Orm’s weapon. Defeated, Orm demands death, adhering to Atlantean tradition. Arthur refuses to kill his brother. Suddenly, Atlanna rises from the sea, intervening. Orm is stunned to see his mother alive. She embraces him, confirming that Arthur saved her. Broken but accepting of the truth, Orm surrenders and is taken into custody. Vulko is reinstated, and Atlanna returns to the surface to fulfill her promise, reuniting with Thomas Curry at the lighthouse pier at sunrise.
King of the Seven Seas
With the war averted and the kingdoms united, Arthur accepts his destiny. He ascends to the throne of Atlantis with Mera by his side, embracing his identity as the protector of the deep and the bridge between two worlds: the Aquaman.
In a mid-credits scene, David Kane is found drifting on debris by Dr. Stephen Shin, a marine biologist obsessed with proving the existence of Atlantis. While examining David's damaged Atlantean armor, Shin accidentally triggers a plasma blast. David, now fully embracing the persona of Black Manta, agrees to lead Shin to Atlantis in exchange for the doctor's help in exacting his revenge on Arthur.
Top Cast
- Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman
- Amber Heard as Mera
- Willem Dafoe as Vulko
- Patrick Wilson as King Orm
- Nicole Kidman as Atlanna
- Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Manta
- Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry
- Ludi Lin as Captain Murk
- Michael Beach as Jesse Kane
Movie Collection
- Aquaman (2018)
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
