What Critics Are Saying About Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom
Ladies and gentlemen, blobfishes and goblin sharks, put your fins together for the long-awaited return of Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, aka the King of Atlantis. The sea-dwelling superhero played by Jason Momoa has been away from the big screen for five years (aside from a post-credits cameo in "The Flash"), but this week he returns in "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom." After three DC Comics-based box office bombs in a row this year ("Shazam! Fury of the Gods," "The Flash," and "Blue Beetle"), Warner Bros. is hoping to score a win with Aquaman's second solo outing — but the signs so far aren't positive.
Between rumors of behind-the-scenes turmoil and a review embargo lifting just a few hours before preview showings begin in North America, some fans feared that "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" might stink worse than a fish market. Based on the first wave of reviews, it seems those fears were justified.
/Film's own review is one of the more favorable takes with a score of 7/10, with Rafael Motamayor concluding that "it's not as good as the original, but it is still one of the better superhero films of the year." That faint praise aside, though, things aren't looking good for Arthur Curry. With 52 reviews counted so far, its Rotten Tomatoes score is currently sitting at 37%. Let's take a closer look at the reviews behind that score.
Critics are coming down hard on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
On the extreme end, we have some one-star reviews of "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," including one from The Telegraph critic Robbie Collin that doesn't pull its punches:
"Some films are so stupid you can swear individual brain cells are dying as you watch them. Then there is 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,' during which it felt like entire clumps of grey matter were giving up the gig in disgust and abseiling out of my ears."
The Independent reviewer Clarisse Loughrey also gave the sequel one star. She notes that while a movie so "nakedly terrible" could have had the potential to be celebrated as so-bad-it's-good, the over-saturation of superhero movies over the last decade has sucked the joy out of even the bad ones:
"It is yet another reminder that cinema is locked in a corporate chokehold, robbing artists of the ability even to flail about in style anymore [...] It'd be nice to say the [DC Extended Universe] franchise will be remembered for its occasional triumphs (it's rare to find a comic book film as good as 2020's 'Birds of Prey') but 'The Lost Kingdom' speaks too fluently to its failures to not feel like a damning indictment on its legacy."
A recurring theme in the reviews is that "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," despite having no shortage of ridiculous moments, is ultimately pretty formulaic and predictable. Variety's Owen Gleiberman writes:
"They spend most of their time fighting: face to face, spear to spindly CGI monster, trident to trident [...] The movie, with all that combat, is staged on an impressively grand scale by the returning director, James Wan, but at the same time there's something glumly standard about it."
Did critics have anything nice to say about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom?
Not all critics hated "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom." Former /Film editor Hoai-Tran Bui acknowledged the movie's flaws in her review for Inverse, but she also praised it as a fun ride for audiences who can get on board with its ridiculousness:
"Its chaotic, messy story can be somewhat forgiven when you've got a master visualist like James Wan who imbues a sort of mid-aughts B-movie blockbuster charm to every frame. And once the second 'Born to be Wild' needle drop hits, you can't help but get your spirits up. Sometimes, all you need is good, dumb fun. It's a weird way to end a cinematic universe, for sure, but at least the DCEU went out with a bang."
The A.V. Club's Matthew Jackson was also charmed by "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," giving the movie a B grade and crediting its most enjoyable moments to the character dynamic of Arthur Curry and his formerly villainous half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) being forced to team up:
"With Arthur as the comedian and Orm as the straight man, they banter like crazy, get into trouble, and even find ways to slowly and organically form new bonds of respect. When the movie's working with that formula, it's absolute gold, both on a set piece and a character level."
"Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" is the final film of the DC Extended Universe, which began a decade ago with Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel." The franchise is now undergoing a soft reboot as the DC Universe, so if you've enjoyed Jason Momoa's version of Arthur Curry it's worth seeing "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" to judge it for yourself, and to say a final farewell to the DCEU.