Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom is set to release this weekend, and critics have already been weighing in on the sequel to the 2018 film.
Based on the DC character, Aquaman, and directed by James Wan, the film features an ensemble cast including Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
The movie joins Arthur Curry/Aquaman as he juggles his duties as king with being a father and a member of the Justice League. Black Manta returns as the villain, still eager to avenge his father’s death and take Aquaman down.
Reviews from critics so far have been generally poor, with the movie currently scoring a 37 per cent rating on review aggregator, Rotten Tomatoes.
Empire gave the movie two stars, and called it a “disappointing send-off that sees the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) go out with a squelch rather than a splash”.
Meanwhile, The Independent rated the film one star, calling the franchise “brainless”. Recognising the end of the DCEU which included Suicide Squad and Black Adam, their review read: “It’d be nice to say the 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.”
IGN were slightly more generous with a six out of ten star rating, commenting that “once you get past that first slog, though, things start to get fun for a stretch.”
Referencing the playfulness of the first movie, they wrote: “The first Aquaman works in spite of itself because it’s fun and silly, and that’s a tone that Lost Kingdom mostly nails just as well. “
IGN did, however, criticise the film’s visuals, saying that “the visual beauty mostly begins and ends with the landscapes and underwater civilisations”. They continued, speaking about the characters: “They may look worse because the scenery around them is so bright and crisp, but it’s definitely a distraction.”
Collider were complimentary of the dynamic between Momoa’s character and Wilson’s character of Orm, writing: “Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom also excels when it’s essentially a buddy comedy between Momoa and Wilson”.
Additionally, they praised the writing by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, saying that he works to “keep the story as small as he can”. They continued: “The DCEU almost always worked best on a smaller scale, and the moments where Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom play with the brother dynamic of Arthur and Orm can’t help but remind of that.”
However, the general response from critics is largely negative. The BBC, with their two star rating of the movie, said of the editing: “Perhaps everyone involved just wanted to get the film over and done with as quickly as possible, but they rush though every potentially major event in a blur of montages and voiceovers.”
They added: “Any parents who fancy a two-hour snooze over the Christmas holiday while their young children are stimulated by loud noises and colourful lights could do worse than to buy some tickets.”
Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom is scheduled to be in cinemas from December 22.
