Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Debuts as Rotten on Rotten Tomatoes

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is heading to theaters this weekend, and it's expected to be the final movie of the DCEU. This year has been a strange one when it comes to comic book films with many movies underperforming at the box office. The Aquaman sequel marks the third DC film of the year after The Flash and Blue Beetle, and while it's projected to earn more in its opening weekend than the year's first two outings, it's also expected to make significantly less than the first Aquaman. The movie's takeaway could also be hurt by its poor reviews. At the time of this writing, the new film has a 37% Rotten Tomatoes score after 70 reviews. 

The Wrap's William Bibbiani called the film a "hacked up mess" while Variety's Owen Gleiberman said it was "glumly standard." However, the film did receive some positive reviews. AV Club's Matthew Jackson called the sequel an "entertaining popcorn movie" while Screen Rant's Molly Freeman says it's "goofy and adventurous" like the first film. ComicBook.com's Jenna Anderson gave the movie a 3 out of 5, and called it "a suitable swan song for the DCEU." You can read more from her review below:

"Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is perfectly fine, whether as a showcase of some of its titular character's weirdest lore, the finale to one of the most controversial film franchises in modern history, or an entertaining-enough superhero movie in a landscape that no longer has to rely solely on them. While the film certainly doesn't manage to break new ground, an argument can be made that it doesn't necessarily need to – it's just a pleasant, largely entertaining time with a character whose big-screen portrayal was one of the DCEU's rare successes. Thanks to its free-wheeling attitude and committed ensemble cast, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom closes a cinematic chapter in a silly, but satisfying-enough way." 

What Is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom About?

In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which arrives in theaters on December 20th, when an ancient power is unleashed, Aquaman must forge an uneasy alliance with an unlikely ally to protect Atlantis, and the world, from irreversible devastation. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will see the return of Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Patrick Wilson as Orm, Amber Heard as Mera, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, and Randall Park as Stephen Shin. Jani Zhao will play new character Stingray, Indya Moore will play Karshon, and Vincent Regan will play Atlan, who was previously portrayed by Graham McTavish in Aquaman. Pilou Asbaek has also joined the cast in a mystery role.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is directed by James Wan, with a script from David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. Producers include Wan and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran.