Aquaman and Lost Kingdom released in US: what have movie’s reviews been like?

After a five-year wait, the DC movie Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is out in US theatres today, Friday 22 December 2023. The sequel to the 2018 film Aquaman, which was also directed by James Wan, the picture once more stars Jason Momoa as the titular superhero, who is tasked with defending the underwater kingdom of Atlantis.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: synopsis

Now king of Atlantis, Aquaman must again see off the threat of Black Manta (played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who has returned to avenge the death of his father. To defeat him, Aquaman must team up with an unexpected ally: his imprisoned brother Orm (Patrick Wilson), the former king of Atlantis.

“Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all,” the film’s distributor, Warner Bros, says. “This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force […]”

“Together, [Aquaman and Orm] must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction.”

Watch the trailer for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom:

What do the reviews say about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom?

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the Christmas season, but it has not been well received by the critics. The movie currently has a 36% positive-reception percentage on Rotten Tomatoes, a website that aggregates movie and TV reviews published by media outlets. On the film database IMDb, meanwhile, it has a popularity rating of 40 out of 100.

Below is a selection of the major critics’ reactions to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is set to be the final instalment in Warner Bros’ DC Extended Universe series of superhero movies.

George Simpson, Daily Express:

“After a year of lacklustre box office disappointments for comic book movies, 2023 ends with the most pointless of them all.”

David Fear, Rolling Stone:

“A tonal mess, dogged by VFX that range from ‘video-game cut scene’ to ‘last-minute rush job,’ complicated yet curiously thin storytelling, and endlessly aggressive rib-nudging.”

Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post:

“You can tell from every second of the sequel just how disinterested DC Studios is in this film and in the future of this character.”

James Dyer, Empire Magazine:

“Despite a charismatic turn from Momoa and some fun frenemy banter, this is a disappointing send-off that sees the DCEU go out with a squelch rather than a splash. Fin.”

Brian Lowry, CNN:

“Lacking the sense of discovery and world-building that powered the original, director James Wan settles for a sort-of misguided buddy comedy. Whatever the intent, this doesn’t feel like the answer to lift superhero movies out of their slump.”

Kevin Maher, The Times:

“Momoa’s performance […] provides diminishing returns (has muscles, makes jokes, flicks hair), while the overuse of CGI would put a charging rhino to sleep.”

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian:

“The Aquaman franchise is just flatlining, floating through the dreary depths like the kind of discarded plastic bag which is going to choke the last remaining vaquita porpoise.”

Robbie Collin, The Daily Telegraph:

“It felt like entire clumps of grey matter were giving up the gig in disgust and abseiling out of my ears.”

Nicholas Barber, BBC:

“The trouble is that Momoa’s selling point as an actor is how natural and physical he is, whereas nothing in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom seems real.”

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