Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Movie Review : The DCE U's last gasp is dragged down by shoddy effects and a dull first act

Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom started its box office journey on the wrong note. The film has suffered multiple delays, which impacted the buzz created by its billion-dollar original film. It was released in China on December 20 and is hitting the US and Canada screens today, i.e., December 22, 2023. The rotten tomatoes score for Aquaman 2 is out, and below are all the details you need to know.

Directed by James Wan, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom is a tale of brotherhood. Jason Momoa, aka Arthur Curry, recruits his half-brother Orm to find and destroy Black Manta. While multiple promos were unveiled before the release, Amber Heard’s absence created a lot of noise. Her role has significantly been reduced from the female lead as Mera, and the decision has caused a huge debate on the internet.

Aquaman 2 Reviews

From visuals to the plot, cine-goers have opinions about Aquaman 2 that aren’t favorable.

Valerie Complex from Deadline Hollywood Daily wrote, “The first Aquaman film maintains a balance of seriousness and fantasy, The Lost Kingdom veers into cartoonish territory.”

Richard Roeper from the Chicago Sun-Times shared, “[The Lost Kingdom] is waterlogged with boring villains and underwhelming visuals.”

“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,” commented Empire Magazine’s James Dyer.

Why are Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom surrounded by negativity?

After Amber Heard lost the $50 million defamation suit against Johnny Depp, petitions were signed with millions of signatures demanding her removal from DCEU. However, Warner Bros continued to include her in the sequel of Aquaman.

Things got worse as her role was significantly reduced, which did not please either side. While Johnny Depp fans were disappointed that she was still a part of the movie, Amber Heard fans were angry about her partial inclusion.

Amber Heard plays the role of Mera, Jason Momoa’s love interest in Aquaman.

Aquaman 2 Multiple Delays!

Jason Momoa’s film was earlier scheduled to release on December 16, 2022. The post-production work could not be completed due to the Covid pandemic, which pushed the film to March 17, 2023. Fans were disappointed when the film was postponed again, this time for the December 25, 2023 release. It finally hit the theatre screens on December 20 and 22.

Aquaman 2 Cast

Apart from Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson and Amber Heard, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom also stars Nicole Kidman, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Randall Park, Dolph Lundgren, Temuera Morrison, and Martin Short in pivotal roles.