Is Aquaman 2 a wet and wild wonderland? Or is there something fishy about this washed-up franchise? Here's what the critics are saying about "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom."
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00:00 Is Aquaman 2 a wet and wild wonderland?
00:03 Or is there something fishy about this washed up franchise?
00:06 Here's what the critics are saying
00:07 about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
00:09 The sea-dwelling superhero played by Jason Momoa
00:12 has been away from the big screen for five years,
00:15 aside from a post-credits cameo in The Flash.
00:17 But this week, he returns in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
00:20 After three DC Comics-based box office bombs
00:23 in a row this year, Warner Brothers is hoping to score
00:25 a win with Aquaman's second solo outing.
00:28 But the signs so far aren't positive.
00:30 Between rumors of behind-the-scenes turmoil
00:32 and a review embargo lifting just a few hours
00:34 before preview showings begin in North America,
00:37 some fans fear that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
00:39 might stink worse than a fish market.
00:41 Based on the first wave of reviews,
00:43 it seems those fears were justified.
00:46 - I'm gonna kill Aquaman
00:47 and destroy everything he holds dear.
00:50 - Slashfilm's own review was one of the more favorable takes
00:52 with a score of seven out of 10, concluding that, quote,
00:55 "It's not as good as the original,
00:57 but it is still one of the better superhero films
00:59 of the year."
01:00 That faint praise aside, though,
01:01 things aren't looking good for Arthur Curry.
01:04 On the extreme end, we have some one-star reviews
01:06 of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,
01:08 including one from The Telegraph critic Robbie Collin
01:10 that doesn't pull its punches.
01:12 "Some films are so stupid,
01:14 you can swear individual brain cells are dying
01:16 as you watch them.
01:17 Then there is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,
01:19 during which it felt like entire clumps of gray matter
01:22 were giving up the gig in disgust
01:24 and abseiling out of my ears."
01:25 The Independent reviewer Clarice Lowry
01:27 also gave the sequel one star.
01:29 She notes that while a movie so nakedly terrible
01:32 could have had the potential to be celebrated
01:33 as so bad it's good,
01:35 the oversaturation of superhero movies over the last decade
01:38 has sucked the joy out of even the bad ones.
01:40 It is yet another reminder that cinema is locked
01:43 in a corporate chokehold, robbing artists of the ability
01:45 even to flail about in style anymore.
01:48 It'd be nice to say the DC Extended Universe franchise
01:50 will be remembered for its occasional triumphs,
01:52 but The Lost Kingdom speaks too fluently to its failures
01:56 to not feel like a damning indictment on its legacy.
01:58 "I cannot believe you let this happen."
02:00 A recurring theme in the reviews
02:02 is that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,
02:03 despite having no shortage of ridiculous moments,
02:06 is ultimately pretty formulaic and predictable.
02:08 Variety's Owen Gleiberman writes,
02:10 "They spend most of their time fighting,
02:12 face-to-face, spear-to-spinly CGI monster,
02:15 trident-to-trident.
02:17 The movie, with all that combat,
02:18 is staged on an impressively grand scale
02:20 by the returning director, James Wan,
02:22 but at the same time,
02:23 there's something glumly standard about it."
02:25 Not all critics hated Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
02:28 Kwaitram Bowie acknowledged the movie's flaws
02:30 in her review for Inverse,
02:31 but she also praised it as a fun ride for audiences
02:34 who can get on board with its ridiculousness.
02:36 Its chaotic, messy story can be somewhat forgiven
02:39 when you've got a master visualist like James Wan,
02:41 who imbues a sort of mid-aughts B-movie blockbuster charm
02:44 to every frame.
02:45 And once the second born-to-be-wild needle drop hits,
02:48 you can't help but get your spirits up.
02:50 Sometimes all you need is good, dumb fun.
02:53 The A.V. Club's Matthew Jackson was also charmed
02:55 by Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,
02:57 giving the movie a B-grade
02:58 and crediting its most enjoyable moments
03:00 to the character dynamic of Arthur Curry
03:02 and his formerly villainous half-brother, Orm.
03:04 With Arthur as the comedian and Orm as the straight man,
03:07 they banter like crazy, get into trouble,
03:10 and even find ways to slowly and organically form
03:12 new bonds of respect.
03:13 When the movie's working with that formula,
03:15 it's absolute gold,
03:16 both on a set piece and a character level.
03:19 (upbeat music)
03:21 (upbeat music)