10 Reasons Aquaman 2’s Reviews Are So Negative

Reviews for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are in, and critical consensus has not been kind to director James Wan’s follow up to the seafaring DC hero’s adventures. The first Aquaman wasn’t exactly a critical triumph, but is one of the better-regarded DCEU films, having its place as a cheesy sci-fi romp with excellent action setpieces and first-class art direction. However, it seems as though Wan wasn’t able to extend the goodwill earned by Aquaman’s first outing, failing to impress critics.

At the time of writing, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom sits at a dismal 36% critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, leaving it at the third-worst ranked DCEU film just above Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. For what it’s worth, the audience approval rating tells a different story, hovering at a passing grade with a 77% approval rating. This disconnect between how much leniency critics are willing to give the Aquaman sequel compared to casual viewers suggests the film’s scathing reviews are an overblown reaction to a film that, for all intents and purposes, is simply “fine”.

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Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom Review: The DCEU Ends Not With A Bang, But With A Whimper

Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom is as goofy and adventurous as the first movie, but tries too hard for a seriousness it can never achieve with Jason Momoa.

10 The Film’s Editing Is Choppy

“‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ is a hacked up mess, and that’s not just the editing, but boy is it also the editing.” – William Bibbiani, The Wrap.com

There’s a case to be made that the best movie editing isn’t noticed by the audience, but bad editing will be. Regardless of the validity of that maxim, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s editing is certainly noticeable, with many reviewers citing choppy transitions and jarringly sliced-up action sequences that don’t hold up to the noticeable extended takes of the first film’s fight scenes. It seems as though Wan’s team of editors struggled to convey the relatively simple story appropriately.

9 Aquaman 2 Feels Unimportant

“[Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom] is neither an enjoyable stand-alone film or a useful part of a broader universe.” – Johnny Oleksinski, NY Post

As the last film of the DCEU, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom had the opportunity to send off the cinematic universe with a bang. However, it’s clear that the film is a victim of circumstance, Aquaman being an obviously strange choice to act as the DCEU’s swansong. Reviewers have sensed that the film feels almost self-aware of this fact, realizing its unimportance as the last gasp of a dying franchise without doing enough to be worth viewership in its own right.

8 Aquaman 2 Relies On Crude Humor

“Rife with lazy one-liners that wouldn’t pass muster in a sitcom’s writers’ room.” – Alonso Duralde, The FIlm Verdict

Among the DCEU’s Justice League lineup, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman was always one of the more humorous heroes, embodying the energy of a superpowered bro always ready for a snarky witticism. However, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom seems to have pushed the franchise’s comedy to its limit, with even lazier one-liners for Momoa to spout alongside childish visual gags. One particular bit of toilet humor slammed by critics involves Aquaman’s infant son urinating in his royal dad’s face during a diaper change, a low-brow joke that the film finds entertaining enough to use twice.

7 The Visuals Pale In Comparison To The First Aquaman

“There isn’t anything as visually beautiful as Atlantis was in the first film” – Kaitlyn Booth, BleedingCool.com

The strongest aspect of the first Aquaman film was by far its visuals, featuring breathtaking undersea battles and creative creature design that managed to submerge fans in the bizarre world of the DCEU’s deep oceans. Unfortunately, this left Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom a high bar to clear in terms of impressing critics with visual fanfare alone, and nothing presented in the sequel manages to outdo the aquatic hero’s initial impression. Add in the recent successes of undersea worlds from films like Avatar: The Way of Water and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Aquaman’s second installment just can’t compete in the worldbuilding department.

6 Aquaman 2 Struggles To Balance Its Tone

“It’s a movie that tries to be everything at the expense of being anything.” – Germain Lussier, Gizmodo

Many critics have pointed to a violent clash of diametrically opposed tones as a hurdle to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s success. Many reviewers have expressed whiplash at the film’s sudden jump from characters firing off cheeky quips and interacting with cartoonish visuals to the dark turns of the plot, demanding the audience’s reverence at the drop of a hat. James Wan’s claims of studio interference could serve as an explanation for this particular hang-up, but it doesn’t excuse the film’s inability to pick an emotional lane and stick with it, be it a serious fantasy epic or a pulpy, rollicking undersea adventure.

5 Amber Heard’s Reduced Role Is Extremely Obvious

“I found [Amber Heard’s] sidelining to be incredibly noticeable.” – Pramit Chatterjee, DMT

Before Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could even finish production, the film was plagued with rumors of Amber Heard’s mistreatment on set following her controversial, very public trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp. While both James Wan and Jason Momoa have insisted that her role was not effected by the media buzz, critics have met this claim with skepticism, as Queen Mera is quickly injured and absent for the majority of the film despite being such an important character. It seems as though Mera’s role was noticeably reduced, the film straining to find a way to exclude her in the wake of Heard’s controversy.

4 The Environmental Message Misses The Mark

“There was audible laughter in the audience when the global warming aspect of the storyline takes shape.” – Julian Roman, MovieWeb.com

Aquaman did touch on environmental messaging, with much of Orm’s motivations for hating humans revolving around their pollution of the ocean. Despite the Aquaman movies clearly not being the time or place to inject a finger-wagging real-world message, the second film doubles down on these themes, much to the dismay of critics. The global warming aspect of the film was objected against as incredibly out-of-place in the low-brow blockbuster action flick, complete with a groan-inducing monologue about the danger of climate change from Nicole Kidman’s Atlanna.

3 Aquaman 2 Is Drowning In Lazy Exposition

“One notable problem is the abundance of lazy exposition throughout the whole runtime” – Manuel, Fandomwire

One criticism Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom seems to be sharing with its predecessor is in the clunky handling of exposition. Considering the vast amounts of Atlantean lore audiences are expected to absorb, neither film wastes time finding elegant solutions to conveying the history of the underwater civilization, despite the objections of even the kindest critics. The result is eye-rolling expository dialogue that can frustrate even the most partial viewer, one more mark against the already struggling Aquaman follow-up.

2 Black Manta Isn’t As Strong Of A Presence

“Abdul-Mateen’s baddie is more one-note this time around.” – Brian Truitt, USA Today

One of the most praise-worthy aspects of the first Aquaman was the introduction of Yahya Abdul-Mateen’s Black Manta, quickly becoming one of the DCEU’s best villains. While Black Manta was overshadowed by Orm in the first film as the true big bad, fans and critics were looking forward to his return in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom as the primary antagonist, with Orm taking a more supportive role. Unfortunately, reviewers were disappointed with Black Manta’s diminished depth, his character being eclipsed by a slow possession courtesy of the Black Trident.

1 The Film Is An Anticlimactic End To The DCEU

“The final result is a series of superhero movies that were always lost at sea.” – Leo Brady, AMovieGuy.com

As the DCEU fizzles out, making way for James Gunn’s new DCU as Warner Bros. Discovery’s primary superhero universe, Aquaman fails to provide a satisfying ending to the franchise. It’s clear to reviewers that the character was never particularly important to the grand scheme of the DCEU’s overarching story, and the series’ final film can do nothing to wrap-up lingering loose ends. It doesn’t help that the overall quality of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom failed to impress most critics, ultimately leaving the DCEU high and dry with a bitterly disappointing finale.