Aquaman Early Reactions Praise James Wan’s Wild DC Movie

The Aquaman movie reactions are now online from critics who had a chance to see the film early; here’s what they’re saying about James Wan’s DC film. Jason Momoa first debuted as Arthur Curry aka. Aquaman in Zack Snyder’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, though it was merely as a cameo. Then, the superhero returned and joined the titular team of heroes in Justice League. However, while fans may have enjoyed seeing Aquaman share the screen with other major DC Comics heroes in both Batman V Superman and Justice League, he’ll next lead his own movie. Wan’s Aquaman hits theaters next month and will showcase the aquatic hero in a standalone adventure.

Aquaman will see Momoa’s character grow from the child of human Thomas Curry (Temuera Morrison) and Atlantean Queen Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) into a king himself. Arthur will need to fight his brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) for the throne of Atlantis and, along the way, acquire the superhero’s trident and comics costume. Aquaman will also need to use his crown to prevent the underwater kingdoms from waging world on the land dwellers. Altogether, the premise and trailers for Aquaman tease an epic underwater adventure. Early test screening reactions to Aquaman have been mostly positive, and now the first critic reactions are in.

Related: Aquaman Final Trailer Breakdown

Earlier this month, Wan’s final cut of Aquaman screened for members of the press. While full reviews of the movie are still under embargo, many took to Twitter to offer their initial reactions to the latest DC film. Take a look at a selection of those reactions below, including Screen Rant’s own Andrew Dyce.

These early reactions from the press reflect the response from the most recent test screenings, and seem to be more positive than the reactions out of early test screenings for Aquaman. That is to say, Warner Bros. and DC Films might have another hit on par with Wonder Woman on their hands. Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot’s origin movie for Diana Prince is arguably the most successful DC film from Warner Bros’ latest franchise since Wonder Woman was a hit with critics and casual moviegoers alike. Plus, Wonder Woman earned more than $800 million at the global box office, making it a financial success as well. Early projections for Aquaman’s box office weren’t stellar. However, movie tickets went on sale last week and broke records. This may indicate Aquaman could have a higher opening weekend and better legs at the box office than previously believed.

Of course, that’s not to say Aquaman will definitely be a success. These early reactions to the movie are mostly positive, but they aren’t necessarily a definitive indication of whether a film will connect with audiences. Considering the comparisons to a Phase 1 Marvel movie and words like “cheesy” and “melodramatic” being used to describe Aquaman (albeit in a positive manner), it’s possible Wan’s DC movie will have its detractors. It could also potentially get a little lost amid the ultra-competitive late-December release window. Still, that seems like a small possibility.

Thankfully, Aquaman hits theaters in just a few weeks and fans will get their chance to see Momoa’s starring turn in a DC movie for themselves. For now, they can take heart in the fact that early reactions for Aquaman are largely positive.