If you were hoping for the DC Extended Universe to go out with a bang, it looks like you’re going to be pretty disappointed. Reviews for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are finally here, and they’re pretty bad.
The DCEU is arguably the most polarizing movie franchise in history, with films like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Man of Steel receiving wildly different reactions from critics and fans. There was a point in the last few years where things seemed to get better, but with James Gunn’s DC Universe on the way, The Lost Kingdom was always more likely to sink than swim.
io9’s Germain Lussier thought the film bit off a bit more than it could chew. “It’s got some very fun scenes & lots of potential but it delivers on very little of it,” he said on X. “It’s overstuffed, unnecessarily complicated and messy tonally/thematically.”
Related: Jason Momoa Doesn’t Think He’ll Return as DC’s Aquaman
Ben Rolph from Discussing Film had some nicer things to say about the film in his review, but he also mentioned that, as a swan song for the DCEU, it leaves a bit to be desired. “Even if this works as a standalone piece, it leaves an underwhelming feeling in fans that can only be blamed on the studio’s management of the DC franchise,” he said.
Indie Wire’s David Ehrlich was pretty firm in his stance that he didn’t think The Lost Kingdom knew what it wanted to be. “The Lost Kingdom becomes more and more formulaic as it digs into its mythos, as if the movie were caught between being its own thing and being nothing at all,” he said in his Rotten Tomatoes review.
Tessa Smith from Mama’s Geeky found some fun in Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson’s performances, but even that wasn’t enough to save the movie. “Suffers from a lot of issues such as a weak and underused villain, wonky visuals, cringey dialogue, and an anti-climactic ending,” she said on Rotten Tomatoes. “Momoa and Wilson as brothers, complete with banter and bickering, is the best part.”
With the movie currently sitting at 38% on the Tomatometer, it looks like DC has another critical flop on its hands. And with The Lost Kingdom tracking pretty low at the box office, it feels like the DCU reboot can’t come soon enough.
