Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's review embargo lifts tomorrow at 10am PT/7am ET. By that point, it will have already arrived in several international locations ahead of the usual Thursday afternoon/evening previews in North America.
Fan screenings began earlier this week, of course, and it appears at least a couple of Spanish critics managed to sneak their way into them!
Two reviews have been uploaded to Rotten Tomatoes, one Fresh and one Rotten (meaning the Aquaman sequel would have a 50% score if the review aggregator started counting now).
The first comes from eCartelera's Jesus Agudo whose negative verdict reads, "James Wan knows how to make a blockbuster, but in this sequel all his good ideas, and there are many, and every effort to get the audience to have a good time are hindered by cuts, retouches and reshoots."
The other review, while positive, still isn't overly kind. Espinof's Mikel Zorrilla says, "Is it a good movie? Not at all, but it can be entertaining enough to not make you regret spending two hours of your time on it."
Funnily enough, the negative verdict gives the sequel a 5/10 score, while the positive one goes with 2.5/5.
It's important to note that these are only two reviews and are not necessarily indicative of the critical response Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will receive. However, based on what we're hearing and that late embargo, we can't help but think the final DCEU movie will be the latest deemed "Rotten."
Director James Wan and Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa - along with Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Nicole Kidman - return in the sequel to the highest-grossing DC film of all time: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction.
The screenplay is by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, from a story by James Wan & David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Jason Momoa & Thomas Pa'a Sibbett.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom splashes down into theaters on December 22.