Haemi Kim—Staff Writer 

Photo  by Warner Brothers

Warner Brothers’ DC Extended Universe will soon be releasing their sixth installment, Aquaman. The production wrapped up in October 2017 and had its world premiere in London on November 26, 2018. The movie will be released in the U.S. on December 21. 

Aquaman, directed by James Wan, is an American superhero film based off the DC comic character of the same name. According to IMDb, Aquaman will be a story where, “Arthur Curry learns that he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, and must step forward to lead his people and be a hero to the world.”  

With a history of Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad, the DCEU honestly has not been getting the greatest ratings. When Wonder Woman came to the theatres on June 2017, it brought its ratings up to 93%, giving DCEU its first Certified Fresh Tomatoes rating and hope for the next film. The excitement and high expectation got passed on to Justice League, released on November 2017, but because of the lack of character building and a not-that-interesting storyline, DCEU slipped back on its downwards slope.  

Aquaman released its first official trailer in July. The trailer contained big-scale action, solid acting, and eye-catching visuals, which caught the attention of fans and movie critics alike. Early reviews showed critics were excited about the movie. 

Fandango managing editor Erik Davis tweeted, “#Aquaman is the most ambitious DC movie to date — a big, sprawling visual spectacle that is gorgeous, crazy, stuffed with terrific action, and a lot of fun to watch. James Wan, in my opinion, is the true star – he elevates the material, makes it entertaining and conquers it.” 

L.A. Film Critics Society VP Ashley Menzel also spoke on the movie, tweeting, “#Aquaman is over the top fun! A perfect balance of cheesy humor & action. James Wan shows his skill as a director & puts his mark on DC in a big way. Momoa is perfectly charming & brings Aquaman out of the shadows to stand alongside the greats like #WonderWoman.”  

Despite having to go toe-to-toe with the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, which has almost all of its movies certified as Fresh in Rotten Tomatoes’ ratings, DCEU is slowly starting to pick up the pace again, bringing out the “next Wonder Woman.” Even though there is not as much excitement as with MCU films, let’s see how Aquaman will impact and change the perspective of DCEU’s films.