We have our editor's picks for the best new action movies to watch this December. All of the films have been hotly anticipated, some for more than a decade (#2). Will they live up to the hype?

1. Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom - In Theaters December 20, 2023

Courtesy of DC Comics and WB

Summary:

Director James Wan and 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.” Watch as Aquaman (Jason Momoa) returns to take his throne as King of Atlantis.

Momoa has engaged in various forms of combat training to prepare for his on-screen performances. As the formidable Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones and the iconic Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe, Momoa's physicality and combat scenes demonstrate a level of training and proficiency in choreographed fight sequences.

While underwater fighting isn’t a formal sport, try and decipher which styles are used in this superhero’s fighting repertoire.

2. Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire - Netflix December 22, 2023

Courtesy of Neflix

Summary: “From Zack Snyder, the filmmaker behind 300, Man of Steel, and Army of the Dead, comes REBEL MOON, a 2-part movie event decades in the making.

“After crash landing on a moon in the furthest reaches of the universe, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a stranger with a mysterious past, begins a new life among a peaceful settlement of farmers. But she soon becomes their only hope for survival when the tyrannical Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee) and his cruel emissary, Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein), discover the farmers have unwittingly sold their crops to the Bloodaxes (Cleopatra Coleman and Ray Fisher) — leaders of a fierce group of insurgents hunted by the Motherworld.

“Tasked with finding fighters who would risk their lives to defend the people of Veldt, Kora and Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), a tenderhearted farmer naive in the realities of war, journey to different worlds in search of the Bloodaxes, and assemble a small band of warriors who share a common need for redemption along the way: Kai (Charlie Hunnam), a pilot and gun for hire; General Titus (Djimon Hounsou), a legendary commander; Nemesis (Doona Bae), a master swordswoman; Tarak (Staz Nair), a captive with a regal past; and Milius (E. Duffy), a resistance fighter. Back on Veldt, Jimmy (voiced by Anthony Hopkins), an ancient mechanized protector hiding in the wings, awakens with a new purpose. But the newly formed revolutionaries must learn to trust each other and fight as one before the armies of the Motherworld come to destroy them all.” - Netflix

3. The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan - In Theaters December 8, 2023

Courtesy of DC Comics and WB

Summary: Swordplay at its finest! With an A-list international cast. “D'Artagnan, a spirited young Gascon, is left for dead after trying to save a noblewoman from being kidnapped. Once in Paris, he tries by all means to find his attackers, unaware that his quest will lead him to the very heart of a war where the future of France is at stake. Aided by King's Musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis, he faces the machinations of villainous Cardinal Richelieu and Milady de Winter, while falling in love with Constance, the Queen's confidante.” - Moviephone