Aquaman returns for what appears to be the final move of the current DC Cinematic Universe.
Recently the folks at Warner Brothers sent us a copy of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, featuring Jason Mamoa. Unlike most sequels this film directly follows its predecessor in every way. That means it is a direct continuation of the previous film. The story had ended off with Arthur and Mera in love, Orm imprisoned, Black Manta off somewhere licking his wounds and Arthur remains the ruler of Atlantis.
The film starts with Arthur sharing the joys and frustrations of balancing, life, family, jobs and how much he misses the more simple days where he could simply punch his problems. To make matters worse, his son likes to target his face whenever he changes the diaper. Life does not sound too enjoyable for our hero. Black Manta is using this time to hunt the oceans for any sign of Atlantean technology to repair his broken suit so he can kill Aquaman once and for all.
Visually the film is absolutely stunning. The effect and detail of the underwater cities and creatures alone make the film worth watching. The dialogue can be a bit campy at times but not more so than the original film. The fight scenes were a lot of fun and well choreographed. Overall I had fun watching the film but I only had one main complaint, that Amber Heard wasn’t recast. It makes no sense that she would be allowed to continue in her role after being found as the guilty party but when she accused Depp of the same behavior he was immediately removed. It’s an odd double standard that frankly doesn’t make sese.
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO WARNER BROS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON THOSE I MISSED!
Recently the fine folks at Warner Bros (their home page is here) had sent me copies of some of their movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. For the first part of this series we talked about Scoob, Birds of Prey, The Way Back, Goonies 4K, Beetlejuice 4K, Full Metal Jacket, Sherlock Holmes 4K and Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows 4K. Part 2 ‘twas massive and discussed V for Vendetta 4K, 300 4K, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 4K, The Hobbit Trilogy 4K, Blade 4K, Bill and Ted Face the Music, Tenet and The Wolf of Snow Hollow. Part 3 talked about Wonder Woman 1984, The Little Things and Judas and the Black Messiah. Part 4 discussed Tom and Jerry the Movie and Godzilla Vs Kong. Part 5 was all about Wrath of Man, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Space Jam. Part 6 had discussed Mortal Kombat and Those Who Wish Me Dead. Part 7 discussed In the Heights, The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It, Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 20 Years of Movie Magic edition. Part 8 discussed A Clockwork Orange, Space Jam: A New Legacy and Shawshank Redemption. Part 9 talked about The Suicide Squad and Reminiscence. Part 10 discussed The Outsiders, Cry Macho, Malignant, the Many Saints of Newark and the Mad Max film collection.
Part 11 talked about Dune, Matrix: Resurrections, The Batman, Dog and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Part 12 discussed Elvis, DC League of Super Pets, The Lost Boys and Poltergeist. Part 13 shared some classics with 8-Bit Christmas, Casablanca, A Christmas Story, Three Thousand Years of Longing, The Polar Express, Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Part 14 had Don’t Worry Darling and Part 15 was discussing Black Adam. Part 16 had Bones and All, House Party plus the 4k release of Training Day. Part 17 returned for the 4k release of Rocky the Knockout Collection and Magic Mike’s Last Dance. Part 18 had the Superman 5 Film Collection, Creed III and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Part 19 discussed A Good Person, National Lampoon’s Vacation 4k Edition and Evil Dead Rise. Part 20 exclusively talked about The Flash and Part 21 focused on Meg 2: The Trench and Barbie. We are back for the FINAL edition of this series where future reviews from Warner Brothers will have an all new format. Without further ado here is Part 22 with Blue Beetle and The Nun II!
Blue Beetle
Following Jamie Reyes from graduating college and returning to help his family. This puts him working menial jobs, the most recent of which is with his sister for Kord. There he runs into the daughter of Ted Kord and tries to help her when her aunt and her thug start getting aggressive. The aunt promptly fires him but later the daughter entrusts him with the scarab. The scarab bonds with him and turns him into the Blue Beetle. This puts him back in the crosshairs of the aunt and his family in danger. The effects were fantastic but the film felt like a DC branded knockoff of Iron Man, mixed with Spiderman with an animated Deadpool mask. The writing and the humor were great and the film was an enjoyable reminder of what the DC cinematic universe could have been.
The Nun II
Bringing back the cast of the original Nun film, Irene is investigating reports that the Nun has returned. Even though in the first film she seemed to be destroyed, we knew she survived to haunt in the Conjuring films. The first film had a great sense of eeriness that took itself a little too seriously and made it a bit more comical than intended. We get a bit of that again with the sequel but the eeriness level has be increased tenfold. Overall the Nun film had still been one of the more enjoyable Conjuring-verse films and the sequel continues to improve on that.
Which of these Warner Bros films have you had the chance to see? Which was your favorite? Let us know on our Twitter!
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO WARNER BROS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON THOSE I MISSED!
Recently the fine folks at Warner Bros (their home page is here) had sent me copies of some of their movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. For the first part of this series we talked about Scoob, Birds of Prey, The Way Back, Goonies 4K, Beetlejuice 4K, Full Metal Jacket, Sherlock Holmes 4K and Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows 4K. Part 2 ‘twas massive and discussed V for Vendetta 4K, 300 4K, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 4K, The Hobbit Trilogy 4K, Blade 4K, Bill and Ted Face the Music, Tenet and The Wolf of Snow Hollow. Part 3 talked about Wonder Woman 1984, The Little Things and Judas and the Black Messiah. Part 4 discussed Tom and Jerry the Movie and Godzilla Vs Kong. Part 5 was all about Wrath of Man, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Space Jam. Part 6 had discussed Mortal Kombat and Those Who Wish Me Dead. Part 7 discussed In the Heights, The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It, Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 20 Years of Movie Magic edition. Part 8 discussed A Clockwork Orange, Space Jam: A New Legacy and Shawshank Redemption. Part 9 talked about The Suicide Squad and Reminiscence. Part 10 discussed The Outsiders, Cry Macho, Malignant, the Many Saints of Newark and the Mad Max film collection. Part 11 talked about Dune, Matrix: Resurrections, The Batman, Dog and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Part 12 discussed Elvis, DC League of Super Pets, The Lost Boys and Poltergeist. Part 13 shared some classics with 8-Bit Christmas, Casablanca, A Christmas Story, Three Thousand Years of Longing, The Polar Express, Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Part 14 had Don’t Worry Darling and we’ve returned for Part 15 and Black Adam!
Black Adam
This is the final installment of the current iteration of the DCCU after the changes at Warner Bros and the first to include Black Adam. Knowing how The Rock tends to play comedic roles I was expecting this very serious character to be more campy that he would be in the comics. I am happy to say this is not the case. He gave the character the look and feel we hoped for from the comics. I didn’t know much about Adam’s history other than him being tied to Shazam in some way so getting to see this in depth made the character more interesting. The story follows Adam’s return to the world as he is called to save his country from tyrants once again. With the serious tones of the story, great effects and some better acting than we normally see in a DC film I thought this one was a total win!
IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO WARNER BROS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON THOSE I MISSED!
Recently the fine folks at Warner Bros (their home page is here) had sent me codes to some of their movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. For the first part of this series we talked about Scoob, Birds of Prey, The Way Back, Goonies 4K, Beetlejuice 4K, Full Metal Jacket, Sherlock Holmes 4K and Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows 4K. Part 2 ‘twas massive and discussed V for Vendetta 4K, 300 4K, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 4K, The Hobbit Trilogy 4K, Blade 4K, Bill and Ted Face the Music, Tenet and The Wolf of Snow Hollow. We’ve returned with Part 3 to talk about Wonder Woman 1984, The Little Things and Judas and the Black Messiah!
Wonder Woman 1984
Gal Gadot returns for the sequel to perhaps the best movie in the current DC Cinematic Universe. Diana is a museum curator in 1984, their staff procures a mystical artifact that makes your deepest wish comes true. The pacing of the film was much slower than expected or compared to the original film. The acting and effects were top notch and this film was quite good despite the pacing.
The Little Things
Washington plays a former homicide detective that joins an up and coming detective (Malek) on the hunt of an emerging serial killer. This killer targets young women, it’s been done before, and after a false lead the two picks up on Leto’s trail. For a murder mystery it feels like too many answers are given without having to really search for them resulting in a slow film that is missing the incentives to keep watching despite a fantastic cast.
Judas and the Black Messiah
This film follows the rise of a former car thief through the ranks of the Black Panthers in Chicago to become the bodyguard of Fred Hampton, the chairman of the Illinois chapter and founder of the Rainbow Coalition. As the name of the film implies Fred is the Messiah and the car their, William O’Neil, the Judas of the story and eventual informant for the FBI. Both of these leading actors deliver a commanding performance as I expected and delivered an enjoyable film that gives us a fresh look at the organization of the Black Panthers.
SO WHICH WARNER BROS FILMS DID YOU SEE? WHICH DID YOU ENJOY?
“You are my hammer and weapon of war: with you I break nations in pieces; with you I destroy kingdoms;” Who is this weapon? It is revealed in the book of Batman, chapters 99-100!
“The Joker War’ comes to a city-shattering conclusion as Batman battles The Joker in a brutal, no-holds-barred duel! This is a fight 80 years in the making, and its outcome won’t just change Batman’s life, it will change Gotham City for years to come! Plus, a pair of short stories that will chart what’s to come in Gotham City and Batman.”
The highly hyped Joker war comes to it’s expected conclusion. As expected, everyone under the sun shows up to throw a punch or two. Does it live up to the hype? Not in the way you might expect.
…and he walks away as if she didn’t mean what she was saying.
My Impressions:
Harley Quinn is the best part of this story arc. A timely intervention saves the day, and when she get’s serious, it’s chilling.
Oracle is back online. ‘Nuff said.
Clownhunter. Either he ends up a Robin, or he’s a flash in the pan. There’s no in-between.
Did Harley just become a member of the Bat-family???
I’ve always liked the serious Harley the most. It doesn’t get any more serious than this.
Notable Appearances/Events:
Batman (Bruce Wayne)
Joker
The full Bat-Family
Harley Quinn (Harleen Frances Quinzel)
Punchline (Alexis Kaye)
Clownhunter (Bao Pham)
Ghost-Maker 1st Appearance! (Cameo)
Bottom Line: 4 Stars!
I feel like the climax for this story arc was about 1 page long. The build-up of how badly Joker and his forces were destroying Gotham, along with the corruption that is revealed is absolutely huge. Batman finally admitting he can’t deal with this alone and calling in the help of his various protégés doesn’t feel quite sufficient to handle the task. And then it’s over…and fast too. However, Harley’s part in the finale is almost a whole new character. I really hope we see her continue to evolve down this path, and become a semi permanent member of the troupe.
“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” Learn the perils of jealousy in Superman, chapter 25, verses 1-32!
“A colossal new threat to Superman, the planet Earth, and the DC Universe arrives on the scene in this special issue! The unique warrior called Synmar was created to represent an entire alien race. He’s trained his entire life – but for what purpose? As the antithesis of everything Superman stands for, Synmar launches his aggression toward Earth – to destroy the Man of Steel and every being on the planet! This is what Superman was born to protect us from!”
For the record, much of this solicitation doesn’t come through. At least not in this issue. In fact Synmar is kind of silly looking and pathetic until the last page of this issue. No doubt there’s a fight coming…I just hope it is more exciting than this issue.
Mid-fight and Superman can pick out his high school crush snapping a photo!
My Impressions:
Head Scratcher: Um…Lana is a professional competitor of Clark Kent, why would he give her an interview? I mean…he can literally write the article for his own paper, himself, right???
Having two stories presented side-by-side is just annoying. I’d have rather seen Synmar’s back story as a flashback somewhere down the line.
Error!: Lana gushes about some high school times with Clark. (Except it isn’t THIS Clark! This Clark is from the pre-New52 universe!!! Her Clark is dead!!!
Flashback to Lana as Superwoman.
Notable Appearances/Events:
Superman (Kal-El / Clark Kent)
Synmar Utopica (Eisno Alkor) 1st Appearance!
Superwoman (Lana Lang)
Lois Lane
Lex Luthor (cameo)
Bottom Line: 2 Stars!
If it wasn’t a first appearance issue, I’d say skip it. My money says that unless you’re a huge Superman fan, you won’t care about anything in this issue. Additionally, Bendis should avoid trying to comment on social issues like platonic relationships, he isn’t good at it. Oh, and if he’s trying to set up a love triangle with Superman, he really doesn’t understand the character.
Evil plants of all kinds will grow on many worlds! Their leaves will not wither, and if you heed not your own common sense, they will eat you! Don’t believe me…see Justice League, chapter 52, verses 1-32!
This is the word of Jeff Loveness. As envisioned by Robson Rocha. If you’re thinking “Who??” you are forgiven. I did too.
The official plot:
“For the first time, the Justice League explores the planet of the Black Mercy’s origin. One flower is enough to incapacitate even the strongest hero, but with an entire planet full of them, the Justice League must steel their minds or else succumb to the withering effects of the great tree at the core. With Batman unable to cope, can Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, and Green Lantern survive the horrors of their souls?”
They should have just called this one…”Batman’s origins redone for the 5 millionth time.” Oh, and as per the new normal, Wonder Woman saves the day.
Now THAT is one scary Batman!
My Impressions:
Regime Change: Wonder Woman really appears to be taking on the “Leader” role…they should just make it official.
Visuals: Good with an occasional touch of great.
The real “bad”: DC is really bad at the whole “team” thing. They either try to give every member something to do, essentially under using all of them, or focus too much on just one member…like Batman in this issue. It’s seriously bad. Superman or Green Lantern could have legit burned this thing down from a mile in the air, problem solved. Instead, they have to be sidelined so Batman can have an internal struggle that he KNOWS isn’t real.
Superman to the rescue, always showing his “human” side.
Notable Appearances/Events:
Green Lantern (John Stewart)
Flash (Barry Allen)
Batman (Bruce Wayne)
Wonder Woman (Diana)
Superman (Kal-El / Clark Kent)
Bottom Line: 3 Stars!
Why do I stick around? I’m a fan of these guys separately…and quite honestly I’m afraid I’ll miss something cool. Also, it’s not a bad story…its just been done before. Given all that, I feel they need to fix how they handle the team soon, or I just may bail.
Brothers and sisters! Pay heed to the actions of the Joker for he will cause madness in Gotham! They will drink and stagger and go mad because of the poison that he has sent among them! So sayeth the book of Batman, chapter 98, verses 1-32!
This is the scripture according to the prolific James Tynion IV. As envisioned by the not-as-prolific Jorge Jimenez
The official plot:
““The Joker War” part four of six! Batman is at his most vulnerable following a massive dose of an experimental new Joker toxin. With the Dark Knight haunted by demons and visions, it’s up to Harley Quinn to protect him while he recovers-because Punchline is on her way!”
This one should have had “Harley Quinn” graffitied over Batman in the title. The Harley/Punchline rematch is where all the action is. Batman spends the majority of the issue stuck in his own head, talking to Alfred.
Round 2, FIGHT!
My Impressions:
Harley/Punchline: I dug it…more than just punches and insults, there’s some real girl talk during the fight.
Alfred dealing out some tough love! (Even if he is a figment of Bruce’s drugged mind.)
I’m Batman: Nice presentation, but not quite as powerful as intended. Sorry, you’re not going to shake the meme with this one.
Um…excuse me Mr. Batman. Don’t you think you should give Harley a little credit?
Notable Appearances/Events:
Batman (Bruce Wayne)
Harley Quinn (Harleen Frances Quinzel)
Punchline (Alexis Kayne)
Alfred Pennyworth
Catwoman (Selina Kyle)
Penguin (Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot)
Riddler (Edward Nigma)
Scarecrow (Jonathan Crane)
Joker
Killer Croc (Waylon Jones)
Mad Hatter (Jervis Tetch)
Professor Pyg (Lazlo Valentin)
Bottom Line: 3 Stars!
Harley and Punchline steal the show in this one. It wasn’t quite as campy as I thought it would be. As for Batman…can we PLEASE move on from pining after Alfred now? I think that’s the set-up here…but I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of our favorite butler.
Woe to he that walks too close to a storm drain in Gotham City! Listen carefully to our discussion of Detective Comics, chapter 1026, verses 1-32! “Monsters of Men”
The word, though not as good as other issues of Detective Comics, according to Peter J. Tomasi As envisioned by the, trying to hard, Kenneth Rocafort
The official plot:
“As “The Joker War” rages on, the casualties are mounting, and the underground residents of Gotham City must deal with the devastating effects of the Joker toxin that’s been pumped into the old city’s tunnel system. Batman must risk everything to guide them to safety, but a familiar face has mobilized these forgotten souls to rise up in anger…and Killer Croc takes no prisoners!”
Not exactly. It’s less guiding them “to safety” and more incapacitating and imprisoning them. As to Killer Croc taking no prisoners…slight fib, they are willing participants.
Behold! The king under the sewer!
My Impressions:
The Good: … He’s Batman? I guess…
The Not-so-Good: Definite filler issue that feels very quickly thrown together.
Contemporary Artwork: Bleck! Everything is too skinny, squashed or otherwise malformed. This was not a joy to behold.
Palette: Can we lose the brown please? The whole issue just looks dirty.
Who needs to fight the Joker War? Let’s go pick on Killer Croc’s team instead.
Notable Appearances/Events:
Batman (Bruce Wayne)
Killer Croc (Waylon Jones)
Ratty Riz (1st appearance)
Hardback (1st appearance)
Gup (1st appearance)
Ally (1st appearance)
Garter (1st appearance)
Bandit (1st appearance)
Joker War Tie -In
Bottom Line: 1 Star!
This issue is for fanboys and dedicated collectors only! Detective Comics was in my top 4, unfortunately this issue really damaged our relationship! I honestly feel like this story has been sitting in a drawer for ages. A small dialogue change to incorporate the otherwise missing Joker War and BAM! deadline met. Come on DC, you can do better!
Thou shalt not betray thy non magic wielding friends! Pay attention as we discuss Books of Magic, chapter 22, verses 1-25! The story of “Dwelling in Possibility” part 2.
This is the word according to the almost unknown David Barnett As envisioned by the adequate Tom Fowler
The official plot:
“The powerful tome known as the Book of Possibilities has fallen into the hands of Tim’s schoolmate Ellie…but what will she do with it? Only one thing is certain: she doesn’t seem eager to hand it over to Tim.”
Pretty close…but not perfect. At no point was there a consideration of giving the Book of Possibilities to Tim. In fact, they don’t even interact.
So the book of Destiny know everything…except for what it doesn’t?
My Impressions:
Issue’s finest: Destiny of the Endless!
Finally some maturity: For once, Tim isn’t acting like a petulant brat!
Contemporary Artwork: Nothing stunning. Fowler did make it very easy to tell which scenes took place in each setting. Good use of panel shapes and colors.
It’s a grind: The dreaded slow burn of almost all Sandman adjacent books. (It’s all or none baby!)
Shadowy figures trying to affect destiny!
Notable Appearances/Events:
Tim hunter
Destiny of the Endless
Dead Boy Detectives
Bottom Line: 1 Star!
Let’s face it. With the exception of Sandman fans hoping for a glimpse of the Endless, no one cares about Books of Magic. It doesn’t even appear in the top 100 sales for the last few months running. I’m predicting it won’t survive the coming purge of DC titles.
