MOVIE REVIEW: AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM

 

After failing to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta wields the power of the mythic Black Trident to unleash an ancient and malevolent force. Hoping to end his reign of terror, Aquaman forges an unlikely alliance with his brother, Orm, the former king of Atlantis. Setting aside their differences, they join forces to protect their kingdom and save the world from irreversible destruction.

Director: James Wan

Cast: Jason Momoa,  Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Kidman, Temuera Morrison, Randall Park

Release Date: December 22, 2023

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and some language.

Runtime: 2h 4m

James Wan's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a goofy, lighthearted adventure that delivers plenty of well staged, CGI infused action sequences which keeps things entertaining but the cobbled together script keeps it from being truly fun.  To his credit, Wan creates a large, expansive world as his heroes move from massive set pieces to another.  He borrows from a bevy of sources such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings which gives the proceedings a familiar feel from the start.  His visual flourishes create a rather kinetic feel to all the action which prove to be the high points of the film.  The combination of advanced tech, mysticism, villainous underlings dressed in matching uniforms and large men in garishly designed costumes might make people of a certain age think they've accidently stumbled into a Masters of the Universe film.  The whole film has a Saturday morning cartoon come to life feel which would be more fun if the script hadn't been so painfully hackneyed.  The first movie was sophomoric fun with its brotastic humor but it was smart enough to give its stars time to add a little depth to their characters.  That's all gone here as each character is stripped down its most basic, simplistic version of itself.  Jason Momoa's oversized persona and charisma are what made this character work but he's strangely muted for the majority of the runtime.  Pairing him with Patrick Wilson for a straight man/wild card pairing ala Men in Black or 48 Hours should work far better than it does.  The pair's chemistry just never works which isn't helped by an unbaked script that gives them some painfully bad comedic exchanges.  Wilson is surprisingly stiff for the better part of the film while Momoa just sort of seems happy to be there.  Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who was a surprisingly engaging villain in the original, suffers a similar fate with the script asking him to look intense but little more.  The strange thing is that even with its faults, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a surprisingly breezy, easy to enjoy mindless bit of superhero fluff even with its two hours runtime but it could have been a proper send off for the Synderverse if there was more time and care  put into the characters and script.

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: AMBULANCE

 

Needing money to cover his wife's medical bills, a decorated veteran teams up with his adoptive brother to steal $32 million from a Los Angeles bank. However, when their getaway goes spectacularly wrong, the desperate thieves hijack an ambulance that's carrying a severely wounded cop and an EMT worker. Caught in a high-speed chase, the two siblings must figure out a way to outrun the law while keeping their hostages alive.

Director: Michael Bay

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza González, Garret Dillahunt, Keir O'Donnell

Release Date: April 8, 2022

Genre: Action,Crime, Drama, Thriller

Rated R for intense violence, bloody images and language throughout

Runtime: 2h 16m

Review:

Michael Bay is the kind of director whose better known for his cinematic excess more than the fact that he can create a fun big screen thrill ride.  Glossy, frenetic and over the top can describe pretty much any movie on his resume.  Ambulance sees Bay at his best and worst anchored by some fun performances from his central cast who are clearly having a blast playing in this wheelhouse. Bay directs this film with a coked out frenzy that starts immediately and rarely lets up during its overlong runtime.  The film works best during it's opening act bank heist which suits Bay's talents perfectly.  The camera flies around every scene like it can't stop or it'll die.  The action is loud and glossy with random dips into stark violence which is jarring when it pops up.  Still, its hard to ignore the insane cinematic energy on display especially when the cast is on the same page as the director.  Jake Gyllenhaal channels 90s Nic Cage by going all in on the crazy energy that last for the entire film, it's an impressive display of stamina to say the least.  Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is more subtle and measure, something rare for a Bay film, in his turn as he gives his character far more depth than the script does.  Eiza González fares far better than most of the female characters in a Bay film.  Sure she's the best looking EMT you've ever seen with make up that never smears regardless of what kind of madness she's gone through.  Like everyone else, her character is more of a caricature than anything else but then again nobody ever goes into a Michael Bay film looking for a character study.  Bayhem is in full effect once the movie hits the road with an assortment of car chases and crashes which are increasingly ludicrous as the film goes on.  Bay is the type of director that just can't help himself with the final act displaying his directorial hubris.  Ambulance works really well as cinematic junk food but its like watching fireworks for 2 hours, sometime less is more. 

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS

 

To find out if his reality is a physical or mental construct, Mr. Anderson, aka Neo, will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more. If he's learned anything, it's that choice, while an illusion, is still the only way out of -- or into -- the Matrix. Neo already knows what he has to do, but what he doesn't yet know is that the Matrix is stronger, more secure and far more dangerous than ever before.

Director: Lana Wachowski

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Jada Pinkett Smith, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Christina Ricci

Release Date: December 22, 2021

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi

Rated R for violence and some language

Runtime: 2h 28m

Review:

The first two sequels to the Matrix were a prime example of the law of diminishing returns.  Each entry became more entrenched in philosophical musings and mythology that ultimately weighed them down.  Eighteen years later Lana Wachowski revives the franchise with a more meta approach, echoing what Wes Craven did with Freddy Kruger in 1994's A New Nightmare, in the first half of her film.  It's a fun and fascinating take that sure to set a lot of fans off kilter initially.  This approach gives the story and franchise a spark of life it desperately needed in order to warrant another sequel.  There are plenty of story threads that could have been explored from that vantage point but Wachowski just can't pull the trigger before falling into what the previous sequels did before them.  The film hits some very familiar beats from the original film before moving into more standard sci-fi fare which isn't nearly as engaging.  The action is plentiful if rather uninspired mainly due to the fact that the film turns into a slog due to it's unnecessarily long runtime.  The back half of the film is a pseudo love story between the franchises main two characters.  It's undeniably fun to see Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss slip back into their iconic roles especially when they do it with such ease.  Reeves, deservedly, gets the lion share of the screen time but Moss and her inherent strength and ferocity shine through in her limited screen time.  The newcomers to the franchise are a mixed bag with Jessica Henwick making the best impression.  Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is solid as Morpheus 2.0 but he can't quite capture Fishburn's sage cyber sensei the same way. Jonathan Groff does the best he can as the new Agent Smith but like Abdul-Mateen II he doesn't bring the same energy of his predecessor.  Neil Patrick Harris and Jada Pinkett Smith, in some embarrassingly terrible old people make up, are shockingly bad with their turns leaving you wonder if they were in a different movie all together.  The Matrix Resurrections had the chance to trying something riskier and more engaging but it ultimately falls back on it's safety net which isn't terribly innovative and groundbreaking.

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: CANDYMAN

 

In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, Anthony and his partner move into a loft in the now gentrified Cabrini. A chance encounter with an old-timer exposes Anthony to the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to use these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, he unknowingly opens a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence.

Director: Nia DaCosta

Cast: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, and Colman Domingo. Vanessa Williams, Tony Todd, Virginia Madsen

Release Date: August 13, 2021

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Rated R for bloody horror violence, and language including some sexual references

Runtime: 1h 31min

Review:

Nia DaCosta’s spiritual sequel to the 90s cult favorite is visually impressive with a thematically timely message even if it’s overly didactic in its delivery.  The original film was the type of horror film that worked because its general premise was incredibly strong even if the actual execution was a lacking. This sequel has an art house feel to it which gives the overall story a stylish overhaul which makes for a beautiful film to look at.  The story itself suffers from its clunky social justice message and horror roots.  DaCosta is trying like crazy to make a stronger overall point by reworking the Candyman mythos but it doesn’t feel as organic as it should, instead there are multiple moments where the film feels the need to beat the message into your head.  At the same time she’s attempting to deliver a slasher film that leans on body horror a more than jump scares.  The cast is incredibly committed which makes the film an easy watch.   Yahya Abdul-Mateen II leads the film with relative ease even though his character commits every horror movie mistake you can think of.  He’s able to overcome the scripts deficiency and delivers a fascinating portrayal of a man decent into madness.   The supporting cast is just as strong with Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Colman Domingo all leaving a strong impression.  Tony Todd and Virginia Madsen both have roles in the film but your left thinking that the director and script could have made better use of Todd who is the embodiment of the character in the original films.  Even with its fault, Candyman delivers an entertaining refresh/reboot of the series that leaves the door open for future installments. 

B

MOVIE REVIEW: AQUAMAN

Once home to the most advanced civilization on Earth, the city of Atlantis is now an underwater kingdom ruled by the power-hungry King Orm. With a vast army at his disposal, Orm plans to conquer the remaining oceanic people -- and then the surface world. Standing in his way is Aquaman, Orm's half-human, half-Atlantean brother and true heir to the throne. With help from royal counselor Vulko, Aquaman must retrieve the legendary Trident of Atlan and embrace his destiny as protector of the deep.

Director: James Wan

Cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Kidman

Release Date: December 14, 2018

Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language

Runtime: 2h 23 min

Review:

Aquaman is one of those properties that could have gone off the rails fairly easily much like Marvel’s Thor.  The best thing DC did was nail the casting much like they did with Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.  Jason Momoa has great screen presence and he never takes himself overly serious.  He’s had a trial run with him making an impressive debut in Justice League and he proves that he’s more than capable of carrying his own film here.  The combination of James Wan and Jason Momoa make for an incredibly fun film which has a massive scope but it never loses its focus even as it becomes more and more ridiculous.  Wan does a healthy bit of world building delivering some incredibly impressive visual set pieces and action sequences.  After a bit of a slow start the film revs up and never let’s down, its energy is palpable through out even at nearly two in half hours.  The supporting cast rounds out the film with Amber Heard leaving the biggest impression with Nichole Kidman coming in a strong second.  It’s a testament to how well crafted the film is that you can overlook a few missteps like a bland villain, Black Manta would have worked better as the primary baddie, and some formulaic story beats.  Even so Aquaman is a superhero film that’s sure to please nearly everyone especially long suffering DC fans.  

A-