Aquaman: Lost Kingdom

#15 DCEU. Der Abschlussfilm des DC Extended Universe ist das Sequel von Aquaman. Der Film läuft wie am Schnürchen und basiert auf dem klassischen Konzept des Buddy-Films, in dem sich die Erzfeinde aus dem ersten Teil unter dem Einfluss der Umstände zu Kameraden entwickeln und gemeinsam gegen einen neuen Feind kämpfen. Das ist absolut ideal für ein Feel-Good-Erlebnis für das Publikum. Jason Momoa und Patrick Wilson haben Charisma im Überfluss, die Unterwasserwelt ist sehr attraktiv und es ist toll, all die architektonischen Ideen und die Fauna sowie Flora wahrzunehmen. Für Filmemacher ist so etwas immer eine interessante Herausforderung, schließlich reizt das Konzept von Atlantis schon seit antiken Zeiten zur Verarbeitung. Im Kino muss es eine Augenweide gewesen sein. Natürlich hätte ich gerne mehr Raum für Kidman/Heard/Lundgren/Morrison gehabt, aber angesichts der langen Wartezeit auf den Film ist das Endergebnis mehr als akzeptabel. Der erste Teil widmete sich dem Paar Aquaman/Mera, der zweite ist dem Paar Aquaman/Orm gewidmet. (14.05.2024)

James Wan is wasted with this digital crap. He needs either another horror movie or some action-packed smash, this film could have been directed by anyone else and the result would be the same - average. The first one was really cool, this is a bit of recycling, but at the same time without any added value. The humour doesn't work either, why the hell do we have the same villain and not someone new? I would have liked a horror and atmospheric sequence like from the first one (the with those creatures like from Alien – It's a shame that the spin-off with them was cancelled). The supporting characters don't have much space, Nicole Kidman, Amber Heard, and Dolph Lundgren are appear briefly, and although there’s one action scene after another, none of them really blow your mind. When I think back to that epic monstrous fight from the first one, the finale here is quite intimate, which is a big minus for me. The sound in Theatre Deluxe is great, there was something to watch, so I’m not pissed off, it's better than The Marvels, Ant-Man 3, and Blue Beetle, but still it isn't anything special. Comic books films are going in the wrong direction. 6/10. (04.01.2024)

Aquaman and his brother Orm must stop the villainous Black Manta before... whatever. James Wan directed a movie that, thanks to the studio's insane interference, is completely idiotic and nonsensical. But it's still unexpectedly entertaining, as the director throws one visual attraction after another at the audience, and if you don't force yourself to think, you might find that it's actually quite enjoyable. But in your head, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom won't last long. It's simply still too much of a dud for that. The DCEU era could have ended worse, though. (22.12.2023)

I truly enjoyed myself at the cinema during the first adventure from the underwater world of Atlantis and other realms, no exaggeration. I was in a good mood for days, I remembered all the lines, which when combined with the inventive action made it the surprise of the entire season for me. This world therefore deserved to be immediately enjoyed, and the endless wait for the constantly postponed sequel was a bit sad, but all that much more ominous. The news about the problems filming and the rewriting of the script soon came to light, because this sequel is not the real thing, it is just a careful extension of the original concept. The first movie often reminded you of an action video game (not just in a bad way, definitely in a good way too), so it made sense to be waiting for an analogous full-blooded second edition as the sequel – but instead what lands in the hands of the audience is a hastily stitched data disk. Because Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom has lost that original and honest adventurous spirit of storytelling  that managed to draw you into all the locations and characters no matter where it wandered. Here they are only bothering to wrap up the storylines from the first installment, and there are no surprises to be expected. Which in part wasn't a bad choice, because for me the relationship between Arthur and Orm was always the core of the main (albeit melodramatic) storyline; even though it blatantly rips off the model of Thor and Loki from the competition, why fix something that works? Unfortunately, the villain of the party is Manta, a formulaic character who is evil just because he is evil, he crosses the seven seas with a heavy-duty submarine and occasionally terrorizes his crew. The mood of the headless, almost 80s-esque storytelling has irreversibly disappeared in this case. I'm sorry that Jason Momoa is saying goodbye in such a half-hearted way to a character to which he was so admirably well suited, but thank Poseidon this sadly shortened series at least has some sort of meaningful and relatively satisfying ending. (02.04.2024)

Aquaman benefits greatly from having Jason Momoa in the lead role – he’d be great even in a flop. Fortunately, this isn’t the case, but the fantastical setting requires heavy reliance on CGI to bring it to life. While the film is enjoyable and occasionally quite funny, the overwhelming digital effects strip away some of the cinematic spirit, turning it into more of a routine spectacle than a memorable experience. (26.03.2024)