DC Studios

‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

I’ve never quite understood the appeal of Jason Momoa as an actor. I’ve never walked away from a movie of his and been impressed or blown away by his performance.  He has the look of a movie star, but he doesn’t really stand out in his film roles.  He’s merely just a buff dude on screen. Of course, we have seen jacked up actors in the past such as Dwayne Johnson, John Cena and Dave Bautista, but they have charisma, personality and charm. Momoa, on the other hand, strikes me as someone who is trying way too hard to be funny. He’s not a very natural actor. He has screen presence, but when he’s asked to dive deep into a character, it falls flat.

I have not seen 2018’s “Aquaman,” which was also directed by James Wan, the man behind such films as “Saw,” “Insidious,” “The Conjuring,” “Furious 7” and “Malignant.” I’m a big fan of his directorial style, and I think he brings a lot to the table from a visual perspective. Because of this, I went into “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” with some hope he would be able to make an interesting, unique and outside-the-box superhero film. Sadly, he can’t even save this clunker.  I really don’t think it would have mattered if I had seen the original or not.

This sequel takes place four years after the first film, and we see that Aquaman (Jason Momoa) has become the king of the Atlantis.  He’s now married to Mera (Amber Heard) and has a child with her as well. He’s struggling to adapt to parenthood while also dealing with the responsibilities of being king.  There are some truly cringe-worthy gags where their child is constantly peeing in the mouth of Aquaman.  Even worse, Momoa sells it with these weird and contrived faces which only makes it even more unfunny.  He also must contend with David Kane /Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who is looking to avenge the death of his father. David Kane’s scientist sidekick is played by Randall Park in a thankless and one-note role. He’s basically a scared geek.

In order to make sure that David Kane doesn’t cause any further damage, Aquaman must enlist the help of his brother, Orm, played by Patrick Wilson. From here, the film turns into a bromance action flick with Wilson and Momoa bouncing one-liners off one another.  At times, the film is too silly and stupid with its attempts at humor. During other scenes, it is deadly serious.  This is a film in search of a tone, and it never really finds one. Wilson is great and dependable as usual, but even he can’t make it work with the uninteresting and bland Momoa.  Overall, this film was a complete mess from the word go.

I know there has been a lot of drama surrounding the film’s production and the usage of Amber Heard in the story.  She’s barely in the film, and it seems odd at times that Aquaman’s wife would have such a minor role in his life, especially considering they share a child together.  I understand they wanted to focus on the two brothers and their whacky relationship together, but it would have been nice to have a bit of an emotional tone to the proceedings.  When Heard does appear, it feels forced and out of place because the writing doesn’t give her a whole to do.

The stakes just don’t seem very high in “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.”  The film is also doomed because it doesn’t have a charming or engaging leading man.  The story feels very, very thin.  This feels like a sequel which was only made for the money based on the fact they made very little attempt to really do anything out of the ordinary with Aquaman.  I understand they couldn’t change actors as Momoa was in the first film, but I did leave this sequel wondering what it would have been like if Wilson was paired with someone other than Momoa who is not a natural comedic actor. While Momoa seems quite pleased with himself, his jokes fall flatter than four o’ clock.

I want to go back to the story of this movie again, as this is where the majority of the issues are in addition to Momoa’s dead on arrival performance. There is an outline for a good movie here.  I would have liked to have seen more of with Aquaman attempting to juggle life at home and also life at sea.  There is too much time spent at sea, and it turns into a full-blown action film.  The action scenes would have been effective if the story took its time to really build up the relationship between Aquaman and Mera.  They rush through all of that, and they go straight to the comedic relationship between Aquaman and Orm. When the jokes on the page are not funny, the actors are doomed.

I did like the film’s message about everyone doing their part and sticking together to make the world a better place.  However, it doesn’t really resonate or land on screen when we have been dealing with bad comedy, mindless action scenes and a plot which moves at a glacial pace. This is a prime example of a movie that really did not need to be made in the first place.  I understand it made money, but from a quality perspective, this film was what I call a “watch movie.” I kept checking my watch over and over again, and I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

* out of * * * *

4K Info: “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is released on a single-disc 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It has a running time of 124 minutes and is rated PG-13 for some language and sci-fi violence. There is a digital copy of the film included with this release as well.

Video Info:  The Dolby Vision transfer on this film is simply breathtaking.  It’s a visual feast for the eyes.  I only wish the film was as good as its Dolby Vision transfer.

Audio Info:  The same can be said for the Dolby Atmos audio track.  It’s sharp, vivid and very impressive.

Special Features:

Atlantean Blood Is Thicker Than Water

Should You Buy It?

Unless you are a completist and enjoyed the first “Aquaman,” I don’t see any reason why you should add this film to your collection. It really was a disappointment, especially considering the director behind it. That being said, when he doesn’t have a great leading man or a great screenplay in front of him, there is only so much he can do.  The 4K transfer looks out of this world, and it was the only thing that kept me glued to the screen. After a certain point, I was more immersed in the visuals than the story or the action, which says a lot about the final product. This film is really a dumpster fire. I’m glad I watched it, as I had interest in checking out what James Wan would do in this universe, but I have zero interest in revisiting it or checking out the first film.  This film is strictly for people who enjoyed the first film. It will not win over any new fans, and it will probably even frustrate fans of the original.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

‘The Flash’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

In order to be direct with the readers, I must admit two things before reviewing “The Flash” – I’m not at all familiar with the drama surrounding Ezra Miller and his off-screen antics.  I’m also not at familiar with “The Flash.”  Because of these reasons, I was able to go into the film fairly fresh, which is how I like to go into most movies.  The less I know about a movie or a character, the better.  I believe a film should be able to stand on its own two feet for the diehard fans along with the newbies.  When the movie accomplishes that tricky tightrope act, it has done its job.

Ezra Miller stars as Barry Allen/The Flash.  He’s just trying to get his energy for the day with a sandwich when he must help save a hospital, specifically the maternity ward, as babies are flying out of the window along with a nurse and a dog.  Barry even says to himself that he feels like the janitor of the Justice League. Meanwhile, he shows up late to his job at a research center, where his coworkers are none too pleased with his track record for being tardy. After work, he sees an old friend from college, Iris West (Kiersey Clemons). She’s a reporter who wants to find out how Barry feels about his father’s upcoming trial for the murder of his mother.  Barry maintains that his father is innocent.  This sets him on a mission to try to go back in time using his lightning speed and change the past.

If he can change the past, his father will not be in prison and his mother will still be alive.  Batman (Ben Affleck) warns The Flash about the consequences of messing with the past.  He says their past made them who they are, and they need to grow from it.  The Flash, however, believes he can right a wrong and is determined to change past events. When he goes back into his childhood home, he sees his mother, father, and a different version of himself.  He meets up with the second version of himself and tries to explain what he’s trying to do and how they are going to do it.

“The Flash” had a great opening sequence which was fun, exciting, and really well-done by director Andy Muschietti (“It” and “It Chapter Two”).  I thought the film was establishing a really good baseline of humor and emotion, especially in the scene with Barry talking to his father (Ron Livingston) on the phone.  I could feel the connection between Barry and his mother and what an important relationship this was to him.  It’s the emotional core of the movie.  Who amongst us has not wanted to go back in time and fix the past?  However, the middle of the movie is really bogged down with action sequences, Michael Keaton looking bored as Batman, and the film lost its way in the multiverse.  It ends on a high note with the emotion and heart from the start of the movie. At that point, we were two hours plus into this movie, so it was too little, too late.

Miller is entertaining in small doses here, but when there are two of him, he overplays it a little bit and tries way too hard to be funny.  Less is more with the multiverse angle in the film. The second version of Barry is incredibly grating, annoying and cumbersome to spend time with as an audience member.  When the first part of him is grounded in some form of reality, it’s really good. Overall, it’s a mixed bag with his performance.  The film loves nostalgia with cameos and callbacks throughout the film, but it didn’t work for me because it felt like they were trying to be a little too cutesy.  Overall, there is a good film in here somewhere, but it really lost its way in the middle.  Once it regained its footing, it was far too late.

* ½ out of * * * *

4K Info: “The Flash” is released on a single disc 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. The film has a running time of 144 minutes and is rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some strong language, and partial nudity. It comes with a digital code for the film as well.

Video/Audio Info: The film comes with a Dolby Vision transfer and a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. I’m sad to report, this is not one of the better transfers I’ve seen for a new film. It didn’t stand out in any way, really.  It looks very lifeless and run-of-the-mill. The audio was solid, but the visual look of the film left a lot to be desired.

Special Features:

“The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus” podcast – Six-part original scripted audio series featuring Max Greenfield as The Flash

“The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus” Behind the Scenes

Deleted Scenes

Saving Supergirl – featurette

The Bat Chase – featurette

Battling Zod – featurette

Fighting Dark Flash – featurette

The Flash: The Saga of the Scarlet Speedster – featurette

Making the Flash: Worlds Collide – featurette

Let’s Get Nuts: Batman Returns, Again – featurette

Supergirl: Last Daughter of Krypton – featurette

Flashpoint: Introducing the Multiverse – featurette

Should You Buy It?

I had high hopes for this film as I’m a big fan of director Andy Muschietti, and I thought he would bring a unique visual flair to it.  I also felt as though the film would do what I wish more superhero films would do, which is incorporate comedy and emotion with some fun action sequences.  Instead, it goes off the rails for a good chunk, and it doesn’t stick with what works in the beginning and end of the film. It also completely forgets about the love story between Iris and Barry, which was moving in a really good direction.  For the most part, this was a pretty dull and uninteresting viewing experience.  The 4K transfer also leaves a lot to be desired.  There are plenty of special features here, so if you did enjoy the film, you will have a lot to go through if you pick this disc up.  If you did like the film, I’d suggest waiting for it to drop down in price a little bit, as the 4K transfer doesn’t make this a must-own right away.  I wish it would have included the Blu-ray, as I would have liked to have seen the difference between the two formats.  Overall, if you haven’t seen this film, you aren’t missing anything. If you did see it and liked it, you have the special features going for you, but the visuals are truly underwhelming.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ Movie and 4K/Blu-ray Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit Correspondent, Tony Farinella.

Your enjoyment level for “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” will depend on how funny or clever you find its main protagonist, played by Zachary Levi. Personally speaking, he is an actor I’ve never been a fan of, especially in these films.  I found his performance incredibly irritating, silly and annoying. I understand he’s trying to portray a silly high schooler as an adult who is learning how to be mature and deal with his new superpowers.  However, I just found his performance to be very grating after a while. He’s very over the top.  I’m all for a superhero film where they have some fun as it doesn’t have to be so dark and dreary throughout. There is room for every type of superhero film out there, and I fully respect and get that.  However, he is not the right actor for balancing the goofy scenes along with the more serious action sequences.

Our film opens up in a museum in Athens, Greece where two of the three daughters of the Titan Atlas break in to steal the Wizard’s broken staff from the previous film. Billy Batson (Zachary Levi) is trying to keep his family together as he’s about to turn eighteen and is worried he will be thrown out of the house as his foster parents, Victor and Rosa Vasquez (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans), are struggling to keep it all together financially.  He’s also suffering from a case of imposter syndrome. In essence, he’s insecure and also struggling to figure out his place in the world. Can he keep his “Shazamily” of foster siblings together, as they are maturing and developing their own interests and unique personalities?

However, he has to act fast as two of the daughters of the Titan Atlas, played by Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, have captured his brother Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) along with a newly repaired Wizard staff.  Early on, they are also dealing with controversy for their crime fighting methods in Philadelphia.  In fact, they are now known as The Philly Fiascos thanks to some of their mishaps, even though their hearts were in the right place. As mentioned previously, the family has a lot on its mind.  For Freddy Freeman, before he was captured, he had a crush on a girl named Anne, played by Rachel Zegler. Pedro Peña (Jovan Armand) is keeping a secret he’s not sure he’s ready to share with the world quite yet.

Darla Dudley (Faithe Herman) is trying to accept growing up while still being a kid at heart. Eugene Choi (Ian Chen) is preoccupied, and Mary Bromfield (Grace Caroline Currey) wants to get into college and is focusing on her studies.  They must come together as a family and put their individual interests aside in order to conquer The Three Daughters of the Titan Atlas. They work better when they are together, but it is important they get on the same page and focus on the task at hand. From here on out, we get a lot of explosions, special effects, bad jokes, and a big finale.  The film was never boring and it kept my attention for its over two-hour running time.  However, it just fell flat for me because of Levi’s performance and just the fact that the film lost its sense of direction near the end and went all over the map.

I’m completely aware that sequels are part of Hollywood when a film is successful, especially when we are talking about a superhero film.  People will flock to them.  There is a built-in audience already.  The “Shazam!” films have been directed by David F. Sandberg, and I was a huge fan of his previous two films: “Lights Out” and “Annabelle: Creation.”  The film looks really good, as he has a keen visual sense.  However, I didn’t feel the heart of the film as much as I would have liked, and it’s a big problem here.  I liked it better than the first one, but when the lead actor is such a ham on screen and so phony and fake with his line readings and performance, it really takes you out of the story. I liked everyone else and thought they did a really good job, but once it becomes a bloated mess and Billy Batson turns into a one-line machine, the film just didn’t work for me.  If you liked the first one, you will like the second one.  If you didn’t, there isn’t anything here that is going to change your mind or convert you to this character and this franchise.

* * out of * * * *

4K Info: “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” is released on a two-disc 4K and Blu-ray combo pack from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment.  It has a running time of 130 minutes and is rated PG-13 for sequences of action, violence and language. The film comes with a digital copy to be redeemed as well.

Video Info: We are treated to a beautiful Dolby Vision transfer here that really stands out and pops.  The film looks beautiful on 4K, especially the action sequences.  Even though they can be overdone and unnecessary at times, I can admit when they look beautiful. My issue is more of the fact they don’t hold as much weight when the emotional heart of the film isn’t present.  The darks set the mood when it needs to, and the film is also filled with color and light when it calls for it.

Audio Info: The Dolby Atmos track is also really, really good here.  With a film that relies heavily on action, you worry about the film being so loud that it takes you out of the film.  Here, thanks to the Dolby Atmos track, it’s never too loud or soft.  It’s perfect throughout the entire duration of the film.

Special Features:

SHAZAM! Let’s Make a Sequel – featurette

The Rock of Eternity: Decked Out – featurette

The Shazamily Reunion – featurette

The Zac Effect – featurette

The Sisterhood of the Daughters of Atlas – featurette

Pay By Play: Scene Breakdown – featurettes

    Ben Franklin bridge collapse

    Rooftop battle of the gods

    Unicorn ride in Philadelphia

    Epic showdown at the baseball stadium

The Mythology of Shazam! – featurette

Director’s Audio Commentary with David F. Sandberg

Deleted Scenes, Alternate & Extended Scenes

Should You Buy It?

As a 4K disc, it looks and sounds out of this world. I’m a big fan of what Warner Brothers does with its 4K releases. They really place a high importance on giving their big screen movies a proper release on 4K with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.  There are also a lot of special features here, so if you enjoy “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” you will enjoy this disc and its special features. If I’m grading this movie overall, it’s just average.  It was watchable and entertaining at times, but it’s a film I have no interest in rewatching, and I don’t think it will have great repeat value.  There are rare moments where the heart of the film is on display, and I liked those moments. The main struggle here is the balance between comedy, action and drama.  The film doesn’t quite pull this task off successfully during its over two-hour running time.  When it does, it’s good fun.  When it doesn’t, it’s very bland and uninteresting.  This is a film in search of a tone.  If you are a fan of this franchise, you will be happy with the 4K release.  If you are watching this for the first time or didn’t enjoy the first one, this sequel is not going to win you over.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.