AQUAMAN (James Wan, 2018)

[shooby]

That seems about to change especially with CREED II...

Even for Aquaman, some says he is good. I'll tell you that tomorrow, I'll see him tomorrow. But there will always be the band under eyes

[Jox]

Good German review of the film and Dolph, saying he can easily compete with "theatrical heavyweights" Willem Dafoe, Nicole Kidman and Temuera Morrison
https://ssl.ofdb.de/review/314686,770021,Aquaman

James Wan Interview: Aquaman
https://screenrant.com/james-wan-interview-aquaman/

I really think just, you know, growing up a child of the '80s and '90s. You know, just my love for filmmakers like Spielberg and Lucas and Tim Burton. And so, you know, when I finally get the chance to make my action-adventure film, I think a lot of what those guys had done had rubbed off on me in a big way. And that's just sort of the spirit that I wanted to make this film with. I mean, even down to the musical score, I wanted to- my inspiration was Jean-Michel Jarre, Giorgio Moroder. So, very sort of '80s sort of electronica. And Vangelis, of course, with what they did on Blade Runner. So, I really wanted that kind of flavor. But, in terms of the tone and the sort of visual look, I pulled all of that from the comic book.

[Jox]

http://thefwoosh.com/2018/12/movie-review-aquaman/

Lundgren and Dafoe both put in satisfying supporting turns. Dolph Lundgren sporting a red beard astride a seahorse monster is not something that should work, but it does.

Hot Toys Officially Unveils New Aquaman Figure
https://dccollectors.com/2018/12/18/hot ... an-figure/

[shooby]

I just returned from my screening (afternoon session for me), my firsts impressions:
- his on-screen presence is longer than I would have thought
- nice surprise with the unexpected return of Nicole Kidman towards the end
- some superfluous sequences or adds (like dinosaurs in the kind of "lost paradise" where Atlanna is jailed, the one of the last battle with a submarine species, with the big crab, where all the scene is orange ...)
- beautiful visual slap, I better understand why the post-production has been so long : the work was huge
- James Wan's wanderings in Macgyver TV show's are forgotten
We will give a good 7,5/10 - 8/ 10

Dolph's vocal double in France is Luc Bernard (Joshua Tree, Expendable, Storm Catcher, Skin Trade ...)

[bomaz]

As mean as these tweets can seem to us fanboys, they are also kinda heartwarming and satisfying (IMO).

Also, Dolph? Dolph Lundgren? Is alive? And can act? Whoa!

[GeneralMcFaiL]

I can't believe James Wan referenced Johnny Mnemonic... that is fantastic.

I thought it was MoTU that was the reason for him casting Dolph.

Yes I find it awesome, and it proves James Wan is a real fan! Nobody ever quotes JM, where Lundgren showed off 23 years ago that he could eclipse a prestigious cast with a supporting role...

At the very least I hope James uses Dolph in his movies going forward. Imagine that. James becomes the new big budget studio guy and he takes his loyal favorites like PWilson and Dolph with him!

[Jox]

‘Aquaman’ Outpacing ‘Wonder Woman’ in Fandango Pre-Sales
https://variety.com/2018/film/news/aqua ... 203092800/

'Aquaman' Looks to Lead Long, Christmas Weekend at the Box Office
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=4468&p=.htm

How James Wan pulled off Aquaman
https://ew.com/movies/2018/12/18/aquama ... ver-story/

The French official "production notes" (below the review)
https://epixod.blogspot.com/2018/12/aquaman.html

[shooby]

The funny thing is that on allocine, we have an excited troll who swears that all the critics of the film are bad, and that the worst would come lol

PS pour jox : j'ai un doute, une doublure vocale en anglais, c'est bien ce que j'ai mis plus haut ?

[Jox]

PS pour jox : j'ai un doute, une doublure vocale en anglais, c'est bien ce que j'ai mis plus haut ?

Je ne suis pas sûr tout à fait sûr mais je sais que tu peux dire "French voice" ou "voice double".


Yesterday, AQUAMAN topped the French box-office on its 1st day with 150,000 ticket admissions nationwide, but it's far behind other superhero movies, and the 2nd worst of DC above JUSTICE LEAGUE so it will likely not be its biggest market even though the holiday break shall support give it a boost.
http://lestoilesheroiques.fr/2018/12/aq ... ffice.html


Roger Ebert review (by Matt Zoller Seitz)
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/aquaman-2018

The most remarkable aspect, though, is the way "Aquaman" pushes against the idea that every problem can be solved by violence. There are plenty of bruising fights on land and sea, plus laser shootouts and aquatic infantry clashes, but some of the most important showdowns are resolved peacefully, through conversation, negotiation, and forgiveness. Men as well as women cry in this movie, and the sight is treated not as a shameful loss of dignity, but as the normal byproduct of pain or joy. For all its wild spectacle and cartoon cleverness, this is a quietly subversive movie, and an evolutionary step forward for the genre.

[bomaz]

a short review while it's fresh in my mind.
As a superhero movie, Aquaman is a top notch entertainment. As opposed to marvel movies, it's not ashamed to be a superhero flick, and it goes over the top sometimes. Aquaman in costume is a "superhero" per say, in the comic book sense, and ther's no denying it. In that, it's kinda refreshing. Vilains are colorful, and it's visually sometimes quite good. In the DC universe blah blah blah, it goes on 3rd rank for me (1st BvS ultimate edition 2nd Man of Steel 4th Wonder Woman).
As a movie, it's a so-so result, with nice moments here and there (james wan is not afraid to do wide shots, but not afraid enough to do close shot, way too many ...), and a good rythm (even if, when you think about it, a simple diplomatic discussion would have saved 45mn of movie) and the acting is globally good (Lundgren of curse, but I'll get back to him, Dafoe is great but under-used). I really like Patrick Wilson usually, but his character is a tiny bit too bland to satisfy me. Momoa and Mera are too confident for my taste and they kinda lack charisma, but it's a matter of opinion. Temuera Morrisson and Kidman are (for me) the great winner here, with great characters (that we don't see enough of). And once again, too much CGi, but hey, I'm becoming an old-man I guess. (Music is easily forgetable, with that awful Toto cover ... fortunately there's a Sigur Ros' song cleverly used).
As a Lundgren fan now : he found here on of his finest parts, a politically-tortured man, father and king. There's shade and levels in his character, maybe more than any other one in the movie. He acts with natural charisma and royal quality. And we get to see plenty of him. I can't wait to see him on the big screen again in a little less than a month.

A french review here. Even if I can get that you don't like the movie, I suppose a review should have some logical points ... but that's clearly not the case here

[Jox]

One thing is that the movie should have been 3 hours (and an extended 4-hour cut) like the LORD OF THE RINGS movies to work with all that's happening in the film and often gets skipped too quickly.

There are almost no transitions or no flow, too many ellipses between sequences, and within scenes and actions themselves. I'm sure ton of exposition scenes and more dialogue deepening the dramatic stakes have been cut and is lacking to be fully involved in the conflicts and characters. If I see it again, and I don't think my brain, ears and physiological sensibility can on a giant screen again, I'd love to see it at a 70-80% slower speed.

Filmmaking-wise, I had not seen a superhero in more than 10 years so I was out of the loop and turned off by all the non-stop gimmicks that would have been laughed at 20-30 years ago.

How 'Aquaman' Searches for a New Direction for DC
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat- ... an-1170291

[Jox]

https://www.metroweekly.com/2018/12/fil ... ing-depth/

"Dolph Lundgren is just killing it these days. The towering Swede nearly swipes the sentimental heart of Creed II in his return as boxer Ivan Drago, and he brings a similar world-weary gravitas to his minor role as King Nereus in DC’s visually dazzling but still disappointing superhero adventure, Aquaman (★★).

Presumably, very few Creed fans were lining up just to ride the Lundgren revival, and even fewer will head into Aquaman pining to see what Nereus thinks about uniting the disparate kingdoms of the seven seas. Yet Lundgren’s performance stands out as one of the more three-dimensional aspects of this flat hero-becoming-a-hero, quasi-origin story, directed by James Wan"

[Jox]

Aquaman, From Super Friend To Surfer Dude: The Bro-Ification Of A Hero
https://www.npr.org/2018/12/18/67733958 ... -of-a-hero

Audio:
https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/n ... a_hero.mp3

[Jox]

French Blu-ray 4K, Blu-ray, DVD release scheduled for April 30, 2019
https://www.amazon.fr/Aquaman-4K-Ultra- ... 07LD4MG63/
https://www.amazon.fr/Aquaman-Blu-ray-J ... 07LGH3XZ2/
https://www.amazon.fr/Aquaman-Jason-Mom ... 07LGR8KM3/


EDIT:

One thing is that the movie should have been 3 hours (and an extended 4-hour cut) like the LORD OF THE RINGS movies to work with all that's happening in the film and often gets skipped too quickly.

There are almost no transitions or no flow, too many ellipses between sequences, and within scenes and actions themselves. I'm sure ton of exposition scenes and more dialogue deepening the dramatic stakes have been cut and is lacking to be fully involved in the conflicts and characters. If I see it again, and I don't think my brain, ears and physiological sensibility can on a giant screen again, I'd love to see it at a 70-80% slower speed.

Filmmaking-wise, I had not seen a superhero in more than 10 years so I was out of the loop and turned off by all the non-stop gimmicks that would have been laughed at 20-30 years ago.

Also one thing I feel that I forgot to mention is that the problem with mega blockbusters and action films today is that it's like watching 10 climactic action sequences back to back and with the same intensity during the entire film, whereas each one of them could be the climax of a sole movie, and there's no real building to it, no time appreciate any shot when each frame is so busy.

It's like emptying a bag of treasures at you all at once as if were laundry, it loses all the screen value of everything that's been put on there... Same with the deafening sound which seems to be orchestrated and mixed at the same level for almost the entire 140 minutes with build up or counterpoints.

So yeah, I'm still very appreciative that Dolph was cast in this one rather than AVENGERS or stuff like that, but it also confirms to me that big movies aren't for me anymore, and it's something that's grown on me since THE MATRIX so almost 20 years now.

[shooby]

Anyway, can he play in an AVENGER, since he is at DCEU now ?