Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
December 25, 2023 7:11 PM - Subscribe
Aquaman (Jason Momoa) balances his duties as king and as a member of the Justice League, all while planning a wedding. Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen) is on the hunt for Atlantean tech to help rebuild his armor. Orm (Patrick Wilson) plots to escape his Atlantean prison.
(...So apparently this IMDB plot summary is from a very early version of the script, because even in broad strokes it's 50% inaccurate.)
An extremely slight piece of work of awkward genre mish-mash. Its heart is in the right place, I suppose, but no brains to be found.
(...So apparently this IMDB plot summary is from a very early version of the script, because even in broad strokes it's 50% inaccurate.)
An extremely slight piece of work of awkward genre mish-mash. Its heart is in the right place, I suppose, but no brains to be found.
Well, it's probably too early to decide whether it will underearn The Flash. I don't want to be too mean to it. For example, it was better than Quantumania. Momoa's shaggy charisma will never die. While Godzilla Minus One was a far better movie, you couldn't take a nine-year-old to it over Christmas break and you could take them to Aquaman. I didn't get angry at it at any point. It was just...there.
posted by praemunire at 10:36 AM on December 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 10:36 AM on December 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Saw it by myself yesterday, and I generally am an easy mark for DC. I loved Batman v Superman, for instance. Anyway I left a few minutes early because I couldn't be bothered to head back into the theater after peeing.
posted by kittensofthenight at 11:43 AM on December 26, 2023
posted by kittensofthenight at 11:43 AM on December 26, 2023
I will also say, expanding on my initial comment about its heart, that it is at least trying to fumble its way to a heroic but less toxic masculinity. Aquaman is a devoted caretaker of his infant son and respects his own father for raising him on his own; he's totally uninterested in the Atlantean royal power struggle, to the shock and incomprehension of his brother; he respects the woman power figures around him even when in conflict with them; he wants to "build bridges" rather than fight (notice that this position is initially delegated to a woman in the analogous situation in Black Panther). None of this is terribly well done, but God knows I would rather have a son of mine admire Aquaman rather than Batman or Iron Man.
posted by praemunire at 12:40 PM on December 26, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 12:40 PM on December 26, 2023 [6 favorites]
Can anyone report on Martin Short as "Kingfish"?
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:59 PM on December 27, 2023
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:59 PM on December 27, 2023
A very direct Jabba the Hutt ripoff.
posted by praemunire at 3:26 PM on December 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 3:26 PM on December 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Dang it.
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:58 PM on December 27, 2023
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:58 PM on December 27, 2023
I'm not sure if the opening weekend #s are the certain death knell of the DCEU. Here's what Wikipedia says about the first Aquaman film, which had an estimated $160-200 mil budget:
The film made $28 million on its first day, including $9 million from Thursday night previews (a total of $13.7 million including the Amazon screenings and a Wednesday preview). It went on to debut at $67.9 million ($73.2 million including all early showings), topping the box office but marking the lowest opening of the DCEU.[122] It then made $11 million on Monday and $22.1 million on Christmas Day, one of six films to ever gross over $20 million on the holiday; its five-day total opening was $105.7 million
Despite that, it grossed $1.152 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing DCEU film, the highest-grossing film based on a DC Comics character, the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2018, and the 20th highest-grossing film of all time.
But really, who knows? Hollywood Accounting is more occult than witchcraft.
Did Amber Heard's character make it into this movie? I heard rumors that they were trying to edit her out as much as possible.
posted by Saxon Kane at 11:08 AM on December 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
The film made $28 million on its first day, including $9 million from Thursday night previews (a total of $13.7 million including the Amazon screenings and a Wednesday preview). It went on to debut at $67.9 million ($73.2 million including all early showings), topping the box office but marking the lowest opening of the DCEU.[122] It then made $11 million on Monday and $22.1 million on Christmas Day, one of six films to ever gross over $20 million on the holiday; its five-day total opening was $105.7 million
Despite that, it grossed $1.152 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing DCEU film, the highest-grossing film based on a DC Comics character, the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2018, and the 20th highest-grossing film of all time.
But really, who knows? Hollywood Accounting is more occult than witchcraft.
Did Amber Heard's character make it into this movie? I heard rumors that they were trying to edit her out as much as possible.
posted by Saxon Kane at 11:08 AM on December 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
I think the lesson is unavoidable: there simply isn't an audience for male-led action/superhero movies.
posted by Naberius at 5:28 PM on December 28, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by Naberius at 5:28 PM on December 28, 2023 [7 favorites]
Did Amber Heard's character make it into this movie? I heard rumors that they were trying to edit her out as much as possible.
Yes! She's edited to oblivion and mostly silent. Still, there are a couple scenes where she saves Aquaman. To real interaction with Momoa though, even though they are married and live together with Aquaman's dad.
I did notice multiple cuts where it seemed she was about to talk and the film cuts away before she speaks.
posted by kittensofthenight at 11:16 AM on December 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
Yes! She's edited to oblivion and mostly silent. Still, there are a couple scenes where she saves Aquaman. To real interaction with Momoa though, even though they are married and live together with Aquaman's dad.
I did notice multiple cuts where it seemed she was about to talk and the film cuts away before she speaks.
posted by kittensofthenight at 11:16 AM on December 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
The protagonist complains a couple of times about having his actions as king of Atlantis scrutinized by an oversight committee—I interpret this as an expression of frustration by the scriptwriters at having to work with the executives of DC Studios.
posted by cyanistes at 12:49 PM on January 1
posted by cyanistes at 12:49 PM on January 1
The thing that struck me the most was how much it felt like ... I dunno. Flash Gordon. All it needed was the Brine King hollering "Arthur Curry is alive!" or something, and I'd have been right there.
Some of the CGI felt extremely ropey, like Iron Sky level low budget just good enough for a cheap movie level of ropiness.
I think it finally came together in the third act, but man it took a long and winding route getting there.
posted by Kyol at 6:12 PM on March 4
Some of the CGI felt extremely ropey, like Iron Sky level low budget just good enough for a cheap movie level of ropiness.
I think it finally came together in the third act, but man it took a long and winding route getting there.
posted by Kyol at 6:12 PM on March 4
A very direct Jabba the Hutt ripoff.
Dear God yes; that entire scene was a shameless lift of Jabba's palace.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 6:42 PM on March 7
Dear God yes; that entire scene was a shameless lift of Jabba's palace.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 6:42 PM on March 7
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The reported budget for Aquaman 2- which may or may not include promotional costs - is somewhere in region of $205–215 million
In it's first full week (7 - 8 ?) days at the box office it's made: $120.1 million
So financially (right now) it's a *severe flop*.
Every review I've seen had been tepid at best.
According to Wikipedia
This definitely feels like the final film in this - current - incarnation of the DCU is a objective failure.
Even the 2022 Flash movie made more than it cost to make [Budget $200–220 million Final Box office $270.6 million] , and people seemed to universally hate that, although to be fair, the hate for the Flash might not have been *solely* due to just the film being bad, but also due to the personal life / current legal issues surrounding it's main star Ezra Millar ..
posted by Faintdreams at 3:44 AM on December 26, 2023 [1 favorite]