DC Comics – Matthew Liedke on Film

REVIEW: ‘Aquaman’ sequel is generic superhero CGI slop

At last, we have come to the final chapter in the DCEU.

“The Lost Kingdom,” takes place few years after Aquaman, AKA Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), became king of Atlantis and prevented a war between the ocean and surface worlds. Now a husband to Mera (Amber Heard) and father to a baby son, Arthur is trying to find a good balance between being a monarch and a dad.

At the same time, a threat emerges in the form of an old enemy, Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen). After losing to Arthur in part 1, Manta is out for revenge and plans to do so with an evil trident. To stop the villain, Arthur partners with his brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson), who he defeated for the throne.

Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Aquaman’ sequel is generic superhero CGI slop”

REVIEW: ‘Blue Beetle’ is another below average DC outing

“Blue Beetle” was originally slated for a streaming release but was pushed into theaters. All things considered, maybe it should have stayed on the small screen.

Xolo Mariduena stars as Jaime Reyes in the film. A recent college graduate, Jaime returns to his home in Palmera City only to learn that his family’s house is on the brink of repossession. Wanting to help his parents, he looks for work, but only manages to get a cleaning gig at a mansion despite his degree.

That is where meets Jenny Kord (Bruno Marquezine), the niece of the woman (Suasan Sarandon) who runs a large military tech company. The main focus of the company is the Scarab, an alien technology giving the user an advanced armor. Knowing the dangerous implications of the tech, Jenny removes it from the Kord facility and entrusts it to Jaime.

Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Blue Beetle’ is another below average DC outing”

REVIEW: ‘Shazam: Fury of the Gods’ is a frustrating flop

The first “Shazam” was a rather charming superhero flick, which makes it all the more disappointing that its sequel “Fury of the Gods” leaves one frowning.

In this new adventure, Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is still turning into his super powered alter-ego Shazam (Zachary Levi) to help protect the city of Philadelphia with help from his foster siblings. While Billy still enjoys his superhero antics, though, he is growing concerned with a few things.

For one, he’s going to be 18 soon, which means he will age out of the foster system and he worries about losing his family. Additionally, his foster siblings seem to be growing apart. However, the family must come together to face a new threat with plenty of magical firepower.

Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Shazam: Fury of the Gods’ is a frustrating flop”

REVIEW: ‘Black Adam’ is a botched attempt at an anti-hero

‘This isn’t a traditional superhero!’ The movie shouts at us as it takes the route of a generic superhero movie.

Dwayne Johnson stars as the titular character in this film taking place in DC’s cinematic universe. A being with tremendous power, Adam was sealed by magic within a tomb 5,000 years ago after defeating an evil tyrant in the kingdom of Kahndaq.

The film picks up in the present day with Adam being being summoned back in the midst of Kahndaq once again being in turmoil, with outside forces subjugating its people and exploiting the natural resources. Many in Kahndaq see Adam’s return as a good thing, as he has the power to liberate them, but others on Earth see him as a threat, and a special unit of super powered beings are sent to reign him in.

Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Black Adam’ is a botched attempt at an anti-hero”

Phase 4 shows the MCU is running on empty

No, I’m not being paid by Warner Bros. or DC to write this.

Honestly, for the longest time I rejected this notion. Marvel Studios had a really good track record here at this site. Aside from “Thor: The Dark World,” most entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe received a 3 out of 5 or higher from yours truly.

For those who may not know, that’s enough to get a “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes. That was true right up through the summer of 2019.

Continue reading “Phase 4 shows the MCU is running on empty”

REVIEW: ‘The Batman’ is a brilliant caped crusader story

Some of the best elements of the “Batman” interpretations by directors Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan are melded into the new crime epic featuring the Dark Knight.

In director Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” Robert Pattinson stars as Bruce Wayne, who spends his nights out in Gotham City as the caped crusader. The film picks up with him meeting with Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) after a night of fighting criminals to consult on a murder case.

The victim is the city’s mayor, and the suspect is the Riddler (Paul Dano), who leaves behind haunting clues. The killing sets Batman on an investigation, where he partners with Gordon and a cat burglar, Selina (Zoe Kravitz). The investigation brings him in conflict with the city’s underbelly, with the likes of the Penguin (Colin Farrell) in his way.

Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘The Batman’ is a brilliant caped crusader story”

REVIEW: ‘Wonder Woman’ sequel mostly falls flat

Before fighting Doomsday and Steppenwolf, Wonder Woman emerged in the 80s to battle corporate greed.

“Wonder Woman 1984” opens with the Amazon warrior now fighting crime while also working at the Smithsonian. At her job, where she goes by Diana Prince (Gal Gadot), she meets a researcher named Barbara (Kristen Wiig). Early in the movie, Barbara comes across a stone that supposedly grants wishes.

Barbara, who’s rather insecure, wishes to be just like Diana. Diana, meanwhile, wishes for her lost love Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) to be resurrected. Despite thinking it’s just a legend, it turns out the stone actually works for the two. It also works for a desperate businessman named Max Lord (Pedro Pascal) who has aspirations of more power. These three wishes end up bringing the characters into conflict.

Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Wonder Woman’ sequel mostly falls flat”

DC FanDome: Breaking down hype and hesitation

There was a ton of movie news over the weekend and a lot of it came from DC’s virtual convention titled FanDome. The event had trailers and details released on several upcoming superhero movies.

From Batman to Flash, there’s a whole lot to breakdown from FanDome. So, here’s my recap on the whole thing.

Continue reading “DC FanDome: Breaking down hype and hesitation”

Monday Movie Report: WB pushes back ‘Batman,’ shifts schedule

A new “Batman” film and other pictures in development under the Warner Bros. umbrella are being pushed back because of the coronavirus.

According to Variety, WB has altered its plans for “The Batman,” a prequel film to “The Sopranos” and a picture titled “Many Saints of Newark.” Most notable is “The Batman,” which stars Robert Pattinson and was set to hit theaters June 25, 2021.

Continue reading “Monday Movie Report: WB pushes back ‘Batman,’ shifts schedule”