This second chapter of the Aquaman saga, the superhero played by Jason Momoa, arrived in theaters with a sense of outdatedness – after all, the feature is part of the old DC expanded universe, while James Gunn prepares new films, with other actors, for a new phase of the studio. In the story, Aquaman must forge an unlikely alliance with King Orm (Patrick Wilson) when an ancient power is unleashed that begins to threaten Atlantis and the rest of the world with irreversible devastation. James Wan (The Conjuring) has good insights in action scenes with creative camera movements, taking advantage mainly of the good dynamic between Momoa and Wilson, bringing back the mix of humor and action. None of this overlooks the musty smell that the film carries, as it is part of a already dead universe, and it doesn't make Aquaman 2 seem to make sense for a franchise of films very loaded in that aspect of being "sharable". There is no future. But at least, there is a thread of fun here, which should be the last moment for fans of this defunct universe to peek at what this franchise could still be.
Sequel to the 2019 film, 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods' starts differently. Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is now a teenager, nearing adulthood, who can transform into a superhero (Levi) when he invokes a sort of mystical power. Now, however, he is not alone: his foster siblings also share the power and begin to defend the city of Philadelphia, in the United States, from villains. This is the case with three Greek gods (Helen Mirren, Rachel Zegler, Lucy Liu) who threaten the superhero family by facing other strong mystical powers. The film doesn't have the brilliance of DC's "independent" productions like 'Batman' and 'Joker', but it's also far from being a disaster like 'Batman v. Superman', 'Justice League', and even 'Wonder Woman 1984'. The film has a certain freshness, similar to that seen in Gunn's 'The Suicide Squad'. Like in the first feature, director David F. Sandberg ('Lights Out') knows that Shazam's story cannot be as grand as Batman's journey on the big screen, for example, or Superman's. He needs to focus on the little, on the closeness of these heroes who are actually teenagers experiencing almost magical powers. That's where the fun and the difference of the film lies, which doesn't take itself too seriously and therefore doesn't make any commitment to the viewer to be grand or opulent. It goes straight to the point, being its main virtue and making the experience the most enjoyable possible in the end.
After years in the oven, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson achieved his greatest dream: to star in a superhero movie. And not just any one: originally a villain, Black Adam is one of the most complex anti-heroes of DC Comics, with a dubious morality and a totalitarian and anti-imperialist history. Unfortunately, the cinematic version gets lost when trying to give space to all these nuances, in a story that lacks shine. Still, the action scenes are good (even with too much slow motion) and we have the opportunity to see the Justice Society - the oldest DC team - on the big screen. If it lacks magic and there is an exaggeration of clichés, at least 'Black Adam' delivers honest entertainment during its two hours of duration. Click here to read the full review.
The first 'Suicide Squad', released in 2016, was so controversial that even the director, David Ayer, went public to make it clear that the movie cut is not the vision he had for that story. Five years later it seems that Warner Bros. has learned the lesson: they gave total freedom for another filmmaker, James Gunn (from 'Guardians of the Galaxy'), to produce a feature film for the DC anti-hero group without any limitation from the studio executives. Far away also from Disney's reins and the need to do something more "family", the director goes to the limit of violence and acid humor in 'The Suicide Squad' - which, if it avoids the "2" in the title to avoid being seen as a continuation of a critical failure, it is also not exactly a reboot. What worked in the first movie is there, including Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag and Viola Davis's Amanda Waller. To them, a cast of weight s, which has names like Idris Elba, Jai Courtney, Michael Rooker, John Cena, Alice Braga and Sylvester Stallone, all in hilarious and shocking performances. The script is full of ups and downs, and boredom is certainly a word that does not match the story - after all, there is no shortage of action. Those who enjoy the mix between superheroes, sarcasm and anarchy, in the style of 'Deadpool', will love it.
After the public success (and critical failure) of 'Suicide Squad', Warner Bros. brings back Margot Robbie to the role of Harleen Quinzel in 'Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)'. Although it tries to correct all the mistakes of the previous one, the derivative feature film maintains the accelerated pace and dynamic editing, in the style of a music video. The script has its ups and downs, which can be a bit confusing if you're not paying close enough attention. The direction is by Cathy Yan ('Dead Pigs'), while the script is by Christina Hodson ('Bumblebee') - who together bring an important look and subtext about abusive relationships. In addition to Harley Quinn, who is the star of the movie and has much more screen time, the cast brings important additions to the DC Extended Universe: police officer Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez, from 'White Men Can't Jump'), the Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, from 'Scott Pilgrim vs. The World'), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollet-Bell) and Cassandra Cain (newcomer Ella Jay Basco). The villain is Black Mask, the famous Batman antagonist, in a good performance by Ewan McGregor ('Trainspotting'). It's certainly not for everyone, but it will please those who like Harley Quinn and the aforementioned language seen in 'Suicide Squad'.