Aquaman Movie Review

China and some parts of the world (including the Philippines) for this time around got first dibs on the new Warner/DC Movie Aquaman. And so far, Aquaman has been killing it in the international film market on the first weekend of release. First weekend international projections are going as high as $200 Million Dollars or more, with pundits going as high as predicting a $1 Billion Dollars worldwide finish at the box office going by the strength of the international numbers and the strong word of mouth from audiences. So, has Aquaman finally saved the fate of the DC Movie Universe? Now before I make my review, allow me to refresh you guys with regards to where I stand when it comes to DC's Movie Universe. I staunchly defended Man of Steel when critics roasted it which can be read here. I enjoyed Batman V. Superman despite it's flaws. And I even gave the critics a piece of my thoughts (not that they care). But gave a huge pause on Justice League, which was a frankenstein of a movie that I did not even bothered to review but wrote an extensive article about the DCEU's course so far which can be read here. I skipped reviewing or writing about the Suicide Squad movie and the Wonder Woman movie because for one while Suicide Squad was an enjoyable movie, I just felt that something was definitely off about the chosen antagonists, and I was right when just recently it was revealed that Steppenwolf and the Parademons were supposed to be the villains of the movie before the people at Warner Brothers started meddling on the direction of the movie. Wonder Woman on the other hand was a total system shock for me, because it didn't felt like a DC movie to me. It was done in the manner of the "MCU" formula which explains why spoiled critics and general audiences gave it such a huge rating. But to give credit where credit is due, Wonder Woman totally proved to the Hollywood Execs that a female led Superhero movie can equally or even surpass the traditionally Male dominated superhero franchise. Something that MCU's Captain Marvel should be thankful for. To make the long story short, I was totally invested with the world building that Zack Snyder has initiated. And I was totally devastated when he had to leave the DC Extended Universe without getting the chance to finish what he had started. And now that I have gotten these things out of the way, here's what I think of Aquaman.        

Aquaman finally blew the lid on what Warner/DC's next big direction for their movie universe would be. Nabbing director James Wan (from the horror flick Conjuring and its ilk) to helm the movie, Aquaman was a total shock to those who were expecting the demise of the DC Superhero Movie Universe. Critics loved the movie because they crowed about DC finally coming to senses to borrow a page from the early "Marvel" movie making formula by not taking its heroes too seriously and just let them have some fun. Critics are even comparing it to Iron Man (while the achingly stupid ones are saying that Aquaman heavily copied from Black Panther, to which I could only rebut by saying that Black Panther plagiarized LION KING!). James Wan didn't pull any punches as he delivered high octane action from the get go, which I never really expected because I never saw his Fast and the Furious work (was more familiar with him through his horror movie). The lush cinematography of the world of Atlantis is a page taken right out of Zack Snyder's books when it comes to spoiling the audiences with grandiose set pieces and visually stunning worlds. Perhaps the biggest question on everyone's minds was how would a two hour and a half Aquaman movie work when the titular character is more popularly remembered as "that" superhero who talks to fish. A line that Batman from the Justice League movie kept on repeating. But James had a trick up on his sleeves, and the surprisingly charismatic Jason Momoa (Aquaman) and the equally stunning Amber Heard (Mera) along with a talented cast of veteran actors, were the right team to bring Aquaman to the big screen. Combining big action elements, romance, mystery, and some light thriller, Aquaman delivered the right set of emotions to entertain the audience. Momoa's portrayal of Aquaman was strong, loud, and rowdy, yet maintaining the right amount of gentleness when it came to the dramatic scenes. Heard on the other hand was no slouch in the action department as she went toe to toe with Momoa's energetic performance.

Aquaman Postcard I have for James Wan's Autograph

The movie is vaguely set several years after the events of the Justice League movie. By saying vaguely, it means that there really is no clarity as to where the movie really stands in the greater whole of the DC Extended Universe because Director James Wan was caught saying that Aquaman is set entirely on its own without any entanglement to previous movies. Though in the movie, Mera's shout out to Aquaman's involvement with Steppenwolf is a huge confirmation that the movie Justice League did happen. James Wan favorite Patrick Wilson as Aquaman's half brother King Orm is on a mission to make the surface world suffer the ocean world's wrath. He has set his sight to become the Ocean Master so that he could lead the rest of the Ocean World to take its revenge on the Surface World for all the pollution and destruction that it has brought on the Ocean Floor. To prevent this from happening, Mera seeks out Arthur Curry/Aquaman and convinces him to take his rightful place as the King of Atlantis to thwart King Orm's plans. Snappy flashbacks of Arthur Curry's past is peppered throughout the whole movie, saving the movie from traditional cliched origin stories, and just keeps the movie moving forward without boring the audience. Willem Dafoe as Vulko evokes a sensei like presence during Aquaman's training scenes, which pretty much homages the Karate Kid's training sequences. Nicole Kidman's Queen Atlanna, Aquaman's mother, was also a showstopper, and while she started the movie on a very strong note, her whereabouts as the movie wore on is one that was kept hidden in mystery until the end. Momoa and Heards electrifying chemistry is heavily seen as Aquaman and Mera takes on a journey recovering the lost trident of King Atlan. And it was this part that threw a huge wrench on my expectations as we are taken to the dry lands (and the air) with stunning action sequences evoking that of Indiana Jones' adventures, away from the expected ocean battles. Aquaman on dry land and air? Go figure that out. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta steals the show as his story totally sets up an even more higher stakes in the surefire sequel to this movie. And of course it wouldn't be James Wan if there's no horror involved. And the Horrors of the Trench, the dark recesses of the Ocean would make our hearts beat faster as the dangers surrounding Aquaman is driven to the hilt. And when Aquaman finally retrieves the trident, and his comic book accurate costume is finally revealed in all its grandeur, the DC Geek in me couldn't contain my excitement. Throughout the whole movie, we are introduced to the wonders of Atlantis and its citizens and neighboring cities. Chief of them all is King Nereus (Mera's father) portrayed by Dolph Lundgren, who brought the kind of swagger to his portrayal of Nereus that harkens back to his He-Man days in the cult classic Masters of the Universe movie. The majestic climax to the movie was well played and the stakes are eventually lowered when it came to the final one on one showdown. No villain dies, no snapping of neck, no killing happens. Just one big emotional piece to finally tie the loose ends.  

James Wan affixed signature

Overall, Aquaman is an enjoyable film and a very much welcome entry to DC's growing movie universe. But while I did enjoy the movie very much, I left the theater with a heavy heart. The whole experience was a far cry compared to the movie experiences that I had from Man of Steel and Batman V Superman.  Being a die-hard DC Fan, there's two sides to what I'm feeling right now. One, I am extremely happy that in general, the movie is being embraced and lauded all over, plus the dollars are finally raking in which could only mean that DC/Warner would even be more motivated to bring our favorite DC Superheroes to the big screen. On the other hand, I am extremely sad that the final nail to the coffin of the so called "Snyderverse" has finally been inserted and has totally closed the door shut of any Snyder related DC Superhero movie project. As where it stands right now, the so called "Snyderverse" was just a bad dream that we all had to experience, and the sooner we wake up from it, the better we all would be for us to be able to appreciate the new phase of Warner/DC's new movie universe. Shazam will be up next, and from the looks of it, it is going to be way even more drastically different from the Nolan years of The Dark Knight Trilogy, and the Snyderverse. Good thing though that Joaquin Phoenix's Joker is just around the corner, and DC/Warner will just have their cake and eat it too.  

DC Essentials Superman Action Figure Review

The long wait is finally over. DC Essentials Superman has finally hit our favorite collectible stores. And I thought I have seen the last of my days purchasing these action figures since I haven't found any more Superman action figures worth collecting. But the moment the DC Essentials line was announced, I knew that I had to get a Superman figure from this line. So how do I find the figure? Read On!

The first week of September 2018 was a great week for Superman fans as the DC Essentials Superman action figure was released along with the seventh concluding issue of the new Justice League story arc which featured Jim Lee's artwork on its variant cover. No Superman fan should let this week pass without at least getting one or both of these.

Upon unboxing, the figure is seen bounded with those annoying twisties on the waist and a transparent rubber band on the ankles. I'm also annoyed with those blister holes where they slide in the rubber capes. I always get freaked out while sliding the cape out to get the entire figure out from the blisters. Sometimes the sharp blister edges on the hole damages the rubber cape. So you'll have to take the cape out slowly.

For the longest time, one of the recurring complaints in a Superman action figure are their inability to look up, thus rendering those Superman action figures an inability to come up with accurate flight poses. DC Essentials fixes those problem as they finally gave us a swivel and hinged neck that could be posed way way up. This Superman figure finally solves a lot of action figure collector's problem when it comes to Superman's flight poses.

The figure is packed with tons of points of articulation. The figure has a swivel and hinged neck, hinged and swivel arms, swivel biceps, double hinged elbows, swivel and hinged wrists, hinged abs, swivel waist, G.I. Joe styled ball jointed hips, swivel thighs, double hinged knees, swivel boots, and swivel and hinged ankles. I could say this probably is the Superman action figure with the most points of articulation.  

I must say however that the ankle joints are such a pain as I feel overtime, they'd become loose. I had a hard time making the figure stand while I was taking photos of it because of the flimsy ankle coupled with a heavy rubber cape. But this Superman is best displayed in a flying pose because of its neck joint. So this shouldn't be a problem.

The paint applications are quite done well in the figure I got. And no, those solid yellow belts are not paint errors as DC Essentials designed those belts that way. I just don't know why they skipped the red colors in those belts as the source material in the comics also sports those red colors. There's a part of me that wants to do a quick repaint in those belts though.

One of the qualms I have with this figure is the cape's design. The folded cape design somehow makes this Superman look less grandiose than the usual. Or maybe I was just spoiled with the large capes that those Henry Cavill Superman action figures usually sports.

I couldn't seem to get which artwork this figure was based on. Kinda like a mixed between Jim Lee, Jason Fabok, or maybe even David Finch's art. But a lot seems to be in agreement that the likeness of this figure pretty much looks like this:

In case you guys don't know him, he is Herbert Chavez, the self proclaimed PINOY Superman. He has done tons of plastic surgeries on his face trying to capture the facial look of Superman. And my, in action figure form, this face has got to be one of the most beautiful Superman faces in action figure history.

The figure stands at approximately 7 inches. Usually comparable to the older DC Direct figures which stands between 6.5 to 7 inch. The figure towers over the older DC Collectibles Icons series, the action figure series that preceded the Essentials series. The photo above is a comparison of the Superman Rebirth figure from the Icons series.

The costume in this action figure is an evolved look of the classic Blue and Red costume. For close to 7 years, DC has done away with the Red trunks, only to have them back when DC celebrated the release of Action Comics 1000. This evolved look also adopted cuffs designs that was first seen in the Man of Steel movie and later on adopted by the Rebirth costume.

Through the years, contrary to popular beliefs, Superman's costume has been in constant evolution since from the beginning. Pictured above is the evolution of his comic book continuity costumes in action figure form. On the other hand, I'll be sharing more photos of this figure in various action poses below.

The fabled flight pose

Jim Lee action figure?

The first story arc where this figure's costume was extensively used.

Mattel DC Super Heroes Superman, DC Direct JLA Superman, DC Essentials Superman 

To end this entry, I can't really say that this DC Essentials Action Figure is the best Superman Action Figure for this scale. But for sure he belongs to my TOP 3 best highly articulated Superman Action Figures based from the Comic Book. I excluded other iterations especially the NECA Christopher Reeve Superman because in my book, that is still the best Superman action figure in this scale. This figure is highly recommended for those looking for a generic comic book Superman action figure. However, you'll be facing scale issues when displayed together with the smaller DCUC figures. But that is just a small problem to have because this DC Essentials Superman action figure is best displayed alone. Especially with the flight pose that it could give you.  

SDCC Exclusive Beast Kingdom Superman

Beast Kingdom SDCC Exclusive Superman

I've been waiting for this figure to arrive in the Philippines shores because I was excited to own a piece of this Henry Cavill Superman in classic costume. I know that this figure had some very bad reviews but this did not deter me from getting my hands on this figure and see for myself if the bad reviews it got was well warranted. Well read on for my verdict.

Box Front Art

The box front art shows us the action figure in a classic Superman pose rendered in comic book art style. The box colors looks attractive enough to jump off the shelves and grab your attention.

Back art

The back art of the box on the other hand gives us a look of the figure along with the contents of the box. Nothing flashy but the figure looks awesome in the photos.

Upon opening it however, I was aghast to see MICHAEL JACKSON wearing a Superman costume! It made me get another look at it and I just couldn't find Henry Cavill's likeness in the figure.

The figure comes with three sets of hands and a display base to help make the figure stand. No extra head and other accessories. 

Disappointingly, the display base does not expand in height, preventing you from posing the figure in flight poses. The base has a printed insignia of Batman V Superman Dawn of Justice and of course Superman's name. This figure originally came out in the original Batman V Superman Superman suit, albeit released years after the theatrical release of the movie. Didn't know why this figure came in late but he did come with Batman, Armored Batman, and Wonder Woman to complete the set. The San Diego Comic Con exclusive figures on the other hand were repaints of the original release (except Armored Batman). The figures were repainted in "comic book" colors as per the Press Release of the figures. Superman also had an additional figure for SDCC which featured him in the highly controversial Black Suit. Highly controversial because fans clamored for it to appear in the Justice League movie. Something that should not be talked about here though..... unless a Justice League SNYDER CUT is released!

From whatever angle I see him, I just couldn't see Henry Cavill's likeness in the figure. I don't get it why Beast Kingdom opted to put his flesh colors in a lighter tone. Probably to mimic the comic book colors? But damn, he really looks like a baby powdered up Superman. He looks like a cross of Michael Jackson and that famous Superman cosplayer from the Philippines who underwent multiple facial surgery to try to get Superman's look.

We got a pretty good articulation count. A ball jointed head, a ball jointed neck, ball jointed and hinged shoulders that you could pull to give it more variety of poses, swivel biceps, ball jointed elbows, ball jointed wrists, ball jointed chest and waist, ball jointed and hinged hips that can be pulled similar to the shoulders, swivel leg, ball jointed double hinged knee, ball jointed ankle, and hinged toes. That's tons of articulation there but there are some weird articulation gimmicks as seen in the next photo. 

The shoulders and hips looks hideous when pulled, giving us a hideous gap in between. Though I have to commend Beast Kingdom for their attempt to revolutionize action figure articulation. You'll have to hide those gaps when posing or taking photos of this figure though.   

The figure comes in a silky cloth cape with wires to give you dynamic cape positioning. Or it may appear so. Because those wires are just too soft to hold the heavy cape. The wires actually does nothing much to give you those dynamic cape positioning. I don't remember Superman having this grandiose type cape in the movie. Probably almost like this but definitely not this much. 

I like it that the cape has a rubber type print of the yellow Superman Insignia. You'll have to watch out for that rubber though cause I presume wear and tear and old age would give you cracks on the print.... like what happened to my Hot Toys Christopher Reeve Superman's S shield... SOB! 

From left to right: Movie Masters Man of Steel Superman, Justice League Superman, Beast Kingdom Superman, and Bootlegged Black Suit Superman

The only reason why I chose this Superman figure over the black suited one was because I wanted to own a Henry Cavill Superman in different suits. And this suit offers you a classic look of Cavill's Superman in classic colors. This is probably the closest look we could get of Michael Jackson, I mean Henry Cavill in Christopher Reeve costume colors. (Though I remember there was one photo circulating in the net where Cavill wore Reeve's original Superman suit). Also, pardon me for using a bootlegged Black Suited Superman in the photo as I didn't open my Man of Steel black suit Superman. But I promise you I own one, so please do pardon me lol!    

Here's a side by side comparison of the different Supermen that came out in the movies and T.V. plus a Kotobukiya Super Powers Superman. The Beast Kingdom Superman probably stands between 8 to 9 inch. So the trunks are back just like in the comic books eh?

Here's a scale comparison of the Beast Kingdom Michael Jackson Henry Cavill  Superman and the NECA Christopher Reeve Superman. Still couldn't find a similar scaled Henry Cavill Superman to complement the Neca Reeve Superman as the Mattel Movie Masters are smaller when compared to the NECA Superman. 

This might probably do the trick though, a Cavill Superman that came from the Batman V Superman Ultimate Battle two pack deluxe figure. Now with both almost similarly scaled Henry Cavill Superman figure pictured side by side, which colors do you prefer? 

Taking Flight

Ravishing Henry LOL!

Super Strong

Up Up and Away

Care to Step Outside?

With DC Collectors T.V. Series Supergirl

Action Comics 1

My verdict? If you could avoid the figure please do. I know there are better choices than this, for one the discontinued DC Films Superman by far looks so much better than this figure (though I don't own one). I was having second thoughts of the figure when I saw the box. I wanted to see the actual figure first but the box was sealed. And the store attendant was only willing to open it if I would guarantee to buy one. Hence, I bought one. But for novelty reasons and just a different presentation of a Henry Cavill Superman in your collection, then this figure is passable enough for you to buy one. I'm good with it, but I'd probably sell this figure at the price I got it for if there's an offer. Billie Jean is not my lover, she's just a girl who claims that I am the one, but the kid is not my son... SONNUVA GUN! I'M SINGING A MICHAEL JACKSON SONG!