lukas-sumper Reviews

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

James Wan's love letter to a whole genre

[9/10 · 27 December 2023]

I am shocked, and it has nothing to do with the movie, but more about all the negativity surrounding it. I nearly did not go to the cinema since everyone was bashing it, lowkey expecting a hastily thrown together movie to save face but quite the opposite was the case.

Instead this felt tried and tested, it had flaws sure but it had a stronger red thread then the first movie. Especially the relationship between the two brothers, considering where they start off and end up.

What also hurts a bit ist that no one is mentioning the countless homages to classic films ranging from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Land That Time Forgot. James Wan really did care for this and pulled out his inner kid for this one.

The plot line played out like a Young Justice league episode with Going to a tropical island to save the day. But hold on, they even made the bad guys relatable to a degree of course. Not to give too much away but the movie starts off like they are the protagonists, and it's actually quite good.

Not to mention, James Wan's horror roots shine through everywhere, he just can't hide it. That's probably my only gripe, I would have liked to see a more adult version of this where he doesn't need to hold back and can go full horror monster under the sea.

Sorry if I am ranting a bit, but this film is better than the rating suggests. I am not saying its a masterpiece .. sure I get it, a lot of people are mad at the whole DCEU debacle, I didn't even watch the latest entries like black adam or blue Beetle but that doesn't mean you need to bash everything that comes out of the same universe. I am aware of the Amber Heard situation but people should be able to separate the actor from the character.

This was a very enjoyable popcorn flick, me and my wife had a good time watching it and I am sure plenty of other people will too.

Dune (2021)

A risky experiment gone right.

[10/10 · 21 September 2021]

I did go into this with holding my expectations to a minimum, saying to myself it could at least be a good arthouse style movie. Well, this was more than that but I want to start with the parts that I disliked.

The exposition in the beginning was a bit forced, and was a lot more voice over than showing us unlike LOTR did with its great intro. Also Dennis film making style gave a lot of characters less screen time than what I expected. You basically see a lot of great A-list actors for less than 10 minutes. Which was understandable since he focused his attention on the protagonist.

So you could even go so far and call making dune a two part series a necessity and if it gets a sequel the first one will work even better, especially if the second part has flashbacks of exploring some relationships more, which felt lacking in this one.

The other reviews praise cinematography and Sound design/ music enough to drive the point home, I was impressed even though you knew who the team was behind this movie. It sets a new standard.

Personally having seen every movie Villeneuve made except his very first one, this is my new favorite after prisoners. I am more hyped after I watched it, knowing cinema isn't just dead yet.

The New Tenants (2009)

Excellent dark comedy... probably not for everyone.

[9/10 · 3 January 2015]

First off, this film is for me one of the best live action short films i've ever seen. This is probably because it doesn't really feel like a short film, more like a piece of a feature film. Not only Story wise but also the quality is more than great, thanks to Pawel Edelman (the pianist, Ray) the images are gritty in a beautiful way.

The Story is quite simple, A gay couple moves into a new apartment and gets to know their weird neighbors. But the Plot offers more with some crazy twists, so i don't want to spoil anything here. The casting and acting is superb, and fits the comical characters which seem a little absurd at times (hence the missing star).

Its in my opinion in the ranks with films like Snatch (2000), In Bruges (2008) or Requiem for a Dream (2000) the only problem... its a lot shorter. A must see and totally worth the 20 minutes, if you can find it somewhere.