Jason Momoa Archives | Otaku No Culture

When A Minecraft Movie Is Not All That Memorable

The big problem with A Minecraft Movie is that its various subplots don’t all come together nicely. Although Jack Black is entertaining in a musical sense, we’ve seen that character profile before.

A Minecraft Movie Poster I never fully understood the Minecraft craze, and after watching the movie loosely based on what the sandbox video game is about, I can say it certainly honours the spirit of creativity, building and … last-minute, isn’t this concept LEGO? The similarities between A Minecraft Movie to the storylines from Ninjago and A Lego Movie are blatant. This Dutch toy also introduced skeletons as one of the basic “enemies” and in Mojang Studio’s product, they’re also here too!

When this electronic game never had a properly defined mythos during its initial launch, I didn’t play for long. Other than creating random items for no purpose at all, I wondered when elements from Doom or Unreal Tournament would get incorporated. Thankfully, this cinematic treatment is quick to define all that because without a solid threat to face, and understanding the foundation this Swedish product developed from, not everyone will be interested in this film.

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Had Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Felt More Like A Nautical Tale, Perhaps There’s Hope

Although Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is treading water these days, it hasn’t sunk yet following its holiday premiere. I saw it on a weekend when there’s nothing else to go see on the big screen.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is one of those movies that could’ve embraced all the action and love one has for a tale written by Jules Verne. But instead, what’s presented is half of one. Had this work not been a struggle to get finished, I’m sure some elements from all four storytellers (James Wan, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Jason Momoa and Thomas Pa’a Sibbett) could’ve been retained, and the director could’ve done wonders. But instead, what’s finally put together feels like conflicting concepts smashed together and the cohesiveness barely hangs on by a thread.

By the title alone, I wanted to see an Indiana Jones style adventure unfold. After Arthur (Jason Momoa) realises he can’t stop Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) alone, he’ll have to do more than find an ally. That’s because this villain found an artefact, a black trident, and in order to counter this item, this guardian of the sea needs a way to destroy it. And along the way, the backstory gets quite involved since it is as crazy as Lord of the Rings when concerning how he who welds that power will–no matter what–become corrupt.

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When Fast X is Streaming, the Race is on to Keep this Franchise Afloat!

Although Mamoa carries Fast X, that’s a lot of responsibility to put on his shoulder.

Now Available to Stream on Prime Video, iTunes, and Vudu

When I saw in the trailers that Jason Momoa is the spotlight in Fast X, I knew he’d have fun with however he’d get cast. As a result, I didn’t rush to go see it in theatres. Instead, I opted to wait for this latest entry to the Fast and Furious franchise to hit streaming services. Although what happens is very formulaic, I’m generally okay with the shift in focus from street-racing to super spy romps that James Bond would never say no to taking on.

And as for whether I’m still invested, I might as well enjoy the ride to the end. The post credits teaser was enough to keep me interested. Although that returning character won’t be part of the main films based on the latest industry reports, that can easily change as the script is still being crafted.

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Aquaman, An Epic Textbook Case of Another Hero’s Journey …

Although James Wan’s concept for Aquaman is to guilde him through another hero’s journey, the story isn’t all wet

Spoiler Alert

‘Tis the season to enjoy being Aquaman. Jason Momoa is clearly having fun in the role, and his charm sells this latest DC Extended Universe product. Zack Snyder has executive producer credit and James Wan is directing. This Fast and Furious director sticks to what he knows best and translates the screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall into glorious sequences straight out of Lord of the Rings, Clash of the Titans (no surprise here, when considering David’s past work), Blade Runner and Indiana Jones.

Of the latter, it was too short and I wished for more. The visual treat of the underwater sequences is certainly overwhelming and lives up to recreating Neo Atlantis perfectly. I hoped for a more classically nuanced work (in reference to Plato’s Timaeus) and while not out of place, the archeological moments were not too much of a letdown. Balancing the origin of a superhero story with the big tease of them in the Sahara must have been tough.

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Not a Justice League of Their Own, or Are They?

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

The problem with the live action Justice League not living up to its pedigree is that it’s missing its seventh member. We have Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) leading the charge. In the film, he’s dead but everyone knows he’ll come back to at some point. Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and Flash (Ezra Miller) round off the team. In the comics, there were seven founding members. This number is also very symbolic, usually a measure of completeness. Depending on the culture, just what it means will vary.

As a film which hints at a possible add in the future, the wait will be long to see who that will be. In other mediums, either Green Lantern or Martian Manhunter will become a member. But before this can even happen, a set of solo films are in store for the other half of the team. This baggage is unneeded; let’s just assume audiences know them and offer story arcs which can shake up the DC multiverse (conveniently enough, Flashpoint will be the story in Flash’s solo outing even though no date has been set).

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