James Wan Archives - Cinematic Insights

(3 / 4)

Loud, shallow, and utterly entertaining. Aquaman is in capable hands with James Wan at the helm, as he has crafted a beautifully imaginative world that is a prime setting for the vibrant epic action spectacle. The film also serves as further evidence that the DCEU should stick to refreshing origin stories for now and put the collaborative team-up features on the back burner.

Despite being a legacy character within the DC comics ecosystem, Aquaman has long been the target of copious jokes in pop culture. This ridicule stems from the hero’s powers of communicating with aquatic life being viewed as useless when compared with his other super-powered peers. While his abilities are understandably not the most glamorous or awe inspiring, the character’s representation in the otherwise disappointing 2017 Justice League film capably demonstrated that the character can be a lot of fun thanks to Jason Momoa’s unique “surfer-bro” take on the character. This trend of being a distinctive character that audiences can rally behind continues in Aquaman, as the origin story offers a refreshing hero that is crowd-pleasingly entertaining.

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(2 / 4)

The Nun’s action and adventure focus falls flat for casual horror fans, but it’s downright blasphemous for loyal fans of the franchise.

The Nun is the latest installment in the ever-growing Conjuring cinematic universe, which brings the standout theological specter from The Conjuring 2 into the spotlight. Spinning off new stories from existing franchises is nothing new, however, the biggest obstacle these types of films face is the pressure to create something that is distinct from its predecessors, and is also a tale that warrants being told in the first place. The rather astounding solution to this quandary that The Nun employs is to shift away from the horror genre altogether and veer heavily into the action and adventure genre instead. With courageous characters physically battling ghouls and zombies for the sake of the greater good, The Nun has far more in common with 1999’s The Mummy with Brendan Frasier than the likes of The Exorcist or even Annabelle for that matter. While The Nun is indeed something different than any other Conjuring film, the paper-thin plot and emotionally bankrupt character development prevents the film from being memorable or even slightly frightening.

Continue reading “The Nun Review”