Watched this in glorious *uncropped* 4K yes that includes IMAX scenes thank you WB!!!!
First time seeing it since the theater and I must say even post-EG this is a hell of a fun movie. *Exhausting*, damn is it long in a way that somehow feels like more of a chore than the svelt 3 hour EG but still this is just an old fashioned guy's action move that sometimes delves into 60's camp but mostly has both of it's feet in 80's action hero territory.
I'm kind of surprised that the final battle is significantly more "epic" and visually stunning than EG's finale. Not saying it tops EG since it obviously doesn't but the scale and colorful visuals really are a step above. EG is still a 10/10 and this is more of a "lovable 7 or 7.5" lol. Not "great" by any means but I'm shocked that it does a lot of what the MCU films do well but also in a way that keeps it it's own thing.
The Sicily chase sequence is off the charts fun. I love the "adventury" feel of the entire movie but that sequence really takes the cake. Black Manta is such a 90's "Spawn era" cheeseball but again, just a lot of fun to watch him chew up the scenery.
When Amber Heard first came out of the water and started talking I thought "ugh, that's right she's kind of a charisma vacuum" but somehow by the time they were treasure hunting in the desert I found myself enjoying her performance and chemistry with Mamoa.
Sometimes I'll go watch some big dumb movie and be in just the right mood for it and then will watch it a second time and be horrified that I ever could have liked it (ID4 Resurgence, what the hell, lol) and I kind of wondered if that might be the case with this one but no, I think I enjoyed it even more the second time around.
I did count at least four wall explosions that interrupted people's conversations though, lol.
And I say that it's exhausting but I also started it after 10:00 pm at the end of a long day last night thinking "I'll just sample it to see how the IMAX visuals look in 4K" and lo and behold found myself watching the whole thing. I kept doing the whole 'just one more scene' and then thought "okay fine I'll watch him get the trident and that's it" and then it segues immediately into the final battle and there was no turning back, lol.
This film probably should have been two hours long but even as I say that if it was two hours in the theater and then this extended version came out on blu-ray with extra scenes showing Manta making his new suit and AM and Mera goofing off in Sicily with roses and Pinocchio books then I know that'd be my default version to watch anyway, lol.
