Greetings dear readers, and welcome to what is almost assuredly the final To 3D or Not To 3D of the year. Unless someone out there is really dying to hear my thoughts on Migration’s 3D conversion, and management asks for a special end of year favor.We’re also here to discuss another ending of sorts, as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is also the end of the DCEU era of films.
Which, in turn, leads us to the question that we’re gathered here to answer. So if you really want to know how this picture plays out as a cinematic experience, you’ll want to head over to Eric Eisenberg’s Aquaman 2 review. However, if you’re ready to see if Jason Momoa’s swan song is worth the extra 3D ticket money, or if you’re better off investing in a medium rare burger and a cold beer, you’re in the right place.
FIT SCORE - 5/5
On paper, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a movie that’s grandfathered into the 3D realm. Seeing as James Wan’s 2018 DC origin story was also presented in this very format, Aquaman’s 3D variant made bringing this sequel into the fold all the easier. Even if we’re in a market where having a killer conversion the first time around doesn’t guarantee getting one in subsequent sequels. (I’m looking at you Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.)
Thankfully, this big seafaring sequel was brought back for another round of third dimensional thrills. Which, to be honest, already looked like a proper fit for the format when watching Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s first trailer. That striking overhead shot of Black Manta (Yayha-Abdul Mateen II) opening those huge doors was all I needed to convince me it was 3D-worthy, and I’m glad Warner Bros. made the decision to embrace the format once more.
PLANNING & EFFORT - 4/5
There’s honestly only one field I have a problem with when it comes to Aquaman 2’s 3D conversion, and if you guessed the Brightness, you’re absolutely correct. So while the Planning and Effort score for this movie does get a slight ding because of that fact, I can’t dock this score too hard. The reason being that every other aspect of this movie’s conversion is quite spectacular to behold.
SDFX Studios (formerly known as Stereo-D) are the folks behind this effort, and the same love and care that was shown in their conversion of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s 3D is present once again. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the Brightness factor, this could have been a perfect score; but we’ll discuss that later.
For now, I have to commend this delightful use of the format, as it feels like James Wan and his crew plotted out the 3D thrills from square one, and knew how to execute them. So let’s get to some specific examples of why I’m so hyped on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s premium third-dimensional formatting, despite my constant nemesis rearing its ugly head yet again.
BEFORE THE WINDOW - 5/5
If you notice something particularly impressive literally popping out of the screen during your next 3D movie, it’s part of the Before the Window factor of that very film. But in watching Aquaman 2, a movie that really takes advantage of that aspect, I also noticed another usage of this component that’s not used quite as often: objects entering the frame from above the picture.
There are several shots of the ship that Black Manta uses to carrying his wicked schemes that really show off both the Before and Beyond Window capabilities in delightful ways. In the context of Before, seeing this massive warship dropping in from the top of the frame and moving into the center is another signal of the massive scope this craft is supposed to occupy.
Pair that with everything from tridents, sonic weapons, mutated bugs, and Black Manta’s eyebeams poking out, and you’ve got a pretty impressive smorgasbord of visual panache. And that’s only the beginning, as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom also gives us some premium Beyond the Window thrills to dig into.
BEYOND THE WINDOW - 5/5
The depths of the sea is only the beginning of what the DCEU’s swan song has to offer when evaluating the Beyond the Window factor. Honestly, that’s probably the low bar to clear with a movie such as this, as a mostly aquatic caper needs that sort of flash to really suck the audience in. James Wan’s Aquaman sequel definitely has that nailed, as Atlantis is richly painted in infinite depths.
What really pushes this movie into a field that’s a cut above most other 3D conversions is the fact that fast moving scenes don’t disrupt this, or any other aspect of the total third-dimensionally enhanced package. When David Kane, or anyone else, touches the black trident that causes all of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s troubles, there’s a vortex effect that involves quick motions and a zoom effect.
That description is, quite possibly, the best usage of the Beyond Window illusion presented here; and it’s done so well that it wowed me each time it came up. As far as the usual suspects go, characters and their environments have stellar spatial reasoning; and close-ups of characters like Jason Momoa’s Arthur or Patrick Wilson’s Orm have that extra special ability to convey facial features with depth as well.
BRIGHTNESS - 2/5
Folks, you knew this wasn’t going to be a total love fest. I prefaced this Aquaman 2 evaluation by saying that the Brightness was especially problematic, and it’s time to dive into just how bad it is. For a movie that has a lot of scenes involving glacial darkness, and presents that aspect pretty pretty early on, it isn’t long before this movie shows the audience its literal dark side.
As always, you need to be sure you’re going to a theater that you trust to present 3D movies properly. Not everyone maintains their equipment properly when shifting between 2D and 3D presentations, and I also have to note that this is the same theater, and even the same auditorium, I saw Lightyear’s 3D presentation in.
Seeing as I had similar issues with the brightness in that viewing, I’m starting to think I’ve found another local venue I’m going to actively try to avoid for future 3D showings. So in this particular case, I’m thinking Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s Brightness issues in this showing weren’t so much the fault of the conversion efforts.
GLASSES OFF - 5/5
Let’s get back to the good news, shall we? We can’t sit here all day, glasses in hand, holding our heads in frustration, right? While we’re on the subject of glasses, watching a 3D movie like Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is going to tempt us to take off our special facial furniture from time to time. There’s just something about looking at a blurry screen magically turn into a 3D image that excites us, I suppose.
And that blur is particularly strong, both in presentation and shift in focus, when observing Aquaman 2. A healthy amount of non-aligned visuals is present in both wide shots and close-ups, giving us that traditional double vision that we all know from this format. And if you like to look at characters/objects shift from a more 2D perspective into fuzzier 3D views, that’s another fun thing to try and spot.
AUDIENCE HEALTH - 5/5
Action is king of the ocean with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which means there’s a potential for thrills, such as massive ship battles and fast paced close quarters combat, to make things interesting. And by "interesting," I mean these are the sort of sights that have made people queasy in the past; something that thankfully doesn’t happen all that often.
3D has taken pretty huge leaps and bounds, and Aquaman 2 shows off that advancement rather well. You’re not going to have a problem when it comes to the motion of the picture, and even the darkness of this particular showing didn’t cause much of a strain when it came to actually watching it. So feel free to grab that popcorn.
FINAL VERDICT: 31/35
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom may be the end of the DCEU, but it certainly sends things off on a visually striking front. It’s bittersweet to have this much fun, only to be reminded that the upcoming DC movies will be moving on into newer waters.
With that in mind, I absolutely recommend seeing the goofy, colorful, high action fun that is this movie. Come to think of it, you might be well served if you seek out the extremely limited IMAX 3D format for this wild ride. Though I haven't observed that variant myself, past experiences like Transformers: Rise of the Beasts have left me feeling that it's still the best way to 3D at the movies.
And there you have it, loyal readers! 2023’s final To 3D or Not To 3D is in the books, and it’s a fine sight to see. Thanks as always for checking in with us to see where you should be spending your hard earned ticket money, and don’t forget to jump into the archives to relive highs and lows of 3D past! Until we meet again, have a healthy and safe holiday, and a prosperous new year!
