Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) Review

A DISAPPOINTING (AND MESSY) SEND OFF

FOR AQUAMAN AND THE DCEU

Back in 2018, Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Comics released the superhero film Aquaman to the cinematic masses, diving into the underwater realm of the DCEU franchise in the series six installment. Directed by James Wan, the film, which starred Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, follows Arthur Curry / Aquaman who sets out to free Atlantis from the clutches of his half-brother, King Orm, who seeks to seize the seven underwater kingdoms by force and destroy the surface world. While facing a bit of mixed reviews from critics, Aquaman certainly did make a grand splash on the box office as it grossed over $1,152 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing DCEU film to date and became the fifth highest grossing film of 2018. Moviegoers also praised the Wan’s direction for the movie, the standalone superhero tale, the visual effects, the score, and Momoa’s performance as the title character. Now, after many delays and postponements, it’s time for the return of Momoa’s Arthur Curry and the last installment in the DCEU cinematic superhero universe with the long-awaited release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Does this “next chapter” superhero film rise to the surface for another favorable blockbuster ascendant endeavor or is it a bloated and messy sequel that sinks to the dark depths of the oceans of DC Comics obscurity?

THE STORY

After saving Atlantis, Arthur Curry / Aquaman (Jason Momoa) has found peace in his family, welcoming his newborn son, Arthur Jr., into the world with his wife, Mera (Amber Heard). While also being playing dad in his clan, he’s also the king of Atlantis, forced to deal with the limitations of his royal duties as others seek to dismiss his handlings for the underwater realm. Returning from the deep and back into view is Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who was previously defeated by Aquaman, but his thrust for revenge hardened his determination, focusing on the destruction of Atlantis with the help from Dr. Shin (Randall Park), using the power of the newly discovered Black Trident to overtake his enemies, connecting to the long-lost evil king Kordax (Pilou Askaek) of the hidden kingdom of Nercus. Unable to match such insurmountable fury from Manta and his arcane trident, Aquaman is need of help to save the day, seeking out a renewed partnership with his imprisoned half-brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson). While trust issues remain between the two siblings, Arthur and Orm must learn to work together, while Black Manta’s wrath begins to consume the seas, which seeks to poison both the land and sea.

THE GOOD / THE BAD

I do have to say that I really liked (and still do) 2018’s Aquaman. I really didn’t expect from this movie, especially since the DCEU was still in a bit of a disarray after the mixed opinions of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, dismal box office bomb of The Suicide Squad, poorly conceived theatrical cut of Justice League. Still, I had hope for this shared cinematic universe, especially with how the MCU was beginning to flourish more and more with each release, would soon begin to focus a bit more and give us new cinematic endeavors in the DC Comic pantheon of heroes. Then Aquaman came out and I did have some skepticism about it, especially since the DCEU was a bit aimless and that the character of Arthur Curry wasn’t exactly the most amazing character, including how he was considered to be “the butt of many jokes” of the DC superheroes (i.e., talking to fishes and the like). Still, was quite interested in seeing this movie and I had to say that thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun and was able to generate the large-scale blockbuster vision for what Wan wanted to make the character of Arthur Curry / Aquaman, who was clearly a “fish-out-of-water” narrative position as he rediscovers his birthright and became the ruler of the seas, finding friends and allies along the way against his half-brother’s preparation for war. It was epic in scope and scale and was able to stand on its own merits, not relying on the greater DCEU story arc or trying to introduces us (the viewers) the larger story in this shared cinematic universe. This was a solo origin story of sorts as Aquaman was able to achieve such ambitions with Wan and the helming and actor Jason Momoa in the lead role of Arthur Curry. In the end, while having some problems within its undertaking, I have to say that I really enjoyed Aquaman, which offered a new take on the classic DC aquatic superhero and epic undersea adventure that proved to be quite the cinematic blockbuster endeavor that the DCEU was looking for.

Naturally, this brings me back to talking about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, a 2023 superhero film, the sequel to 2018’s Aquaman, and the final entry in the DCEU franchise. Given how the first movie was received and the ultimate plans for this cinematic universe, it was quite the forgone conclusion that a sequel to Aquaman would eventually materialize in the near future, with director James Wan stating (sometime after the film’s release) that Warner Bros. did greenlight the sequel project and that himself and cast members (Momoa, Wilson, Heard, etc.) would be coming back to reprise their character roles. After that, things got a little bumpy and messy along the way. Production delays hitting the movie from getting off the ground, the COVID-19 pandemic shuffling around the movie’s release date for several years, furthers delays coming the Johnny Depp / Amber Heard court trial hearings, and then (lastly) the shake-up in the new direction of DC Comics being represented on the cinematic level as DCEU was ending and James Gunn’s DCU being planned. Thus, the sequel to Aquaman felt like it was in limbo for quite some time, making alterations to its narrative here and there with reshoots aplenty. It almost became a running gag of when Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was ever going to be released. Finally, it was confirmed that the project would definitely be released in December 2023 and would be the last entry in established DCEU. The film’s trailer didn’t appear until towards the end of summertime and, while it did show some type of promise of a continuation from the first feature, I wasn’t completely sold on it. Yes, some parts of the preview did in fact entice me to want to see this long-awaited sequel, but something about the movie trailers was a bit off and had me a little weary. Still, regardless of that fact, I was still planning on seeing the movie and did so during its opening weekend back in December 2023. However, due to my work schedule (as well as trying to get other movie reviews done and completed) I had to push back getting my review out for this movie. Now, with some free time on my hands, I’m finally ready to share my thoughts on what I thought about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Was it any good? Well, it was more on the disappointing side of things. Despite having most of the acting talent returning to project, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is messy and unfocused feature that doesn’t live up to the hype of its predecessor, feeling lackluster execution, haphazard in its staging, and bland within its characters. Much like comparison Wonder Woman 1984 to Wonder Woman, Lost Kingdom is a downgrade from the preview Aquaman movie, concluding the DCEU on an unsatisfying whimper.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is directed by James Wan, whose previous directorial works include the first Aquaman movie as well as Furious 7 and The Conjuring. Given the success that the 2018 movie had, it was almost a forgone conclusion that Wan would return to the director’s helm for this sequel, plotting a new course for Arthur Curry to explore, while also reestablishing the cinematic world that he created back in 2018. In this regard, Wan does a somewhat decent job in doing those two particular aspects, navigating The Lost Kingdom in way that reengages viewers with the various characters from the first feature in a new adventure. Perhaps the greatest strength that the movie wants to convey is in the relationship told between Arthur and Orm. While the first movie showed their animosity towards each other (protagonist vs. antagonist), Wan does a good job in showcasing their relationship now, with the two brothers trying to show some type of trust with each other and how that they must work together to stop Black Manta’s plans. It’s compelling enough to make a statement on the picture, which does make for some of the better moments in the film. For it’s action, Wan does stage moments where such sequences throughout the movie and does make for some fun moments where such scenes do make some entertainment popcorn distractions. I do think that the action scenes in the first flick were better, but what’s presented in this sequel certainly does work for the movie being told, which is all the matters in the end.

Perhaps if one is to look at this movie (as a whole) against the rest of the DCEU entries is that the project is basically doing its own anything and sort of “free” from the constraints of being part of a large cinematic universe. Yes, some might make the same assumption that was the case with 2023’s Blue Beetle, which able to produce its own tone, style, and storytelling without judgement or concerns. Thus, The Lost Kingdom doesn’t take itself too seriously like the previous installment and has a bit more fun throughout the entire endeavor. Because of this, the movie has that rare opportunity to be self-aware during such moments in and out of the narrative being told, which can be amusing a few times, yet also can be detrimental in other areas (more on that below). Suffice to say that Wan seems to be having a bit of fun while directing this particular superhero project by letting in much more humor and goofy antics than the more stoic and gravitas that previous DCEU entries were able to drum up. Thus, despite what I might say about this movie, The Lost Kingdom goes out with his own style by dancing the beat of his drum…..whether or not that’s a good thing or not is yet to be determined.

For its presentation, The Lost Kingdom meets the industry standards of what many have grown accustomed to watching a 2023 superhero blockbuster endeavor, which can be seeing as both good and bad. Nothing really about the movie’s presentation stands out immensely to overtake or rival the background cinematic aesthetics / nuances from the first movie, which (to me at least) is sort of a bad thing, but it does (for the most part) have the same type of filmmaking gumption of the recent blockbuster studio tentpoles of late, so it’s not exactly downright deplorable in how the film visual looks throughout. In truth, the underwater aspect continues an interesting background setting, with a hyper-fantastical looking aquatic world that is teeming with life and society rules, which is quite compelling to me. Thus, the film’s “behind the scenes” key players, including Bill Brzeski (production design), David Morison (set decorations), Richard Sale (costume designs), and the entire art direction team should be noted for their efforts in making this film’s world come alive and for what they were able to present in the movie’s final cut. In addition, the cinematography work by Don Burgess is decent enough to make some moments in the movie standout with some excitement and fantastic usage of camera angles and shadowing effects. Lastly, the film’s score, which was composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams, does provide some solid work in his musical composition for the feature and provides plenty of rousing moments of heroic flourishes and dramatic sequences of action, drama, and suspense. I don’t think it surpasses his work that he did on the first Aquaman movie, but it’s still relatively good, which is a good thing for film soundtrack listeners out there.

Unfortunately, The Lost Kingdom is far from the stellar project that it was set up to be (nor anticipated) as the film is riddled with numerous (and glaring) problematic areas that weigh the feature down from reaching superhero cinematic glory. How so? Well, for starters, the movie (as a whole) isn’t that good and almost acts like a step down from the original 2018 film. This seems to be a common thing with most DCEU sequel films, including Wonder Woman 1984 and Shazam! Fury of the Gods acting as the prime examples of how the continuation “next chapter” film is almost inferior / subpar to its predecessor. Such is the case with The Lost Kingdom, with Wan’s direction for this movie a bit all over the place and not exactly a focus endeavor. From the film’s tone to its story and even to its epic scale, almost every aspect of this superhero sequel is scaled back, minimalized, and reduced greatly from its 2018 counterpoint, which results in a rather underwhelming viewing experience that does little to push the narrative forward within this underwater realm of heroes and villains. It’s sort of hard to say what Wan was really envisioning the movie to be like, especially with numerous delays, including rewrites and reshoots, with the final product ending up being a rather haphazard mess of hodgepodge ideas that are jumbled together in an attempt for a cohesive production. The sad truth is that The Lost Kingdom is far cry from what the first Aquaman endeavor, with Wan hastily trying to produce a feature film sequel that does little to reengage with its viewers and creates a rather bland and uninspiring movie in the process.

From a writer’s stance, The Lost Kingdom is messy….to say the least, with the entire production riddled with vague story setups and nowhere as nearly as satisfying payoffs for them. Naturally, this makes the script for the film, which was penned by Wan as well as David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, and Jason Momoa, rather flimsy and is in definite need of being further develop than what was presented in the film cut of the movie. As a whole, the story of The Lost Kingdom is somewhat interesting and has all the right ingredients for something memorable, including Black Manta’s vengeful return, a dark counterpoint weapon to Atlan’s trident, an ancient evil looking to be freed, Arthur and Orm teaming up together to save the day, and Orm’s allegiance to his brother in question, and Arthur’s family in danger. However, all of these good ideas aren’t presented in a manageable way as the film’s script (or rather its execution of it all) is poorly done throughout. In truth, the story (in how it plays out) is quite predictable, which can be overlooked a few times, but only if everything else is working efficiently and effectively in the ways of cinematic entertainment. Sadly, this isn’t the case, with the script riddled with cliches, formulaic plot points, and sometimes bad dialogue writing, with many characters having some clunky sounding spoken lines that are just…. blah. Even considering all of that, the story (as a whole) isn’t well-handled the correct way, which results in a very rushed progression and not everything is fully realized. Thus, something like deeper insight into characters, more surprises from the narrative, and just…. more all the way around for the script was needed for this movie’s story to be fully complete.

Additionally, the film’s pacing is way off and moves quite fast throughout the entire film runtime. While having a good and steady paced feature film is typical a good thing, when it breezes by so much and does give enough time to develop its character and / or story…. then it becomes a problem. The Lost Kingdom does have that problem, with the film moving way too fast to tackle all the ideas and plot points it wants to tell in its story. The result of this makes the movie feels very rushed and give certain characters and narrative beats the bare minimum, with The Lost Kingdom almost edited down version and missing a lot of details from what was originally shot. In conjunction with this idea, the film’s tone is quite different from the last film, which (again) is part of the picture’s self-awareness of everything going on. As mentioned, this tactic can be seeing as a “double edge” sword maneuver, which can (and usually) does backfire more often than not. Such is the case with this latest Aquaman as it becomes too self-aware of its own comedic angst and goofy scenarios that come across as poorly executed and just bland from the get-go. Also, the film’s visual effects are a bit of a mixed bag of sorts. Yes, some moments are relatively good and do help heighten some of the more fantastical elements that the film presents in its visual effects realm, but the other times (most of the times) where such CGI details are quite muddy and dated, loosening and diminishing the enticement for such intricate details for such larger-than life moments.

Lastly, as a minor point of criticism, the movie tries to weave into the main narrative is climate change, with Manta’s masterplan utilizing such environmental exploits in the feature’s story. While it’s indeed admirable attempt, especially in today’s superhero movie, the positioning of such environmental ideas isn’t quite executed properly, with such lofty idealism presented yet never expanded upon. Thus, it’s sort of a plot device thrown into the story, but is never fully examined enough to leave a mark on a viewer’s mind nor for that matter the movie’s identity. Thus, such a public-like service announcement about water pollution and environmental dangers that come with it get lost within The Lost Kingdom.

The cast in The Lost Kingdom sees most of the cast (primary and supporting ones) from the first movie come back to play their characters once again, but, while these breeds that “familiar faces” syndrome and with the script not needing to spend too much time on “introducing” new players in the story, this results in making very bland characters, especially since most of them don’t exactly grow and / or evolve in the feature. There are all physically there and play their respective parts in the main plot, but most are bland and rather “cookie cutter” from their 2018 counterpart selves and don’t exactly convey the same type of energy and dramatic poise as they did in the previous installment. None more capitalize on this notion than the film’s main character Arthur Curry, who is once again played by actor Jason Momoa. Known for his roles in Game of Thrones, Fast X, and Dune, Momoa has certainly become a rising star throughout these past years, amassing a collective body of work that has indeed become the next big Hollywood actor in a multitude of projects. As mentioned, I did like Momoa has Arthur Curry in his previous projects as the Aquaman character, so it was almost a forgone conclusion to see such him return and play the character once more in his own feature film. Sadly, what’s presented (and what is given) from Momoa and his character is woefully bland…to say the least. The actor still has enough screen presence to make sure that he is physically represented on every scene that he’s in, but I did notice, especially in the first half of the feature, that Momoa seemed quite bored with Arthur Curry, going through the motions of the character with not much gumption and heart on the project. He picks it up during the latter half, but it all just feels half-baked performance; a shell of what he played in the first film. The same can be said with his character’s journey in the movie, which too feels quite half-baked that, while having some good ideas, feels out of sorts and just “going through the motions”; rendering a main protagonist. There is very little growth to the character and not much of a story arc for the character to go beyond the stereotypical “saving the day” hero mantra by protecting the greater good as well as his family. It’s quite mundane and just a bit boring and Momoa just seems a bit lackluster on the project, which is quite disappointing.

Of course, the big question on everyone’s mind is having actress Amber Heard (Drive Angry and Magic Mike XXL) reprising her Aquaman character role once again in The Lost Kingdom. While she was quite effective in the first film by co-starring the lead role alongside Momoa’s Arthur Curry and made her character of Mera, the daughter of King Nereus, a solid one in the 2018 feature, but, given the whole allegations and conducts made between her and actor Johnny Depp in real-life, her appearance in this sequel is greatly reduced. She barely has any dialogue lines and, while she is “physically” in the movie, including partaking in the film’s final battle sequence, she really doesn’t make an impact on the overall movie. There’s no growth to her, there’s not much focus on her in The Lost Kingdom, and she feels out of place. So, while Heard did a somewhat admirable job in the first Aquaman movie outing, her character of Mera feels like an afterthought in this film. Was this how the character was originally written or were the tabloids and rumors true that her roles was severely reduced to the sexual accusation she made against Depp….and the backlash that happened? Regardless, Heard’s Mera is just utterly forgetful in this sequel.

While Heard gets more of a downgrade in the movie, actor Patrick Wilson replaces her “co-lead” screen time and perhaps is seeing to be having the most fun of the entire cast, return reprisal of the character Orm Marius, the former king of Atlantis and Arthur’s half-brother. Wilson, who is known for his roles in Midway, Watchmen, and Phantom of the Opera, has always been quite the “underrated” actor and always plays the more “straightforward / straight-laced” character throughout most of his project endeavors. For Aquaman, it was quite amusing to see him play a bad guy and he did handle himself well in a believable fashion and did make for a great adversary for the first Aquaman movie. Thus, it comes at no surprise that the character of Orm returns in The Lost Kingdom and Wilson is back in playing the role. Interestingly, his character gets the most changed from the first feature, but it’s a bit all for the better. As I mentioned previously, I’m not much a fan of the oversaturation of comedy in this sequel, but the comedic timing that Wilson has in his performance is quite spot on and actual does seem to be having the most fun of the entire cast. While he comes off as the more stoic individual in comparison to Momoa, Wilson get his moments to shine and perform a bit more comedic tactics within his portrayal of Orm, which certainly does make feel a bit more “fluid” and “loose” in this movie than in the previous one. There is a small character arc that he goes through, especially in working / trusting Arthur, but it can be seeing as a little bit half-baked. Thus, regardless of that notion, Wilson’s Orm is probably the most memorable (and fun) character in the entire film.

Who is perhaps one of the more weakest character in the movie would have to be story’s antagonist character of David Kane / Black Manata, who is once again played by actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Candyman and The Greatest Showman). Abdul-Mateen II is indeed a talented actor and certainly has proven himself to be quite capable in his various roles throughout his career (both leading and supporting participation), which was such a case with the first Aquaman movie. In that movie, I thought he was good in the role of David Kane, but the whole Black Manta angle felt underwhelming and unnecessary with the grander story arc of Arthur’s rise to become a hero and Orm’s ruthlessness of overtaking the seven seas. Thus, the character ended up being a bit of a disappoint, which almost the same effect in this movie. Yes, the character of Black Manta is given more of a “proper” focus as the main bad guy for the picture, but still feels like a half-baked product of villainy and actual character motivation angle. Abdul-Mateen II does what he can with the character, but (unfortunately) can’t rise to the challenge of making David Kane compelling nor memorable. Thus, the main antagonist for The Lost Kingdom is much like the movie itself…..a cookie cutter caricature that has very little to make an impact on the story, which is disappointing. Additionally, while only in the movie for a limited screen time, actor Pilou Asbaek (Game of Thrones and Ghost in the Shell) does a decent job in portraying the character of Kordax, King Atlan’s brother who created the cursed Black Trident and the ruler of the undead king of the lost kingdom of Necrus (aka the Black City), who evil spirit possess Black Manta throughout the course of the feature.

As for returning supporting characters, who actually gets the most screen time in Lost Kingdom would have to be Dr. Stephen Shin, a marine biologist who is obsessed with finding Atlantis and who has teamed up with Black Manta to find it, and who is once again played by actor Randall Park (Fresh Off the Boat and Office Christmas Party). While mostly a minor character in the first Aquaman picture, Park’s Dr. Shin gets upgraded in The Lost Kingdom and has more active participation in the film’s story, even though he’s still a supporting character in the feature. The other three returning characters from the first film are (sadly) a bit underdeveloped, especially when compared to how much screen time and / or involvement they had on the main narrative focal points. Of course, who I am talking are actress Nicole Kidman (Cold Mountain and Moulin Rouge!) and actors Temuera Morrison (Shortland Street and The Book of Bobba Fett) and Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV and Creed II), who reprise their Aquaman roles of Atlanna, the former Queen of Atlantis and Arthur / Orm’s mother,, Thomas Curry, Arthur’s biological human father, and King Nereus, the King of Xebel and Mera’s father. Collectively, Kidman, Morrison, and Lundgren are (once again) perfectly fine in their respective roles, but their involvement in this sequel is reduced and don’t really make an impact on the narrative as they did in the first film, which is frustrating. As a sidenote, actor John Rhys-Davies (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) gets some amusing lines in the movie by reprising his vocal work for the character of the Brine King.

Perhaps the only new character that the movie that sort of makes a memorable appearance in the movie would have to be the character of the Kingfish, an aquatic creature and confident ruler of the pirate haven the Sunken Citadel, who has info on Manta’s whereabouts, and who is voiced by comedian actor Martin Short (Innerspace and Three Amigos!). Although, a small role in the movie, the Kingfish does make for a memorable appearance in the story and Short’s voice fits the character perfectly. The remaining players, including actor Vincent Regan (Troy and Clash of the Titans) as the first king of Atlantis Atlan (replacing Graham McTavish from the first film), actress Jani Zhao (South and Sentimentos) as a loyal member of the Black Manta’s crew named Stingray, and actress Indya Moore (Pose and Nimona) as Atlantean leader of the of the High Council of Atlantis named Karshon, round out the small / minor characters in the movie and are merely there for narrative exposition sequences and / or supporting character fodder.

Lastly, there is an Easter Egg scene during the end credits portion of the film (during the mid-credits scene) and, while I usually don’t spoil it for my readers out there, I can tell right now that it isn’t really worth it. It doesn’t really tease anything to come and merely feels like a bad joke pun to an otherwise rather disappointing coda finale for this franchise.

FINAL THOUGHTS

To save his family and the lands below and under the sea, Arthur Curry must battle against a vengeful Manta and his new army of the undead in the movie Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Director James Wan’s latest film takes what he established in the 2018 superhero project and expands upon it, delivering another underwater adventure of CGI visuals and daring do of Jason Momoa’s Aquaman character. While the movie has some interesting ideas in a few good moments, a great art direction presentation (as well as solid score), and a familiar cast of returning players from the first Aquaman feature (a great chemistry between Momoa and  Wilson), the film itself is quite the unbalanced and derivate by borrowing elements from other superhero themes and motifs, having a rushed narrative, a clunky script, and too much comedy. Personally, I thought that the movie was okay-ishly decent, but more on the disappointed side of things. It did have enough material to make for a boisterous superhero romp that had plenty of character swagger and visual imagery of this latest underwater adventure, but, the truth of the matter, the movie is too self-aware of its humor and goofiness, clunky in how it handles narrative progression and exposition dumps, and too fragmented within its paper thin characters. For a follow-up endeavor to the 2018 film….it’s a bit underwhelming and undercooked, which is quite the shame, especially since this would be the last outing for both Jason Momoa’s Aquaman (presumably) and the last entry in the DCEU series. I have very little interest in revisiting / rewatching this movie….it just doesn’t have much to view it again. Thus, my recommendation for this movie would be a “iffy choice” as some might embrace the self-aware stillness that the film wants to convey, with the project doing its own thing and going out on its own terms, while others might dismiss the movie altogether as a poorly executed sequel to its 2018 better half. Better yet, I will also had a “skip it” as there really isn’t much to the movie beyond a few gags here and there and some other DC nuances. With the conclusion of the film, this marks the death of the DCEU, the final entry of what began in Man of Steel all those years ago. What will become of Momoa’s Arthur Curry / Aquaman still remains elusive and ambiguous? Will he return in Gunn’s DCU? Will he be recast? Will he play Lobo (or is that just a rumor)? Again, all of these answers remain up in air. However, in the end, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a follow-up sequel is a visual superhero romp that, while amusing at times, is an endeavor that is too self-aware for its own good and ends up being a rather disappointing presentation for the proclaimed protector of the sea.

2.4 Out of 5 (Iffy-Choice / Skip It)

Released On: December 22nd, 2023

Reviewed On: April 19th, 2024

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom  is 124 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and some language

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