Black Adam

[Wildling]

Well I saw this last night and really liked it. Top three DCEU films for me. The Rock absolutely killed it as Black Adam. The JSA was all right, really the only one who mattered was Hawkman.

My only problem really was the after credits scene. I'm just flat out sick of Amanda Waller being behind everything. Please just have that little slimy rat stay in her corner and lets hear from the president or the head of the UN or somebody who actually has authority for once.

She's kinda the DC Nick Fury now.

[Hulkout42]

I do agree that the kid didn't provide a stellar performance, but he's probably an ESL actor that was hired specifically because he had an accent. When I watch the film again, I'll definitely re-examine his performance

Same here, maybe the second go around will change my mind.

[Hulkout42]

She's kinda the DC Nick Fury now.

...that does seem to sum her up to a T.

[Wildling]

Wonder who else they have inside Waller's secret prison.

[williamtheday]

I haven't seen the movie yet but I saw the Filmation Shazam cartoon with Black Adam on Youtube. That Black Adam revived his Queen, and if the Marvels hadn't defeated them, she would've had the poor guy wearing an apron and washing the dishes!

[daBronzeBomma]

Thoughts on #BlackAdam . Spoilers follow ...

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1. Full disclosure: unlike almost all the other DCEU movies I've watched over the years, this one (along with #TheSuicideSquad) features characters with whom I have little to no familiarity. I have no preexisting affection for anyone in this film. And I still haven't seen most of The Rock's catalog yet.

There's no youthful nostalgia at play for me here, nor any actor fanhood. So the movie is standing and/or falling strictly on its own merits.

2. Dwayne Johnson was meant to be Black Adam.

The presence, the arrogance, the charisma, the anger. And the one-liners.

This feels like a whole lot like John Cena discovering his Peacemaker role, or Robert Downey Jr. taking on the Tony Stark role, or what it must have been for Arnold Schwarzenegger finding The Terminator role.

It's the perfect match of actor and character.

3. As far talent behind the camera, haven't seen any work from director Jaume Collet-Serra before Black Adam, but he seems to know how to play directly to most of Johnson's strengths and mask most of his weaknesses.

4. The main supporting cast are the freedom fighter Adrianna Tomaz (played by Sarah Shahi), her young son Amon (played by Bodhi Sabongui), and her electrician brother Karim (played by Mohammed Amer).

There was immediately something about Adrianna Tomaz that felt ... like there was more than meets the eye. She just jumps off the screen at you. If you're curious, look up her character. There's got to be BIG plans for her in future sequels.
5. Meet The Justice Society.

Cards on the table: never cared for the comix book JSA. In the few instances I've come across them, they always came off like the old uncles who was harping on their war days.

Here they kinda feel like a Bizarro version of the X-Men.

6. Hawkman is no Falcon, and that's a good thing (no disrespect to Sam Wilson).

If anything, Aldous Huxley's Carter Hall is a winged blend of Cyclops and Wolverine.

He is the field leader of the JSA, stickler for the rules, but with enough of that berserker barrage in him. And he actually held his own against Black Adam.

7. Pierce Brosnan's Doctor Fate was low-key the coolest character in the movie.

Really hard not to compare his Lord of Order with Benedict Cumberbatch's Sorceror Supreme. Find him much more likeable IMO.

On the Bizarro X-Men, he's a blend of Charles Xavier and Magneto.

8. The junior members Atom Smasher and Cyclone were amazingly not annoying.

Atom Smasher was kinda like what if Peter Parker got bit by a radioactive giant man and was played to good humorous effect.

9. What I didn't like: not everything works.

The CGI kinda goes all over the place, even for a superhero movie. There is a shot of Black Adam lifting a statue in flight that looks sooo CGI'ed.

The rallying speech given by Amon at the climax falls completely flat (more of a delivery problem than a writing problem).

And while the big bad villain Sabbac looks cool as hell (pun intended), there is nothing compelling about his backstory or his motivation.

10. I'm really wondering how they're going to connect this to the other Shazamverse movie this year: #ShazamFuryOfTheGods .

The tone seems really different, but there is no way Black Adam DOESN'T fight Shazam sooner rather than later, right?

Bonus: so ... THAT cameo. Deserves its own post. Later. Suffice to say: Welcome Back!

Bottom line: I was expecting a bomb and got a much better movie than expected. Cautiously optimistic about DC's future at the movies.

Grade: 8/10.

[Midvillian1322]

So saw it and I had fun. My son loved it. I feel the same way I do about Aquaman. A couple actors aren’t that good but most of them are really fun to watch and the movie is a blast. Despite being very weak on plot or character development in way that resonates. Didn’t like Mera in Aquaman and didn’t like the kid here. Everyone else was great. Would love a JsA movie. Black Adam stayed distant and stoic the whole movie which I appreciate they didn’t try to make him carry the movie on his charm like Mamoa had to do with Aquaman(he’s the reason I like Aquman he was charming af and carried that film for me.)



Anyway villain and story were very weak but didn’t mind at all. Was having too much fun. It’s crazy to me we are getting black Adam and Namor within a couple weeks of each other. To me despite the obvious differences they are almost the same person. Morality wise and even the look in the comics is kinda similar. They’re both leaders of nation who would kill every last person on earth to protect just one of they’re people. Obviously depending ont he writer they have both had more villainous turns. With black Adam leaning a little more evil then Namor . Anyway had a blast with Black Adam the fun overcame the glaring issues. My sons 9 and loved it. They’re is sole graphic things in it but they are done in a very kid friendly way. I mean someone gets split down the middle, won’t say who. It’s done in way that my kid smiled instead of covering they’re face. So if you got kids I’d say take them. It’s non stop action so they won’t get bored.

I’d give it a 6/10. The good outweigh the bad. Though there is a lot to not like. That kid and some other characters dialogue was very cringey.

[Gaastra]

Here they kinda feel like a Bizarro version of the X-Men.

Ironic you say that as a big joke out right now is the jsa rented the x-mansion from the x-men complete with a blackbird and secret hatch for the x-jet.

Lot of people are saying their hqs looked a little too close to a mutant groups hqs.

My sons 9 and loved it. They’re is sole graphic things in it but they are done in a very kid friendly way. I mean someone gets split down the middle, won’t say who. It’s done in way that my kid smiled instead of covering they’re face. So if you got kids I’d say take them. It’s non stop action so they won’t get bored.

Deadline did a story on the overseas box office and said this is doing great with families and is seen as a family film in some countries.

[BeastieRunner]

Deadline did a story on the overseas box office and said this is doing great with families and is seen as a family film in some countries.

I never thought I would see the day Black Adam was considered "family friendly" by anybody.

Even before he got ultra-violent, he was pretty brutal and a dick.

Hopefully he goes more evil as the power corrupts him.

[Lightning Rider]

It was decent. A good action flick with minimal story or character-building.

Strengths:
- The fight scenes are well done, the powers are showcased well enough. I wish Fate did a little more.
- The pacing never drags, even with so much going on
- A few strong cinematic visuals (that aren't combat scenes)
- Fate and (sometimes) Hawkman, both who hold their own with Black Adam
- Some lip service to anti-imperialism and push-back against the JSA's untimely intervention
- Cavill never looked more like Superman to me and I liked his line.

I'm neutral on Cyclone and Atom Smasher as characters. The dialogue teasing their mutual attraction was incredibly clumsy.

Weaknesses:
- No JSA backstory
- The kid actor is annoying
- A lot of the populism is cheesy and unconvincing (speaking in English also breaks the realism)
- I found some of the jokes didn't fit
- I wish Johnson had more to opinionate about. He doesn't profess any philosophical opinions about gods being above mortals, or Khandaq having its own identity, or anything beyond the feeling that he should be able to kill criminals. He mostly just reacts to what's going on around him.
- Indeed, a weak villain


Comic Book Gripes:
- Hawkman sounded too modern at times. We don't even know he reincarnates in this so he's just a dude.
- Neither Hawkman nor Fate ever interacted with Black Adam. They learn of him through "texts". Waste.
- The JSA's legacy is truncated
- I wish Black Adam had taken power at the end. He's way too sympathetic. But of course they want him to be conventionally heroic.

[Lightning Rider]

Wonder who else they have inside Waller's secret prison.

Me too!

I never thought I would see the day Black Adam was considered "family friendly" by anybody.

Even before he got ultra-violent, he was pretty brutal and a dick.

Hopefully he goes more evil as the power corrupts him.

Same. Or at least, if he teams up with the heroes in the future, he makes a "selfish" or nationalistic choice that prioritizes Khandaq.

[krazijoe]

I'm neutral on Cyclone and Atom Smasher as characters. The dialogue teasing their mutual attraction was incredibly clumsy.

A lot of Teen dialogue is clumsy when trying to flirt etc...

[Material Flux]

You know, I'm pretty sure the reason critics have been so hard on this movie is because of all the influence from other superhero movies in it. They often have no respect for superhero movies as a genre, so seeing a movie liker this would really rub them the wrong way.

[Scott Taylor]

Seems like most of the critics biggest thing was the plot, which was too shallow for them. Welcome to comic books! A lot of the silly shallow plot was what resonated with me. You just don't need to explain all the watermelons in these kinds of movies or try and explain comic book science or something.

[kidfresh512]

Seems like most of the critics biggest thing was the plot, which was too shallow for them. Welcome to comic books! A lot of the silly shallow plot was what resonated with me. You just don't need to explain all the watermelons in these kinds of movies or try and explain comic book science or something.

Yeah Plot, lack of character development is what I see most. And while I haven't seen it yet those are usually pretty valid things to critique. Even people that like it and have seen it back some of that up they just are more willing to excuse it which is fine