LM23 Rating: Dwayne Johnson knows what his fans like
I have to admit, I had no idea who Black Adam was. All I knew was it was about a Black superhero and it’s played by Dwayne Johnson. I’ll figure out the rest when I get there. Black Adam is one of those odd fall/winter movies that should have been released during the summer. There’s nary a moment to think or breathe as something is always being demolished or someone is being vaporized. But I love it! Black Adam is one of those movies that were made with the big screen and sound in mind.
Origin stories can sometimes be hard to pull off. They can spend too much time on building up to the present and where the story is really supposed to be. But Black Adam doesn’t do too much of that. The action and thrills begin right at the beginning.
No time to talk, it's all about the action
Black Adam will keep you awake and entertained that’s for sure. I kept hearing how Black Adam is like a 90’s superhero film and I wasn’t quite sure what that meant. But if you remember the big summer blockbusters in the 90’s like Men In Black, Independence Day, Con Air, and so on, then you know that those movies were like really long music videos. It’s all about the quippy one-liners and the cool money shots. Reality and drama is void from the scene. And Black Adam has a lot of that.
Although I will say, the first significant and extended fight scene at the start of the movie seemed like a rip off of the slow-mo fight scene in the bar in Sonic the Hedgehog. But what I liked about Black Adam is that it knows what kind of film it is and it delivers on the multiple different fight scenes. Even the way Black Adam kills the bad guy in the end was something different finally. It was brutal but very necessary.
The Justice Society is there but I'm not sure why...
I missed the reason why the group of people named the Justice Society showed up, but it was interesting how they brought up the idea of talking things through and understanding the situation before bringing out the big guns.
Aldis Hodge is on his way to superstardom
Aldis Hodge as Hawkman really pushed hard to bring that seriousness to the screen. Hodge is one of those actors who is just one role away from winning all of the accolades and praise and I hope he keeps the momentum going towards that way.
Pierce Brosnan has settled in nicely as the latest old Hollywood star who plays the senior/elder role so well. Like Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren, you know whatever they do, you can always count on them to bring it on the screen. Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate brought the humanity and heart to Black Adam. When he sacrificed himself for Hawkman, you feel very sad that he has to be the one to die.
Smasher and Cyclone are charming, but not certain how they got the jobs
I was a bit confused as to the roles of Smasher (Noah Centineo) and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell). Both were very charming in their small supporting roles. But, I missed how or why they were chosen to join Hawkman and Doctor Fate, and how they were ready to battle after literally starting their jobs. The Justice Society seemed a bit half-baked or not fully and properly staffed to fight the big fights throughout Black Adam.
The Mummy/Terminator 2 vibes were a bit out of place with the mom and son characters
Perhaps the weakest part of the story, beyond the criticism that Black Adam is the only character in the Kandahar/Iraq portmanteau city of Kahndaq without an accent, the random mom and teenage son. The Mummy/Terminator 2 vibes of the mom and son arc didn’t quite fit. I really loved the uncle in the film. He was perfect. At one point, the uncle is shot and I thought he died. I was very caught off guard and felt so sad when he saved his nephew and was shot.
Appreciate the bold move of calling out colonization
I also really appreciated the themes about being colonized and for everyday people to stand up and fight for their freedom. This theme is very timely and a feeling that a lot of us, whether it’s wanting political freedom or even just freedom on the job, I thought that was yet another different approach that Black Adam took that other superhero films have not really dared to touch.
If you want a film that delivers on the action, definitely go see Black Adam.
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