DC's 'Black Adam' - Review Thread

Black Adam - Review ThreadRotten Tomatoes - 47% (47 Reviews)Metacritic: - 45% (25 Reviews)Reviews:Empire (3/5):The film’s greatest strength, which runs like a current through it, is the sense that superpowers can be terrifying. Johnson, far stiller and more stony-faced than usual, shows a sort of bemused amorality, and his killing of bad guys seems as natural as breathing during his impressive introductory scenes. The idea of a superhuman who fights for his oppressed people is also a solid one, and an interesting challenge to the usual small-c conservative superheroes who just save a few individuals from baddies. Black Adam may not make his world better, not yet, but he shows the potential to shake up the DC Universe in ways that may yet succeed in uniting its disparate elements.Variety:The movie is essentially “Shane” on steroids, set in the Middle East instead of the Old West, but still seen through the eyes of a young boy — Adrianna’s comic book-obsessed son Amon (Bodhi Sabongui), in this case — who idolizes a figure of questionable morality. As with “Shane,” sticking a kid in the middle of the story brings the entire project down to a middle-school-level intellect. And yet, except for the recent Batman movies, that’s how most of the DC films feel.IndieWire (D+):The question that “Black Adam” poses is a simple one: What happens when Hollywood’s most risk-averse movie star collides with Hollywood’s most risk-averse movie genre? The answer provided by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s depressingly inevitable (and inevitably depressing) foray into the superhero-industrial complex is, of course, even simpler: Exactly what you’d expect. Only worse.SlashFilm (3.5/10):"Black Adam" even fails as a builder of its own universe. If we now live in a world where superheroes require no origin stories and entire teams can be introduced on the fly, what function does the origin story movie have? Setups for a vast comic book cinematic universe, it seems, aren't as urgently required as they were back in the days of 2011 when Thor and Captain America were slowly revealed to the public in their own solo feature films.Hollywood Reporter:Johnson creates a magnetic antihero, volatile and antisocial. He doesn’t fly so much as stalk the sky; he swats opponents like the bundles of weightless CG pixels they are. And this passion project serves the character well, setting him up for adventures one hopes will be less predictable than this one.Collider (B):Black Adam isn’t a full-on course correction for the DCEU, but it is an encouraging new installment in this larger universe. Collet-Serra knows how to present this darkness and antihero in a way that’s effective, while also fleshing out one of the most promising additions to DC’s ever-expanding cadre of characters. Johnson is also a welcome part of this world, and while the DCEU has attempted to bring moral ambiguity to characters like Superman in ways that weren’t entirely successful, Black Adam allows DC to play in this darkness with an antihero that doesn’t betray their world or characters. Black Adam might not be the hero the DCEU needs, but it’s a welcome shift for this larger world and an invigorating look at the potential going forward in this universe.ComicBook (3.5/5):Is Black Adam the movie that will singlehandedly bring back the DC Cinematic Universe to stand toe to toe with what Marvel has built? No, but it's certainly laying the groundwork for this to be a possibility down the line. Black Adam is a fun, frenzied, and flawed film that answers the prayers of many while also giving viewers an action-packed thrill ride with plenty of charisma from its key players. (I would also be doing the movie a disservice if I didn't mention the amazing "pop" my screening received during the post-credit scene, which might just rival Captain America picking up Thor's hammer for the biggest reaction ever heard in a theater.) It's a roller coaster ride and, if you walk in with that mindset, you're going to have a good time.Total Film (3/5):Repressing his smolder judiciously, Johnson shoulders the show well enough. Sift through the wreckage and there’s potential in Adam, even if his film is more an extended, excess-all-areas introduction than a Batman Begins-ish slam-dunk. To paraphrase the curiously under-surprising credit scene, he gets our attention. But the major question left frustratingly unresolved is, can he do anything new with it?Nerdist (2.5/5):While a lot of Black Adam works, the whole can’t escape the messiness of trying to add to---or jumpstart---a franchise rather than tell a good story.IGN (5/10):It’s packed with undeveloped characters and an excessive number of repetitive action scenes, to the point where its half-baked debate on what it means to be a hero is lost in all the noise.Cast:Dwayne Johnson as Teth AdamAldis Hodge as HawkmanNoah Centineo as Atom SmasherSarah Shahi as Adrianna TomazMarwan Kenzari as SabbacQuintessa Swindell as CycloneMo Amer as KarimBodhi Sabongui as Amon TomazPierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate.Synopsis:From New Line Cinema, Dwayne Johnson stars in the action adventure “Black Adam.” The first-ever feature film to explore the story of the DC Super Hero comes to the big screen under the direction of Jaume Collet-Serra (“Jungle Cruise”).In ancient Kahndaq, Teth Adam was bestowed the almighty powers of the gods. After using these powers for vengeance, he was imprisoned, becoming Black Adam. Nearly 5,000 years have passed and Black Adam has gone from man, to myth, to legend. Now released, his unique form of justice, born out of rage, is challenged by modern day heroes who form the Justice Society: Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Atom Smasher and Cyclone. via /r/movies https://ift.tt/sGetYik