Black Adam Review

 

Hey guys. For this review I'll be doing something different. At the end I will be discussing the mid-credit scene. The reason being ever since it was leaked, there's been a lot of talk going on. I'll be giving my own opinion on it. So if you don't want to be spoiled, back out after the second warning!

Black Adam is a comic book movie, based on the DC Comics' character of the same name. It serves as a spin-off to 2019's Shazam and is the eleventh installment of the DC Extended Universe. The movie's produced by New Line Cinema, DC Films, Seven Bucks Productions, and FlynnPictureCo. and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Black Adam is written by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani and directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.

The story is after losing so much, Teth Adam was given the powers of a god. After using them for personal vengeance, he was imprisoned. Now 5,000 years later, he was awoken. He's first order of business is to use his powers to bring his own from of justice. This soon grabs the attention of the Justice Society. Now it's a clash among the mighty, and Black Adam plans to reign supreme.

Initial Reaction

I'll keep it short and sweet, the reason why I wanted to see this because not only am I DC fan, but also because Black Adam is one of DC's very interesting characters. So when I heard a movie about him was coming out, I was in.

Cons

I've got nothing, so let's all move on.

Middle Ground

There's quite a lot to go through with this section, and one of those is the pacing. There were times when things were just the right amount of a perfect slow down period. Other times not so much. There are a few scenes where things just didn't have enough breathing room. So there's gonna be times when it's just too much and you'd wish for another slow down period. The other mix bag was the humor. Some of it worked. I remember a certain moment between Atom Smasher and Hawkman that got a huge laugh. But those times when it didn't, it really didn't. When those unfunny scenes happened, the audience I saw it with made it clear it wasn't funny, because they would absolutely go dead silent. My other minor issue came with Collet-Serra's directing. Don't get me wrong, for the most part he did a fantastic job. But man, he really overdid it with the slow-mo. It worked for some scenes, but there were other times when it was just unnecessary. What also wasn't bad, but still could've used more work was character. Black Adam and Hawkman's were fairly serviceable. As far for Dr. Fate, he was awesome. He's truly the MVP of the entire film. But then we have Cyclone and Atom Smasher. While I didn't hate them, I also wasn't all that invested in them. Then there's the villains....they sucked. There's nothing to them. No depth, no nothing. They were very generic.

Pros

Now for something positive, like the action. Not only was funny and exciting, but I wasn't expecting a lot of violent moments. Guys get electrocuted to the point of being a skeleton, one dude got dismembered, and another gets ripped in half. That last one really took me by surprise. What I also liked was the visual effects. Not only were they flawless, but the best was from Cyclone when she's using her powers. Those effects were just gorgeous. The last thing I'll praise is that mid-credit scene. That was truly a crowd cheering moment.

Black Adam isn't a flawless film. While things like the pacing, Jaume's directing, humor, and character aren't entirely bad, they still could've used some improvement. What truly helped was the action, the effects, and that mid-credit scene.

My final rating is Okay.

Alright! Here it is! This is your second warning! If you don't want to be spoiled, just go. You've read my review, this is the second warning, now's your chance to bail!

Okay, so during the mid-credit scene, Henry Cavill fully dressed as Superman meets Black Adam, and he said they should talk. Yes, Henry actually makes an appearance. He's not a headless cameo like Shazam, and not silhouetted like in Peacemaker. He's fully there, says some lines, end of the movie.

The reason why I'm writing about this is even since the scene was leaked, there's be a lot of speculation of what this means for the DCEU. Everyone's got a theory. People been saying maybe this could mean we're getting closer to a restored Snyderverse, maybe Henry will finally get another solo Superman film, all sorts of things.

The truth is...we don't know. That's it. If there's anything I've learned when it comes to the DCEU, it's best to play the waiting game. Cause ever since 2016, this franchise has been hit time and time again with speculations and rumors. And this is no different. A matter of fact, ever since David Zaslav became the president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, things feel even more unpredictable than they were before. We all thought we'd get a Batgirl, next thing ya know it's cancelled. We were supposed to get The Flash, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, this year but they all got pushed back to 2023.

So honestly I really feel like it's too soon to predict what's gonna happen after this film. Like I said, right now, it's all a waiting game.

I hope that was some what in sightful. Like I said, too soon to decide. But that's all for me. Come back on Monday, Oct 24th, my review of the third film in the Evil Dead series, Army of Darkness. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.