Black Adam (2022)

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/black-adam-spoiler-free-review

"Black Adam is far from impressive, being somewhat disappointing due to its formulaic, predictable screenplay when something different was anticipated.

Lorne Balfe's epic score and a magnificent cast - Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, and most remarkably Pierce Brosnan are phenomenal - try to elevate the decent action and visuals, but the moderate entertainment levels don't make up for the dated narrative structure.

Tiresomely heavy exposition, story with little to no creativity, and inconsistent humor make it impossible for the DCEU to take "the next step" in a truly impactful manner."

Rating: C+

Well it wasn't disappointing...

With a horrid script, lackluster performances, and a waste of potentially awesome characters, _Black Adam_ is an explosive, $195 million, anti-heroic dud. The DCEU is about to get way more convoluted and underwhelming than ever before if this is the future of live action DC films.

**Full review:** https://hubpages.com/entertainment/Black-Adam-20220-Review-A-Stale-and-Disjointed-Antihero-Kerfuffle

**Black Adam might not reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t have to. It just wants to take you on a fun, entertaining, exciting superhero ride!**

Black Adam has its haters, and I can understand why. It doesn’t necessarily break new ground in the superhero genre, but that doesn’t stop it from being awesome! Action-packed from start to finish. The effects are incredible. I kept myself from saying Wow out loud on multiple occasions. Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam is absolutely ruthless, ripping armies of henchmen with ease and speed. I was worried a PG-13 rating might soften his brutality, but it did not! The action sequences looked amazing and were well done. I really liked the Justice Society characters, although they all felt a little stereotypical with a SpiderMan jokester, a wise old Professor X, and a quipping leader in the vain of Wolverine or Deadshot. Pierce Brosnan was perfect at Dr. Fate, making me wish he hadn’t been relegated to special guest star status. The movie didn’t waste a ton of time giving background on each character which was wise with so many new heroes on screen. The film had its moments of cheese but didn’t overdo it. Definitely watch the mid-credit scene. It’s stupendous! Black Adam was a fine addition to the superhero genre, and I look forward to what comes next.

> _"My powers are not a gift. They're a curse, born out of rage."_

I had a blast watching this in theaters. This was very bombastic, with a lot of cool action, but also telling a heartfelt story about Black Adam.

It was very inventive how they depicted Black Adam's origin, keeping it a mystery up near the end. Dwayne Johnson was born to play Black Adam. He steals every scene he's in playing a badass anto-hero.

Now the Justice Society, while they didn't have a backstory in the film, they each had prequel comics detailing their backstory. Which I really dig, these comics are meant to sell comics, after all. Might as well get the audience to buy the comics to get into some great stories (they are also currently doing this with The Flash). The movie actually starts right where the Doctor Fate prequel comic ends, so I don't think it's apographa. Doctor Fate played by Pierce Brosnan was a standout. He really put his all into this character. Aldis Hodge was also a standout as Hawkman.

The surprise villain of Black Adam, Sabbac, was a really good addition to the Shazam! mythos. If the wizards have their own champion, why doesn't the seven deadly sins have one? Sabbac is the answer to that. Doctor Fate's battle with him was really cool.

Overall, this wasn't as bad as the critics were saying, I had a fun time! Be sure to stay for the mid-credits scene!