5 THINGS BLACK ADAM GOT RIGHT
5 THINGS BLACK ADAM GOT RIGHT
Black Adam has been in theaters for a week now and the reviews are about as split between fans and critics as they can be. The fans are loving the film, with a whopping 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile critics are adamant that they didn’t enjoy it at all. Whether you had a great time watching the film or wish to spit all over it, there are a number of things that are undeniably good about it. Here’s 5 things Black Adam got right.
Warning: there are spoilers ahead!
A PASSION PROJECT
While it may be true that Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson usually plays himself in every movie we see him in (which is a lot), it’s hard to deny his charisma and charm. He may not be a method actor like Daniel Day-Lewis, and that’s alright. He does bring an undeniable energy to the screen, and whether he’s a hero, antihero, or villain, people seem to be drawn to him. With Black Adam, he’s still the Rock, but it’s easy to see that he genuinely loves the character and had fun playing the part. That means something to the audience. He also looks great as the character and doesn’t need to be padded up like most other actors portraying superheroes.
This is a project Johnson has been promoting for years and probably would’ve never happened without his Black Adam power-level pull. It’s true that the design department could have went the extra mile and given Black Adam his pointy ears and slicked back black hair, but he’s still pretty close to the mark as is. Comicbook fans are fortunate to have someone as passionate as Johnson is about this character take on this relatively unknown villain/antihero and make him a household name.
This casting was fate
Is there a better casting choice than Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate? After seeing the film, I’d say the chances are pretty unlikely. Even long before the movie’s release, this was news that had most fans thrilled. Pierce did not disappoint and was a natural as Fate, aka Kent Nelson. He was as charming as he his magic awe-inspiring. Brosnan delivered just the right amount of quips, in his notorious accent, to balance out his more stark conversations. Every scene with Pierce as Fate just felt flawless, both in costume and out of costume. It’s a shame he met his fate by the film’s end, but maybe with a little magic, he’ll return one day.
stellar special effects
One thing that can make or break a popcorn flick such as Black Adam is the CGI. This movie has a lot of it. One could argue that most of the movie is CGI, and they wouldn’t be wrong. With that being said, the special effects team did a fantastic job. Yes, it might feel like overkill to some, but never did it look sloppy or haphazard. Remember, this is an action movie based on a hasty god-tier antihero. You should go into it expecting an overabundance of insane effects such as lightning blasts and explosions. Bad CGI can take the viewer out of a film completely, and this film had many opportunities to trip and fall, but seamlessly landed their studio magic every time.
Clash of the Titans
One major highlight of the film are the all-out brawls between Black Adam and the Justice Society of America’s leader, Hawkman. Aldis Hodge protrays a gruff and tough Carter Hall (Hawkman), who isn’t afraid of the god-like antihero. Maybe he should be, as he is slightly outmatched. Either way, these fight scenes are a lot of fun. There are a variety of complaints about the film from detractors, but there seems to be some unanimity that seeing these two titans duke it out more than once was a good time.
Henry Cavill is back!
Apparently, the people in charge at Warner Bros studios did not wish to bring Henry Cavill back into their extended movie universe as Superman. Luckily, Dwayne Johnson knows what the fans want, and again, has enough influence to make things happen. Not only did he convince the naysayers above him to bring back the Man of Steel, but he landed Cavill a buzzworthy post credit scene in the film. Seeing Cavill return to the role, with the iconic theme by John Williams playing, gave me goosebumps. I haven’t felt that in a superhero film since Avengers: Endgame. Thanks to all of this, rumors are surfacing that the studio is finally moving forward with the long overdue Man of Steel 2.
IN CONCLUSION
Critics are not the be-all end-all. Sometimes it feels they have a bias, and other times it’s quite obvious. Black Adam is not a perfect movie. It has it’s flaws, but it’s also nowhere near as bad as the critics and their followers try to convince you. It’s far better than other recent superhero outings that have favorable critic scores such as the patently bad Thor: Love & Thunder and the flop that was She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
In some cases, it’s important to pay attention to the audience score. This is one of those instances. The fans got what they wanted from a Black Adam movie. Those fans generally know and love the source material. This is the same reason fans loathed the aforementioned Marvel entries.
The bottom line: See Black Adam for yourself. If you’re a fan of comics, or the character specifically, you’ll likely enjoy most of what you see.
