Black Adam review Dwayne Johnson lifts super so-so film Digital Trends Blackadam - Dceu HEAD TOPICS

Black Adam review Dwayne Johnson lifts super so-so film Digital Trends

10/22/2022 12:52:00 AM

Dwayne Johnson does an admirable job of elevating Black Adam an otherwise underwhelming film that repeats many of the mistakes of prior DCEU movies

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Dwayne Johnson does an admirable job of elevating BlackAdam, an otherwise underwhelming film that repeats many of the mistakes of prior DCEU movies. Dwayne Johnson does an admirable job of elevating Black Adam an otherwise underwhelming film that repeats many of the mistakes of prior DCEU movies Contents And yet, Black Adam has finally arrived in theaters — a feat seemingly accomplished through the sheer force of will of its star, Dwayne Johnson, who’s been dragging it toward production for more than a decade now.It’s an OK film, too — mainly due to Johnson’s boundless charisma — but it falls far short of being the course-correcting cinematic spectacle the DCEU is desperately in need of. Assembling the team Directed by Jungle Cruise and Orphan filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra, Black Adam casts Johnson as Teth-Adam, a former slave who was granted the powers of Egyptian gods to protect humanity, only to end up destroying his homeland of Kahndaq while seeking vengeance for his murdered family. Imprisoned for more than 5,000 years by the same wizards who imbued him with near-invincible power, Teth-Adam is awakened by an archaeologist searching for a powerful relic to free modern-day Kahndaq from a vicious mercenary network. Teth-Adam’s explosive resurrection and the resulting slaughter of the mercenaries soon puts him on the radar of the Justice Society of America, a team of superheroes tasked with maintaining international peace, who must decide whether he’s a potential enemy or ally to the world. Read more:
Digital Trends » 'Fate does not make mistakes': Dwayne Johnson finally brings 'Black Adam' to the big screen Dwayne Johnson wanted to be Black Adam the moment he saw the comic Dwayne Johnson Thinks This Black Adam Problem Is A Good One To Have Dwayne Johnson told 'Black Adam' costar to call him 'daddy', cast reveals their ideal superpowers

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Thousands of women are picking up part-time jobs at Starbucks to expand their families. Here's how the coffee giant is changing the lives of struggling couples. Read more >> 'Fate does not make mistakes': Dwayne Johnson finally brings 'Black Adam' to the big screenDwayne 'The Rock' Johnson chats with USA TODAY's briantruitt about the life lessons learned and journey traveled in creating the film 'Black Adam.' briantruitt Hey guys... I'm new here and you can also check my bio Dwayne Johnson wanted to be Black Adam the moment he saw the comicDwayne Johnson says his childhood dreams are coming true as he stars in the new DC Comics superhero film 'Black Adam' coming out on Oct. 21. Dwayne Johnson Thinks This Black Adam Problem Is A Good One To HaveA certain scene in Black Adam is causing problems for some audiences, but according to Dwayne [...] Dwayne Johnson told 'Black Adam' costar to call him 'daddy', cast reveals their ideal superpowersThe cast of 'Black Adam' revealed what it was like working with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in the upcoming DC superhero film, and also shared their ideal superpowers. Black Adam Exclusive: Dwayne Johnson Talks Shocking Return of Justice League Star🚨 BlackAdam spoilers 🚨 Dwayne TheRock Johnson opened up about how that ending came to be... and what it means for the future of DC as he sees it! TheRock It always does TheRock U should ask him when is he gonna stop using steriods Dwayne Johnson on his long fight to bring 'Black Adam' to theatersFrom The Scorpion King to the Tooth Fairy, Dwayne Johnson has played countless characters in Hollywood — except a superhero. Enter 'Black Adam,' Johnson's newest role, which was well over a decade in the making. What a waste of a decade. Superhero Everyone agrees, the movie is a bomb Black Adam Score Details “Dwayne Johnson is the best part of Black Adam, an otherwise underwhelming film that repeats many of the mistakes of prior DCEU movies.Pierce Brosnan ) – but then reluctantly teams up with them when a bigger threat surfaces.Email article MADRID, SPAIN - OCTOBER 19: Actor Dwayne Johnson attends the"Black Adam" premiere at Cine Capitol on October 19, 2022 in Madrid, Spain.A certain scene in Black Adam is causing problems for some audiences, but according to Dwayne Johnson, it's a good problem to have. ” Pros Cons At this point, it’s reasonable to not realize the “DC Extended Universe” is still something in active development. From its multitude of canceled or delayed projects, to the near-constant stream of controversies surrounding DCEU films and shows, to all of the well-publicized studio dysfunction behind the scenes, it’s amazing that any project makes it to the screen amid all of that chaos. “Admittedly, I grew up a DC boy – and I'm still a DC boy. Contents And yet, Black Adam has finally arrived in theaters — a feat seemingly accomplished through the sheer force of will of its star, Dwayne Johnson, who’s been dragging it toward production for more than a decade now. 21. It’s an OK film, too — mainly due to Johnson’s boundless charisma — but it falls far short of being the course-correcting cinematic spectacle the DCEU is desperately in need of. The very first time I saw a Black Adam comic book, he (had) his brown skin, he had the body and the face of a pro wrestler. Assembling the team Directed by Jungle Cruise and Orphan filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra, Black Adam casts Johnson as Teth-Adam, a former slave who was granted the powers of Egyptian gods to protect humanity, only to end up destroying his homeland of Kahndaq while seeking vengeance for his murdered family. There have been teases and rumblings in regard to the DC hero that has fans buzzing, but for now, Dwayne Johnson just wants fans to go and enjoy the show. Imprisoned for more than 5,000 years by the same wizards who imbued him with near-invincible power, Teth-Adam is awakened by an archaeologist searching for a powerful relic to free modern-day Kahndaq from a vicious mercenary network.” More: 'Black Adam' review: Dwayne Johnson's DC superhero movie rides the lightning, fizzles out Black Adam, with his powers and tragic history of seeing his family wiped out, was filled with intensity, brutality and rage, and “I ran toward all those characteristics, man,” Johnson says of getting into an antiheroic mindset. However, The Justice Society of America has a thing or two against Adam’s brutal ways of doing so. Teth-Adam’s explosive resurrection and the resulting slaughter of the mercenaries soon puts him on the radar of the Justice Society of America, a team of superheroes tasked with maintaining international peace, who must decide whether he’s a potential enemy or ally to the world. Johnson is joined in the cast by Aldis Hodge (Straight Outta Compton, One Night in Miami) as JSA leader Carter Hall (aka Hawkman), Pierce Brosnan (GoldenEye) as the superhero sorcerer Kent Nelson (aka Doctor Fate), Quintessa Swindell (Voyagers) as wind-controlling hero Maxine Hunkel (aka Cyclone), and Noah Centineo (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before) as size-changing, aspiring hero Al Rothstein (aka Atom Smasher).” What helped him most was tapping back into his"heel" Rock wrestling persona from WWE’s “Attitude Era” of the late ‘90s and early 2000s: “It was a violent time, but it was also very over the top. Outside of the film’s superpowered characters, Sarah Shahi (Sex/Life) portrays the archaeologist who awakens Teth-Adam, Bodhi Sabongui (The Baby-Sitters Club) plays her son, and comedian and actor Mohammed Amer (Mo) plays her brother. But number one not only in terms of excitement and enthusiasm but also this was the one for me like this was it and I feel like all the movies and things that I’ve done in the past including wrestling has all led me to Black Adam, the superhero genre, my first one," said Johnson. Marwan Kenzari (Aladdin) plays the Intergang member in pursuit of the powerful relic known as the Crown of Sabbac. “For all of the grandiosity around DJ, from his history as a wrestler to being a megastar in the film world, we see this sort of magnate on a worldwide scale. I know A LOT of you guys are going TONIGHT for the Thursday night showings. It’s a crowded cast, but as the title suggests, Johnson’s superpowered character is the focal point of the story, and his performance often drags it back to center whenever the meandering, overstuffed narrative begins to wander. No hero For much of the film, Black Adam feels like a project uncertain of exactly what type of film it wants to be, and as such, it borrows elements from various DCEU films before it. He is who he is because he understands performance and he understands where those values are." Backstage with 'Black Adam' stars Aldis Hodge and Pierce Brosnan DC Comics is rolling out their new superhero movie Black Adam into theaters on Oct. That would be fine if the DCEU films maintained a relatively consistent tone akin to their counterparts at Marvel, but franchise studio Warner Bros. prides itself on letting each DCEU film deliver a standalone experience. Fate 'which I never do' “Black Adam” has also proved a filmmaking journey for Johnson, a producer on the superhero epic. The tone of Black Adam pinballs from the silly superhero hijinks of 2019’s Shazam! to the darker filter of Zack Snyder’s grim and gritty, hero-averse version of the DC Comics universe to the CG-fueled, brawny action spectacle of 2018’s Aquaman over and over again, allowing little time for any overarching aesthetic to take root. He goes on to say, "This is 10 years plus I’ve been fighting and pushing for this thing to get made and we’re here. There has been a big demand to see Cavill back as Superman, and it's looking like Black Adam is where fans will get to see the two heroes meet for the very first time. Johnson’s Teth-Adam — who is compelled to remind everyone that he’s not a hero and is totally OK with killing people at least once every five minutes — bounces between angsty contemplation of his tragic backstory and trying to nail down a snappy catchphrase, alternately injecting humor and bleakness in moments where they seemingly don’t belong.: The studio had a Superman and Batman in place with Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck, respectively, and was more concerned with launching a “Justice League” that paired them with Flash (Ezra Miller), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Aquaman (Jason Momoa). The film’s decision to make Teth-Adam’s willingness to kill villains his primary, defining characteristic is also puzzling given that WB and DCEU filmmakers have spent a decade insisting that superhero characters killing people is no big deal. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and countless other DCEU heroes have killed hundreds of villains across their DCEU films, so the suggestion that Teth-Adam’s approach to justice is somehow at odds with what the world understands superheroes to be feels forced (at best) in Black Adam, and verges on laughably unaware the more often this sentiment is reiterated in the film. “I put my blinders on and became really intensely focused, and I would not let it go. He’d be the best wingman, he’d be the best protector, everything because you could always rely on him to do the right thing and even if you disagree on how he does it he’s always going to do the right thing. Who’s hitting who? Black Adam also borrows from one of the most-maligned recurring elements of DCEU films to date, closing with a CG-fueled villain battle that is so mired in digital effects that it would look just as (if not more) comfortable in a video game cutscene. This is an issue that isn’t reserved to just DCEU films — the Marvel Cinematic Universe has made that mistake more than once, too — but it’s been a particularly disappointing element in some of the studio’s standout films so far. “It’s all happened in the way that it's meant to happen.. Wonder Woman and Aquaman, two of the best DCEU films to date, both concluded with frantic, confusing sequences of CG mayhem that ended otherwise entertaining adventures on a down note, while films like Justice League and Suicide Squad (the 2016 film, not James Gunn’s 2021 reboot) turned into glorified game cinematics nearly every time action unfolded. "I don’t want to think if only things were a little bit different I would really love this project, no I want projects that I love from the beginning to the end. Johnson is one of the most capable action actors in Hollywood these days, so it’s a shame to see him reduced to a head in a motion capture suit, all wrapped in visual effects, as often happens in Black Adam.’ So here we are, brother. Super standouts Still, when Black Adam lets Johnson have fun with the role, the film is at its best. Johnson is endlessly fun to watch in just about anything he does, and it’s his charm and charisma that elevates Black Adam above its long list of flaws. He’s the rare actor who can effortlessly pivot between heartbreaking pathos, smirking humor, and intimidating self-assurance, and he puts all of these — and other — aspects of performance to frequent use in the film."Now we've gotten to a great place where we've delivered for the audience. Without him, Black Adam is one of the worst DCEU films to date, but with him, it’s an entertaining experience that sits somewhere within the highest tier of entries in a frustratingly disappointing cinematic universe. While the crowded cast is light on standout performances from anyone other than Johnson, Brosnan does deliver a memorable performance as the enigmatic Doctor Fate, who feels like the supporting character most deserving of another appearance in the DCEU. Both Swindell and Centineo are fun to watch in limited screen time too, although that has more to do with the spectacle of their powers than their performances in the film, which doesn’t give them much to work with as characters when they’re not engaged in battle. Too little, too late Although Black Adam manages to be an entertaining film thanks to its star’s performance, even Johnson himself can’t manage all the heavy lifting required to turn the film into the franchise-changing project the studio seems to hope it will be. Flashy and fun at times, but overly reliant on its star and a cohesive vision for the DCEU that it neither projects nor even exists at this point, Black Adam offers mountains of potential without much payoff."  Henry Cavill Back as Superman in Man of Steel 2On Monday, The Hollywood Reporter published a new piece about the state of DC films at Warner Bros. Audiences looking for an escapist adventure without any meaningful mental or emotional connection to the story — preferably with bright colors, plenty of explosions, and cringeworthy jokes — will likely leave Black Adam satisfied. Those looking for something deeper, though, aren’t likely to be as happy with the film’s return on their investment. It’s no secret that the DCEU needs something big to turn it around and unlock its potential, and unfortunately, Black Adam isn’t that project. It is, however, a relatively entertaining film. For now, it seems like that will have to do. Pictures studio heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy are reportedly looking for writers for a Man of Steel sequel produced by Charles Roven. Warner Bros. Pictures’ Black Adam is in theaters now. For a spoiler-filled overview of the film, including the explosive ending, check out our Black Adam’s ending explained article. Editors' Recommendations .