An Over-Muscled Super Antihero In A Not-So-Super Film

“Black Adam”   (2022)   —   movie review
Before I begin the “actual” review of this film, I need to say I have no prior knowledge of the “Justice Society of America“, its origin or its members.  I grew up reading about the “Justice League” – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, etc.  Basically, I’m approaching this film as a Sci-Fi, superhero, animation fan walking straight off the street…
Today’s review is for the DC superhero film:  “Black Adam”  (2022), starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Teth-Adam (a resurrected antihero from the ancient fictional nation of Kahndaq), Aldis Hodge as Hawkman / Carter Hall (the leader of the Justice Society of America.  He is a noble and principled hero [like Captain America] who believes in non-lethal force [like Batman] and becomes the main antagonist to Black Adam’s more violent methods), Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate / Kent Nelson (a founding member of the Justice Society, an older and wiser hero who can see the future and whose powers come from a “mystical” golden helmet), Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher / Albert Rothstein (a new, naive member of the Justice Society who can grow to immense size [like Giant-Man in the Avengers]), Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone / Maxine Hunkel (a wind-controlling technology genius), Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz (a freedom fighter / linguist / archaeologist who awakens Adam), Bodhi Sabongui as Amon Tomaz (Adrianna’s son), Maxine Hunkelas Karim (Adrianna’s brother), and Marwan Kenzari as Marwan Kenzari / Sabbac (the main villain and a leader of the “Intergang” mercenaries who seeks to claim the Crown of Sabbac to gain godlike power).
Background:  Like most folks who are into comic-book heroes and bigger-than-life media personalities, I’ve been waiting for “The Rock” to finally get a shot at playing a “meta-human” / super-person.  This movie was fairly poorly received except by “wraslin’ and ‘Da Rock‘” die hard fans – like my brother.  I saw the film back in ’23, when it first streamed, but it was forgettable, so I never reviewed it.  This makes up for that…
Plot Summary:  An evil king is forcing his people to mine for a rare element which will supposed give a person great power and eternal life.  By a strange coincidence it is called:  “Eternium”.  (Seriously…)  A “hero” arises to overthrow the king, but he (the hero) is somehow trapped for 5,000 years – until modern day.  The hero’s name is “Teth-Adam” but needs to say the word “Shazam” (Shazam is an acronym for six ancient gods who give power to the human host).  They are: “S” – Shu who has superhuman stamina, “H” – Heru who has enhanced speed and flight, “A” – Amon who has immense strength, “Z” – Zehuti who has wisdom and strategic intellect, “A” – Anpu who has magical resistance and durability, and “M” – Menthu who has courage and combat prowess) to alternate between a normal human and the “hero” with powers.  Fast forward 5,000 years:  modern-day Kahndaq is occupied by mercenaries still mining the ore and looking for the old king’s crown.  Adrianna, a local rebel, awakens Teth-Adam / Black Adam from his tomb / prison.   He proceeds to electrocute, pulverize, and dismember the invaders with lightning and super-strength.  Enter the Justice Society — Hawkman, Fate, Cyclone, and Atom Smasher — who arrive to “contain / detain / restrain” Adam and restore order.  They quibble.  They fight.  They argue.  They team up.  Meanwhile, a demon named Sabbac (like “Shazam”, this is an acronym for six demons who take over the human host.  They are:  Satan, Aym, Belial, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and Crateis) rises from hell to threaten the world.  Adam must choose between destruction and heroism.  Spoiler:  he chooses both.  The main morality conflict of the film revolves around the philosophical / ideological clash between the JSA’s heroic code (do good and don’t kill) and Black Adam’s brutal brand of justice / revenge (killing is optional when convenient).
So, is this film any good?  How’s the acting?  The filming / FX?  Any problems?  And, did I like / enjoy it?  Short answers:  So-so;  mostly wooden (at best);  although lifelike, it’s more cartoon-ish / comic-bookie than cinematic;  let’s not go there;  as a “movie”, forgettable – as a comic-book adaptation, not bad.
Any good:  Only if you are into special effects and want just enough dialogue to get you from one explosion (or fight) to the next.
Acting:  Johnson glowers.  Hodge snarls and threatens.  Centineo and Swindell are comic relief and (I guess) meant to draw a youth audience.  Shahi yells.  Sabongui skateboards and tries to encourage Teth-Adam to be a hero.  Kenzari tries his best to be a threatening (CGI) bad-guy / demon.  The Rock’s performance as Black Adam is pretty much what I expected from the actor – and disappointing.  He is physically “just” a body builder – not a superhero.  He is more Hulk than Superman.  The “best” performance comes from Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, who brings a sense of weary grace and wisdom (maybe it’s British colonialism) to the role.  Brosnan is the closest to rising to the occasion here.
Filming /  FX:  This film has the look of the “Dark Knight” trilogy.  If you like that – I did – the “filming” isn’t that bad.  The visual spectacle of the action sequences are arguably the main (only) strength of the film.  Semi-chaotic destruction looks good on film, but it fails to make up for a poor story and mostly weak dialogue.
Problems:  Loads…!  This film has the look of the “Dark Knight” trilogy.  If you don’t like that, you probably won’t like this film.  The film wants to be a parallel universe of “The Dark Knight” (feel) and “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” (team building for sequels) but just doesn’t get there.  To someone off-the-street, with no background, the Justice Society is introduced with zero backstory to the characters or their powers.  The bad-guys are trivial for 95% of the movie.  The film presents multiple notable continuity issues with other DCEU films, particularly with “Shazam!” In “Shazam!”, the wizard states that his previous champion, Black Adam, was imprisoned for releasing the Seven Deadly Sins, but this is never mentioned or shown in “Black Adam”.  For me, as a comic-book fan, I don’t understand the limits of any of the characters’ powers.  And why is this lady from the “Suicide Squad” in this movie at all?  Honestly, none of this bares much consideration…
Like / Enjoy:  I hoped for more.  It didn’t deliver.  It is what it is – fights, explosions and special effects.  Forty years ago, I might have loved this film for being just what it is.
Final Recommendation:  Low to moderate.  The story, and hence the movie, are bad – so “Low“.  If you REALLY like Dwayne Johnson and want to see him glare, flex, float and quick fry / fricazzi people for two hours, it’s watchable and maybe “moderate“.  If you enjoy superhero tropes, ancient curses, and poorly landed “humor” dialogue, you might enjoy it more than I did.  I wanted it to be mythic, heroic AND have great F/X.  I think one out of three rates a “Low“…  While it is an action-packed spectacle with some truly impressive visual effects and a reasonable performance from Pierce Brosnan, the film’s narrative is weak and its characters are underdeveloped.  For a fun, mindless action flick, it’s worth a watch, but if you’re looking for a compelling story, you have to look at the other DCEU parallel universe – or maybe even Marvel’s (MCEU).
Final Thought:  By the way, in the alternate “Shazam!” film, the letters stand for: “S” Solomon who grants wisdom, “H” Hercules who grants strength, “A” Atlas who grants stamina, “Z” Zeus who grants power (lightning), “A” Achilles who grants courage, and, “M” Mercury who grants speed and flight.  So now you know…  LoL
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Click here (25 August) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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There’s Always Next Time: Faust In The Big Apple

“The Devil’s Advocate”   (1997)   —   movie review
Today’s review is for the 1997 supernatural horror / legal thriller:  “The Devil’s Advocate” starring Keanu Reeves as Kevin Lomax (a young, ambitious Florida defense attorney recruited by a powerful NYC law firm), Al Pacino as John Milton (charismatic head of the law firm), Charlize Theron as Mary Ann Lomax (Kevin’s wife), Judith Ivey as Mrs. Alice Lomax ( Kevin’s devoutly religious mother), Connie Nielsen as Christabella Andreoli (a seductive colleague), and Craig T. Nelson as Alexander Cullen (a billionaire client accused of triple homicide).
Note:  This review contains spoilers (duh).  If you haven’t seen the film but intend to (it’s almost 30 years old), stop here…  Come back after you’ve viewed it.  You’ve been warned…
Background:  I do not generally like horror or “supernatural” movies and I rarely watch them anymore.  I did enjoy them in the past, but I guess I just kind of outgrew them as I now find them mostly pretty boring.  However, since I like Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino, I picked this film up based on the strength of these two actors without knowing much about the film.
Basic Plot:  Kevin Lomax is undefeated in Florida courts and he’s proud of it.  Kevin’s recruited for a temporary consultancy by a prestigious New York firm, where he is offered a dream job and then quickly made a junior partner (even though he hasn’t passed the State Bar).  His wife Mary Ann struggles with the transition from small town Florida to Big City New York.  She becomes haunted by visions and is increasingly isolated as Kevin works longer and longer hours.  As Kevin defends increasingly disturbing clients, he begins to suspect that something is deeply wrong at the firm.  Milton, his boss, is charming, omniscient, and manipulative.  Eventually, Kevin learns the truth:  Milton is Satan, he (Kevin) is his son — bred for legal brilliance and moral ambiguity, and Christabella is Satan’s daughter (Kevin’s half sister).  The climax is Faustian operatic:  Kevin must choose between power and conscience, desires or integrity.
So, is this film any good?  How’s the acting?  The filming / FX?  Any problems?  And, did I like the film?  Short answers:  So-so;  pretty good by the leads and the supporting cast;  good (probably very good for its day);  lots, but they don’t really spoil the film;  “like” is too strong a work – it’s okay.
Acting:  Keanu Reeves delivers a okay performance, but I didn’t find his actions or his Southern accent believable.  He plays Kevin as ambitious, but a fair representative of justice – until he isn’t.  Al Pacino is gleefully wicked, seductive, and theatrical.  His performance is typically Pacino – shouting and long-winded monologues – unadulterated ham and relishing the chance to play the Prince of Darkness.  Charlize Theron was a surprise for me.  She goes from being the trophy wife to a plain looking, vulnerable, tragic Mary Ann.  And she does it well!  Craig Nelson makes for a believable billionaire murderer;  Connie Nielsen is the perfectly evil mirror image of Theron;  and Judith Ivey is a pretty decent Bible-beater Southern mother figure.
Filming / FX:  The film uses a sunny Florida and a dark New York City as metaphors for the descent into evil.  The law firm building and offices are modern, cold, and cavernous — like a dark cathedral of greed.  The special effects elements are mostly restrained (a few demon faces) until the final act, when Milton’s real identity (Satan) is announced / proclaimed (mostly by Pacino).  Up to then, they (the FX) are used to show Mary Ann’s mental / emotional descent and Kevin’s temptations.
Problems:  My main problem with the film is the two non-demon characters (Kevin and Mary Ann) are supposed to be madly in love, but there just isn’t any chemistry (IMHO).  Yes, they are two beautiful, young adults deep in lust – but that’s not the same as “LOVE“.  I just didn’t feel it between them.  Second, it’s not clear (or explained) if “normal” people are demons or if they’ve become demons by accepting Satan in their lives.  And third, Pacino’s performance is great (in context), but it walks right up to the edge of campy parody.  And finally, the ending offers a twist that undermines Kevin’s final decision.  It’s NOT final…
Final Recommendation:  Moderate (at best).  This movie does raise questions about ambition, ego, moral compromise, and the seductive nature of power.  Pacino’s enthusiastic performance reminds me of his equally loud / vocal role in “The Merchant of Venice”, but in the end, I’m still just not that interested in supernatural horror movies.  If you like this genre – stylish / wealthy supernatural horror, I think you’ll find it a better than “moderate” film.
Milton’s climactic line is pure Pacino:  “Vanity…  definitely my favorite sin.”
That line, and the film itself, is a cautionary tale about the seduction of success and the cost of losing one’s soul in pursuit of victory.  It poses the Faustian question:  “What would you trade for everything?“
Final Note:  This film contains smoking and considerable strong language, nudity, and violence.  It explores mature themes of adultery, suicide, and satanic imagery.  This film is appropriately rated “R“.
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Click here (10 August) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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