Has the Hierarchy Changed in the DCU?!
SPOILER WARNING!
Many years ago, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson had a plan and this plan became his baby. That child or idea would eventually get a name and people would call it Black Adam, Fast forward to the year 2022 and that child has come full circle and is now in theaters as a full-length film for DC. There is just one question that must be asked and answered and that is "Has the Hierarchy of the DCU changed?" Let's review.
I will say that I am really happy to finally see a movie from DC hit the big screen. It's been a while since one had dropped and it's like a breath of fresh air to see something new! Before we kick things off, let's look at some of the cast and their respective roles are:
Dwayne Johnson- Black Adam
Aldis Hodge- Hawkman
Pierce Brosnan- Dr. Fate
Noah Centineo- Atom Smasher
Quintessa Swindell- Cyclone
Sarah Shahi- Adrianna Tomaz
Marwan Kenzari- Ishmael/ Sabbac/ King Ahk-Ton
Let's start with the negatives and end with some positives in this review. First off, I believe that this script had been rewritten multiple times due to how long it has been in motion and this final script wasn't the best. The dialogue between characters at times felt dull and pointless and while some of the banter was heavy and needed, a good portion was not hitting for me.
Another thing that I felt was off was some of the cinematography and how the movie was shot. There were multiples scenes that had random cuts that went from character to character in a snap and then the over usage of slow motion was really weird to me. For example, there would be a scene where Dr. Fate is speaking with Hawkman and Adrianna and within that one scene the camera would cut to all three characters at least 8 different times. For the slow-motion parts, Black Adam would be flying in the sky and out of nowhere we would slow things down and just see the things around him be motionless and lifeless, but it would be at a random moment. When you have a movie that is star studded and has action all over the place then you really should have a better story. I thought the story overall was a weak point and that is simply because I never felt a connect between me and the characters. I'll get into during my positives, but everything up until the third act was dull in my opinion. I will give credit where it's due and that the twist in the movie with Black Adam and his son Hurut who was the actual champion of Kahndaq and not Black Adam was good but the rise of Sabbac and the actual villain also didn't stick with me. Enough with the negative nelly, let's think positive!
I mentioned earlier that when you have a movie with a ton of action then the story should be better, but that action was superb I must say! From hard hitting punches by Black Adam to Dr. Fate using his magic and even Hawkman fighting in the air everything was just incredible! Speaking on Hawkman and Dr. Fate, those characters were the MVP's in my book. The way that Hodges and Brosnan portrayed the DC charcters was great and both actors did a wonderful job!
When a superhero film is being shown, the viewer needs to be able to visualize what is going on and be blown away by those visuals and Black Adam did just that. Any time that magic was used, or lightning was struck, you really got to see the impact on screen.
Before we get into the biggest win from this movie, let's talk about how awesome that final act was. Fast paced, little dialogue and LOTS of action! It really is a comic book fans dream right there! What I found most interesting was that the leadup to the final act was like a rollercoaster where you feel the tugging and the tension and then all of a sudden you are in the middle of it and you can't help but smile!
Alright...the final and biggest wins that Black Adam and DC had for this movie was during the mid-credit scene, the man himself SUPERMAN ENTERS THE BUILDING! You read that right, Heny Cavill has returned to DC and made his epic return in Black Adam which only sets up the future of the DCU!
So overall, did Black Adam change the hierarchy of the DCU or did he just make it much more interesting? That is for you to decide! In my opinion, this movie was very solid and was a lot of fun. I wouldn't say it's groundbreaking but it's better than most! For me, Black Adam gets a 7.5/10!
*Shoutout to Stephen Padovano for the amazing art used in this review! *