Earlier today, I watched the DC Extended Universe's (DCEU) newest flick, Black Adam, at AMC theaters. Needless to say, it was a very action-packed film!
Dwayne Johnson plays Teth-Adam, who—like Billy Batson (portrayed by Zachary Levi in the 2019 film Shazam! and next year's sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, respectively) centuries later—is a superhero that was bestowed a plethora of god-like powers by wizards who considered him to be the "champion" humanity needed.
Unlike Billy Batson, however, Teth-Adam didn't start off as a superhero...but as an angry demigod who first sought revenge against the tyrannical king of Kahndaq during its ancient days, and then against anyone who basically pissed him off after he was awoken from his 5,000-year sleep in Kahndaq's present day.
Like the live-action Venom films by Sony Pictures and Marvel, Black Adam does a nice job of depicting Teth-Adam's brutality while also retaining the movie's PG-13 rating.
At one point early on in the flick, Adam nonchalantly flings a hapless mercenary into the air as if he was a baseball. In the subsequent shot, we see that the mercenary's arm—which Adam grabbed when he threw him—is still in one of the demigod's hands, severed and all!
There are lots of other great moments in Black Adam where Teth showed his badassery (most of them featuring his use of lightning against his enemies), but one thing I really liked about the movie is that the film made sure to remind the audience that it's part of the DCEU. It's clearly obvious Amanda Waller (once again aptly played by Viola Davis), who we first met in 2016's Suicide Squad, is the Nick Fury of the DC cinematic universe...only with less morals.
And let's not forget the Justice Society as well as other protagonists and antagonists who were introduced in Black Adam. Aldis Hodge was formidable as Hawkman, Pierce Brosnan was noble as Dr. Fate, Noah Centineo was hilarious as Atom Smasher, Sarah Shahi was headstrong as Adrianna Tomaz, Quintessa Swindell was very reliable as Cyclone, Bodhi Sabongui was idealistic as Adrianna's son Amon, Mohammed Amer was also hilarious as Adrianna's brother Karim, and Marwan Kenzari was dangerous as both Ishmael and Sabbac.
I'm not sure if I'd rank Black Adam among the top films of the DCEU (where 2017's Wonder Woman, Zack Snyder's Justice League cut and the first Shazam! reside), but I will say that it's definitely entertaining.
If you watch Black Adam, stay for the end credits! You won't be disappointed...and the DCEU has a bright future ahead of it considering what that cameo entails. Carry on.
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