Black Adam – Budget of $185 – 200 million – 2 hours and 4 minutes

Click on a vendor to purchase (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer)

Blu-rayTM
		Exclusive	Exclusive
Digital

Five thousand years ago, the city of Kahndaq was the first self-governed city of its kind. However, King Anh-Kot enslaved the people and forced them to look for Eternium. He wanted to use the crystal to create the Crown of Sabbac. The king will be able to summon the underworld and rule the earth with dark magic. When a slave finds the crystal, the other people descend upon him. A boy tells them to back off because they shouldn’t fight amongst themselves. After all, their enemy is the king. The slave takes the crystal to an overseer and asks for his reward. Then, the overseer kills him and throws him off a cliff. The boy runs away with the Eternium and starts an uprising. The king’s men find the boy and the crystal. The king kills the boy to make an example of him, but the gods save him and give him the power of Shazam. The boy, now Teth Adam, returns to save Kahndaq, but the king has the crown. They have a battle that destroys the once-luxurious city.

Today, the people of Kahndaq live under the rule of the Intergang. Amon learned from his mother, Adrianna, that Intergang pillages their resources and pollutes their land while oppressing the people. Amon helps Adrianna, his uncle Karim, and her colleagues, Ishmael and Samir, bypass the Intergang checkpoint. Amon wants to go with them to find the crown, but Adrianna won’t let him. She knows Intergang is looking for it, and they are close. Her family left her a piece of Eternium on a necklace and the legend of their people. Karim waits in the truck as Adrianna, Ishmael, and Samir explore the caves. Adrianna finds the crown, but Intergang comes in with guns. With a gun to her head, Adrianna tells the troops she will surrender the crown. However, she reads the inscription on the ground and summons Teth Adam. Teth Adam kills all but one of the Intergang troops and saves Karim and Adrianna. The surviving troop loads an Eternium-powered rocket and shoots Teth Adam. It injures him, and Adrianna brings Teth Adam and the crown home.

Teth Adam’s presence alerted Amanda Waller, who calls Hawkman to capture Teth Adam and imprison him. However, she warns Hawkman that capturing Teth Adam won’t be easy. Hawkman is one step ahead of Waller. He called Doctor Fate, a man who can read the future and perform sorcery with the magical Helmet of Fate. Doctor Fate and Hawkman worked in the Justice Society of America for years. Next, Hawkman reached out to Atom Smasher. Atom inherited his gifts and suit from his uncle, and Atom can grow and gain super strength. The last member of the team is Cyclone, and she is a tornado with a 167 IQ. The newly-formed JSA flies to Kahndaq to stop Teth Adam. Yet, Teth Adam isn’t their only problem. They have a deadlier force looking for the crown, and they are willing to die and kill for it. It is their birthright.

Congratulations to DC for making the first adult superhero movie viewers can see. Typically the lighting is so poorly designed that viewers can’t make out faces, clothes, or background. Teth Adam is one of the deadliest superheroes or antiheroes the DCEU has produced. He kills without second guessing and has no regard for buildings. If you come at him, be prepared to die. Amon tells Adam to get a new name and a catchphrase to compete with other superheroes like Batman, Superman, and Aquaman. Most of the CGI is well done and flows naturally with the script. However, the smaller Adam is distracting because the head is comically too big for the body. The overall message plays with the gray area of right and wrong. The JSA believes stopping Adam is moral, but Adrianna points out that the JSA never stopped the Intergang from taking over Kahndaq. Adam is not conventional, but he is the protector. And the script is like most graphic novels of the time because the storyline goes up, down, back, and forth. For viewers, being at the beginning sets up most of the surprises. Also, this movie touches on watering down history by native cultures, not only the oppressors. The dialogue and slow-motion scenes have great comedic timing and accurately display everyone’s strengths. This movie has one mid-credit sequence but no post-credits. Also, it sets up the future of the DCEU and is worth watching.

I give it 5 out of 5 stars

Beat his ass – Hawkman

I don’t waste words on the dead – Black Adam

Man was given the gift of magic. But their hearts were too easily corrupted – Adrianna

Technically, that was a lie – Doctor Fate

We make a good team – Atom Smasher

How do I die – Karim

I wanted you to make it look real, not punch me – Ishmael

You are an impossibility, and the world still amazes you – Cyclone

Good luck – Waller

You see me every day – Amon

Click on a vendor to purchase (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer)

Blu-rayTM
		Exclusive	Exclusive
Digital