For the third weekend in a row, “Black Adam” remains No. 1 at the box office. In this film, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson gave a remarkable performance as Teth Adam, exceeding my expectations.
Honestly, I went to watch this movie on a whim. I just looked at one trailer, thought, “Why not?” and bought myself a ticket. From the trailer alone, I had high expectations, but I was worried that the movie would be too serious for Johnson, considering he has a long history of more comedic roles.
Initially, that worry swept away once I saw the impressive quality of the visual effects. The computer-generated imaging (CGI) was incredible compared to other movies I’d seen prior. Even comparing the visual effects of “Black Adam” to “Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness” is child’s play. It’s just that good.
The script was even better. The movie maintained a serious yet light-hearted tone with a lot of dark humor sprinkled throughout. What I enjoy about D.C. movies over Marvel’s is that there is no hesitation for brutality or violence.
Throughout the film, Teth Adam is portrayed as a hero yet a villain simultaneously, making both the characters in the film and the audience question what a hero really is. The “heroes” in “Black Adam” are known as the Justice Society, played by Noah Centino as Atom Smasher, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman and Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate.
At first, we learn that either you’re a villain or you’re a hero. If you purposefully take lives, you are the villain; no questions asked. Even Teth Adam doesn’t think of himself as a hero. While the Justice Society paints themselves as the true heroes and Teth Adam as the villain, they slowly realize that things are not as black and white as they seem.
I thoroughly enjoyed this concept. I always got frustrated in movies where the hero had to be “the better person” and hold themselves back. In the initial first scenes where Teth Adam was awoken, I was on the edge of my seat, unable to process what I was watching on the big screen. They showed how truly powerful he is, without holding back. He ripped apart an entire army, moved at inhuman speeds, and displayed true power. I couldn’t believe it, and I couldn’t comprehend how anyone could possibly stop him.
Further along in the film, I got my answer. Teth Adam was too powerful to stop, so they convinced him that he just endangers those he cares about. This psychological warfare annoyed me, since all I could see throughout this film was how the self-proclaimed “heroes” caused more problems than good. Being restricted by their rules and their blind beliefs, they refused to see any other perspective than their own until the very end. This recklessness almost killed them all, and they had to accept that they needed Teth Adam’s help anyway.
It was ridiculous and frustrating to watch, but skillfully written and directed to make us question our own beliefs and be more open-minded towards others.
