MOVIE REVIEW: BLACK ADAM

 

In ancient Kahndaq, Teth Adam was bestowed the almighty powers of the gods. After using these powers for vengeance, he was imprisoned, becoming Black Adam. Nearly 5,000 years have passed, and Black Adam has gone from man to myth to legend. Now free, his unique form of justice, born out of rage, is challenged by modern-day heroes who form the Justice Society: Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Atom Smasher and Cyclone.

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell, Bodhi Sabongui, Pierce Brosnan

Release Date: October 21, 2022

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, intense action and some language.

Runtime: 2h 4m

Review:

Black Adam joins the cinematic superhero genre with a highly caffeinated overly produced adventure that moves at a dizzying pace at times to its own detriments.  Jaume Collet-Serra delivers a kinetic, action heavy film that pulls a large bit of visual inspiration from Zach Synder's films.  There are hero shots a plenty and an overreliance on slow motion that feels passé at this point which ultimately distracts more than enhance the experience.  Collet-Serra may be in the director's seat, but this project has been Dwayne Johnson passion project which took years to finally come to fruition, needless to say his finger prints are all over the final product.  This is Johnson's film for better or worse and the bizarre thing is that the character the polar opposite of what he typically does best onscreen.  Gone is his usual charisma, replaced by a stern faced scowl and wooden line delivery that rarely feels authentic.  The character's scripting doesn't help much by giving him a kid to play off of which feels like a cheap imitation of the Terminator 2 relationship.  It’s a shame since you get distinct feeling that there's more depth to the character's story than what ends up on screen.  The same holds true for the supporting characters but the actors are able to make them far more interesting than the script does.  Pierce Brosnan and Aldis Hodge in particular deliver interesting turns as a superhero nearing the end of his journey and an alpha male who sees morality in black or white.  Noah Centineo is fun as the film's comic relief but Quintessa Swindell given woefully little to do.  The script drops a few bits and pieces about these character's background and story, but it never explores them. The film is always in a hurry to move to the next action set piece and while those are fun it would have benefited from slowing down for a moment and letting the characters shine.  Black Adam ends up being glossy mindless fun especially if you are a fan of DC properties with the biggest moment coming in the post credit scene.  

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: JUNGLE CRUISE

 

Dr. Lily Houghton enlists the aid of wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff to take her down the Amazon in his ramshackle boat. Together, they search for an ancient tree that holds the power to heal -- a discovery that will change the future of medicine.

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast:  Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Édgar Ramírez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatt

Release Date: July 30, 2021

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

Rated PG-13 for sequences of adventure violence

Runtime: 2 h 7 min

Review:

Disney's Jungle Cruise desperately wants to harken back to classic adventure romances like The African Queen and Romancing the Stone.  Jaume Collet-Serra's film is a relentlessly aggressive film that moves from one action set piece to another, leaving you with nary a chance to catch your breath.  He and the script are trying to capture the spirt of those films, Johnson and Blunt's outfits are straight out of The African Queen, its execution is closer to a latter day Pirates of the Caribbean sequel.  It's an FX heavy film that's set in an exotic locale but its possible that there isn't a single shot filmed on location, as such its has an artificial feel throughout.  The script doesn't help matters much with a clunky old school feel where you can see every joke and punch line coming a mile away.  The strange thing about the entire production is that it's a fairly enjoyable albeit mindless watch mainly due to it's central stars.  Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt make the goofy script work even with some of the sillier conceits, Johnson's Frank loves dad jokes.  Their natural screen magnetism is the film's biggest assets even if they don't share any sort of believable romantic chemistry.  Their character's are broadly drawn with Frank being a charismatic rascal and Blunt's Lily being irrepressibly plucky and headstrong.  Jesse Plemons hams it up as the film's cartoonish villain who is only missing a German pickelhaube to complete his ensemble.  The film does start to wear out it's welcome in its final act showcasing the fact there is no reason this film couldn't be a half hour shorter.  Disney's Jungle Cruise emulates great films but ends up being a fun but hallow imitation. 

B-

Cindy Prascik's Review of Run all Night

Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to the pictures for the latest in a seemingly-endless series of "Liam Neeson Kicks Butt" movies, Run all Night.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

Well, dear reader(s), I have to be honest with you: with two major new releases on the weekend's docket, this was meant to be a double review. Yes, I love you all enough that I was going to force myself to see that damn princess movie.

However, when I got to the theatre and found it crawling with little girls--all of whom were queuing up to have their ideas of life and romance irreparably warped by some fool in a glass shoe--I had to dodge and go with a fourth screening of Kingsman: The Secret Service instead. It was the only responsible thing to do.

Liam Neeson...yadda yadda yadda...family in danger...yadda yadda yadda...guns, explosions, carnage...yadda yadda yadda...my hero!...yadda yadda yadda...the end.

Look, this is one of those movies where I have little sympathy for anyone who sees it and doesn't like it. It couldn't possibly be more exactly what you'd expect, so shame on you if you buy a ticket and then complain about it. Neeson is once again in fine butt-kicking form, perhaps a little rougher around the edges than in some of his other, similar films, but no less convincing as the guy you want to be hanging around with when there's trouble...ANY sort of trouble.

Joel Kinnaman does a terrific job as the neglected son, dragged into the very chaos he's worked his whole life to avoid, and Ed Harris is, of course, great as that guy you'd really be rooting for if only the movie weren't expressly designed to make you root for that other guy. Harris undoubtedly could pull off something like this in his sleep, but it sure is fun watching him.

The movie itself is a bit more grim than some others of its ilk. Not suggesting for a minute that the Taken movies and Non-Stop and A Walk Among the Tombstones are a barrel of laughs, but this one has virtually no lighter moments, and the few it attempts are so crass and abrasive that they don't do much to lift the tone.

The movie is set at Christmastime, and the omnipresent Christmas decorations are a stark contrast to the film's miserable atmosphere. The timing did leave me curious about a thunderstorm towards the beginning of the movie and the coloring trees at the end, though. In New York, in December?

Like the famous ghosts, I think Liam did this all in one night. We really shouldn't have experienced changing seasons, but I guess it's hardly the sort of movie where I'd expect perfect attention to detail. On a personal note, I was delighted to see Bruce McGill (a favorite in our house), Common, and the many, many New York Rangers references scattered about the movie.

Run All Night clocks in at 114 minutes and is rated R for "strong violence, language including sexual references, and some drug use."

It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but if you like watching Liam Neeson kick ass (and who doesn't?) you should be decently entertained. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Run All Night gets five.

And sorry about the princess.

Until next time...

(not my graphic)