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+

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Old Guard

With local cinemas still struggling to get by on a diet of classics and films whose theatrical releases were interrupted by Covid_19, this week I again threw myself on the mercy of streaming services. I really wanted to watch the Tom Hanks movie, but I don't have Apple+ and I *do* have Netflix, so...the Old Guard it was.

Spoiler level here will be moderate, likely nothing a trailer wouldn’t have revealed if you saw one, which I did not.

A team of immortal mercenaries struggles to keep its existence secret while unexpectedly finding another of their kind.

I have to admit, dear reader(s), that the Old Guard couldn't quite hold my attention for its duration, though, in fairness, little does these days. The world as it stands is difficult to keep at bay, and it's tough to avoid distractions and interruptions outside the cinema. That aside, the movie does try a bit too hard at times, and some of the dialogue is awkwardly written or awkwardly delivered, or maybe both. It probably could have used at least a small trim as well.

Despite those few small quibbles, the Old Guard gets it mostly right. Characters who have lived for hundreds of years have volumes of backstory, and the movie provides enough, but never bogs down with explaining itself. Its action is well spaced and well paced, and the fight choreography is really good. Characters and those portraying them, faces familiar and not, are engaging; there isn't one of the principals I didn't want to learn more about. Charlize Theron is fantastic, as always, in the lead, and the supporting cast is pitch perfect, too. The Old Guard is beautifully diverse, but never for the sake of it. Everything feels organic; the movie doesn't beat its audience over the head to make a point. The story winds to a nice finish, but definitely leaves plenty of room for prequels or sequels if the demand is there.

The Old Guard clocks in at 125 minutes, and is rated R for "sequences of graphic violence and language."

The Old Guard is a smart, solid action flick that wouldn't have felt out of place in a normal summer of blockbuster superhero fare.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Old Guard gets seven and a half. Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: THE OLD GUARD

A group of mercenaries, all centuries-old immortals with the ablity to heal themselves, discover someone is onto their secret, and they must fight to protect their freedom.

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

Cast: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Chiwetel Ejiofor

Release Date: July 10, 2020

Genres: Action, Fantasy

Rated R for sequences of graphic violence, and language.

Runtime: 2h 5min

Review:

Charlize Theron is one of those actresses that make pretty much any production better simply by taking part in it.  She’s the type of performer that’s always interesting especially when she has a role that’s meaty enough for her talents.  The Old Guard offers an intriguing and fun role for her even if it doesn’t take full advantage of her talents.  Gina Prince-Bythewood directs the film with an impressive bit of energy even if the story covers some well worn tropes in the comic book genre.  The film’s action sequences are impressively choreographed with some of them being particularly brutal ballets of destructions.  The quieter moments have varying levels of effectiveness with some feeling like genuine character building moments while others feel like they could have been left on the cutting room floor.  The cast plays well off each other even if KiKi Layne comes off as a bit stiff in here and there but for the most part the ensemble make for an engaging group.  Sadly, Chiwetel Ejiofor isn’t used nearly enough which seems like a major misstep and the villain played by Harry Melling is about as stereotypical as they come.  The story does suffer from being a franchise starter with the finale leave a massive open door for future installments.  As a result, it feels like the film doesn’t explore the story to its fullest potential with a handful of story threads left unexplored. 

B-