The Four Color Media Monitor

Comic Book Movie highlighted some reactions by social media posters to Dwayne Johnson's new starring role as Black Adam, the villain originally seen briefly in the late 1940s, who later rose to prominence after a more notable role in the 1990s post-Crisis on Infinite Earths:

The first screenings for Black Adam took place yesterday evening, and that means we have social media reactions. As always, it's best to take these with a pinch of salt until full reviews are published, but the response is definitely a little more mixed than we're used to from these hot takes. [...]

In terms of action and spectacle, Black Adam definitely doesn't disappoint if what we read here is any indication, news we're sure will be welcomed by many of you. However, where the DC Comics adaptation seemingly stumbles is with its plot. That's not receiving the same level of praise, while the movie's big bad looks to be similarly underwhelming.

There are comparisons to the SnyderVerse and high praise for what sounds like a memorable mid-credits scene, but Black Adam may not be the game-changer for the DCEU we expected.

After Johnson made such a big deal out of a screenplay and premise that sees his character resort to jarring violence, it's definitely not a game-changer for me. I will simply not see it, and definitely not pay money for tickets to the theater. It's supposed to be officially released on October 21, and I certainly won't be shocked if critical response by "professional" writers does turn out to be favorable, just to demonstrate how much they're willing to shill for the studio. Which leaves it all up to the audience to decide whether they really want to give their backing to a film that looks like it could be built on cheap sensationalism disguised as a major blockbuster.

And comparing this upcoming film to Zack Snyder's comic adaptations doesn't make me feel impressed either, considering how overrated they were, and included some woke themes in their screenplays, along with an overreliance on darkness, and lest we forget, the Justice League film is now saddled with an actor who's since been charged with criminal behavior. What's there to look forward to here? The Black Adam movie looks like little more than a vanity production for Johnson, whose acting talents are minimal, much as several of his movies are overrated. Chances are, in a few years, nobody will be talking about anymore anyway. It'll be just another flash-in-the-pan popcorn movie substituting for a masterpiece.

Labels: dc comics, Justice Society of America, technology, violence