“In this world, there are heroes and there are villains. Heroes don’t kill people!!” “Well, I do.” 

Everyone loves and adores Dwayne Johnson. Whether they know him as “The Rock” from his days professionally wrestling for WWE or in his countless movie roles as Maui in Disney’s Moana or Joe Kingsman in The Game Plan. But most recently he suited up for the first time as a superhero, well anti-hero, Black Adam in DC’s Black Adam. Black Adam just released in theaters on October 21st which also stars Pierce Brosnan (Doctor Fate), Noah Centineo (Atom Smasher), Quintessa Swindell (Cyclone), and Aldis Hodge (Hawkman). 

As of now (November 4th, 2022) Black Adam sits at 40% by Rotten Tomatoes certifying it rotten where fans give it a whopping 90%. This is a drastic difference between critics and comic book fans which doesn’t happen very often. Some critics say that overall this film sets an exciting future for the DCU (DC Cinematic Universe) with such cameos but Black Adam, as a standalone movie itself, is a “wildly uneven letdown.” Where fans say that the film is filled, “with lots of action, solid effects, and a story you don’t have to be a comic fan to follow, Black Adam is one of the best DC movies to date.” (all quoted reviews are taken from Rotten Tomatoes). 

DISCLAIMER: SPOILERS AHEAD!! 

Please do not continue reading this article if you intend on seeing this film since it does contain major Black Adam spoilers (originally released exclusively in theaters on October 21st, 2022).

Black Adam Review (covered by Val Kohan):

As some may already know, I am a die-hard Marvel fan through and through. Whether it be the cinematic universe or countless comics I’ve absorbed throughout the years, Marvel has always been my go-to franchise. But as a comic book nerd and just nerd in general, I of course love my fair share of DC movies, comics, and just the characters in general. This being said, some of my favorite DC characters have been in the live-action setting recently including Shazam, Star-Girl, and now, Atom Smasher. So, I was ecstatic when I found out that Atom Smasher would be making his debut in the DCU in Black Adam. The only concern I had was… Who would they be casting? As if the Shazam gods and wizards answered my prayers, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before star, Noah Centineo, was announced to be taking on the role of the Atom Smasher. This only made my excitement for the film and expectations rise especially since there was such a star studded taking on such popular and fan-favorite DC comic characters. Like I said above, I had such high expectations going into the film even after reading some of the harsh critical reviews released before I saw it. However, I paid no attention to the critics or the fan score and waited to express my opinions and overall views after I saw it so I could make my own opinions of the movie. So after seeing Black Adam on October 24th, I can safely say as a comic book fan, I enjoyed the movie so much and it blew all of my expectations out of the water. Fans have been fan-casting The Rock as Black Adam for years now with different photoshopped pictures and drawings of how he would look as the anti-hero. Ever since DC announced The Rock would be playing Black Adam, The Rock went all out for the role between the preparations of  workouts and just embodying the character. It’s not bold to assume that it was about time The Rock played a superhero, but it was as if he was born to play Black Adam. Though there were changes made to the title character from the comic one, I enjoyed The Rock’s interpretation of the character and can see him playing him for years to come. The Rock was not only made for this role but even made history for the actor. On his Instagram (@therock) he posted a video captioned with, “We made history. You officially made BLACK ADAM the biggest box office opening of my entire career.” He then went on to explain when he first saw a Black Adam comic stating, “That was a hero I could relate to and who I wanted to be. Years later, we make history.” This is not only successful for The Rock, or DC, but all kids who finally get to see more and more superheroes on the big screen that look like them and they can relate to. Black Adam wasn’t the only one in the spotlight, all of the main characters like Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Atom Smasher, and Cyclone were just as likable and brought some great comedic aspects to the film. Each character mentioned above was reminiscent of their comic book counterparts. Hawkman and Atom Smasher completely stole the show, their little banter was hilarious!! I think everyone suspected that Doctor Fate would be phenomenal due to him being played by such a brilliant actor as Pierce Brosnan and he was just that and more. Pierce Brosnan perfectly encapsulates the character. Similar to the actor, Doctor Fate was the older and wiser hero, who has been in the gig far too long, with so much experience to be the voice of reason where Hawkman, who has also had his fair share of battles, was mainly just there to put everyone in their place, especially Black Adam and sometimes Atom Smasher. Though Doctor Fate sadly dies in the final battle, he puts up a great fight against Sabbac with such trippy powers of spell-casting, illusions, astral projection, and telekinesis. Pierce Brosnan even revealed that another comic book sorcerer influenced his portrayal of Doctor Fate. In an interview he said that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Marvel hero, Doctor Strange, actually urged him to take on the role and become a cape wearing sorcerer. Hawkman’s shift from page to screen was carried perfectly between the design of the character’s complex suit to his overall morals conveyed through the movie that he was set on sticking to. Aldis Hodge brought such charisma to a stern, uptight character that made audiences love him. Besides Hawkman and Doctor Fate being the veteran superheroes, Atom Smasher and Cyclone also had key roles. Those two characters were great introductions to the new generation of heroes. All of the heroes in the Justice Society had their strengths that were thoroughly shown in battle sequences and were easily likable for audiences to get attached to in the two hour film. As mentioned above, my favorite character in the film had to be Atom Smasher himself, Al Rothstein. One of the highlights of the film was that Al was not the first Atom Smasher, he was passed down the mantle from his Uncle Al, who is cameoed by Henry Winkler which was revealed to be the original Atom Smasher. He’s actually mentioned a lot in the film between being Al’s uncle and wearing his retro/vintage suit that he’ll definitely have tailored. Atom Smasher truly stole the show and just made the movie because of his great comedic timing. His character was put in for comic relief but brought light to some more serious moments in the film. Cyclone was absolutely amazing to say the least. DC perfectly described her comic character on the big screen. Her powers were quite majestic along with her hair and costume which were just beautiful. Like what The Rock has been explaining throughout his press tour and on countless Instagram posts, this film has a great diverse cast. Black Adam represents a new chapter and new era of the DC Universe with diversity representation. The film perfectly pulled a shot directly from the comics of Black Adam taking his place on the throne, which is one of the most famous Black Adam comic covers, but just for him to destroy it in the end, saying the city doesn’t need a ruler… It needs a protector. Black Adam ends with Amanda Waller asking what they call him going straight to a title card of “Black Adam”. Speaking of Amanda Waller, fans should know there is a mid-credit scene that was definitely worth the wait because it is true that Superman shows up and Henry Cavill returns as the Man of Steel. Not that it is any secret since during the entire press tour The Rock has been teasing this but not very well since he ultimately just spoiled it. But some believe the entire point of Black Adam was to set up a future battle between Black Adam and Superman. Or that’s at least the way everyone has been interpreting what The Rock has been mentioning, asking who is stronger of the two?? I guess we’ll find out in future DC projects. Until then, fans should check out Black Adam exclusively in theaters right now!! 

“Black Adam, we should talk…” 

Noah Centineo fan, Val Kohan (Editor of the Talon 2.0/Entertainment “The Daily Bugle” Columnist) shows off her love in her To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before wear with Noah Centieno’s character, Peter on her shirt. There she is standing in front of the Black Adam poster excitingly awaiting to see Black Adam. Photo by Payton Kohan at the showing on October 24th at local Marquee Orchard 10 Theater (Toms River Location).