Enjoyable Movie: Black Adam! Go See It!

 When our friend Maureen visited, we did what Maureen I did 40 years ago - we went to the movies!  We saw "Black Adam" - DC Comics' iconic "Anti-hero" who is part of the Shazam story lore (and was developed as a villain originally, but in the 2000s, he became an anti-hero)-  The film was an A- to me- and after the first round of credits, the 60-second scene with a surprise appearance of my FAVORITE HERO made my day. In today's blog you'll read my take (as a superhero/DC Comics Fan since the 1970s) on the movie, the characters and the actors who portrayed them. There was only ONE character I didn't like, and it was a secondary one.   GO SEE THIS!  

The Rock makes the Perfect Black Adam. The supporting characters were awesome- the boy that recognized Black Adam, (played by Bodhi Sabongui)- was FANTASTIC.  His mom,       Sarah Shahi stars as Adrianna Tomaz a resistance fighter against Intergang- an International Group of Villians who have been running her country of Kandaq- She sees Black Adam as the country's only hope. The opening 15 minutes was like watching an Indiana Jones movie- going into an ancient structure for an idol. 

ABOUT THE FILM - Black Adam fights for the people of Kahndaq (and often the Justice Society of America) against the villain Sabbac. The film assembles quite the cast as it brings together many characters from the comics, many of whom are making their live-action debut in Black Adam

MY TAKE ON THE OTHER CHARACTERS - There were also 4 Justice Society members- Dr. Fate, Cyclone, Atom Smasher and Hawkman.  ONLY ONE was a disappointment.

HAWKMAN the MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT -  One Character I was extremely disappointed with- Hawkman. - Carter Hall (aka, Hawkman) is a reincarnated Egyptian prince and the leader of the Justice Society of America. He was played by Aldis Hodge- an African American actor- (Hawkman in the comics has been either egyptian or caucasian in present day)- and the actor's personality in the film was AWFUL. In the comics, I love Hawkman. In the film he was a total ass. I really, really hated the characterization in the movie. 

ATOM SMASHER- LOVED this actor's portrayal!! Atom Smasher is portrayed by Noah Centineo. Albert Rothstein (aka, Atom Smasher) is a member of the Justice Society of America who can control his molecules, growing larger at will.

CYCLONE  - The actress who played  Maxine Hunkel (aka, Cyclone) was also FANTASTIC! - Cyclone is a member of the Justice Society of America. Cyclone can generate and control wind and can create small tornadoes with her powers. Cyclone is portrayed by Quintessa Swindell.

DR FATE - Dr. Fate was played by Pierce Brosnan and was likeable as the mysterious, magical hero. Although in the comics I'm used to a younger Dr. Fate, this was a great role for Pierce Brosnan and I enjoyed his portrayal.   If you don't know - Kent Nelson (aka, Doctor Fate) is a member of the Justice Society who wears the Helmet of Fate, which has the ability to see events from the future. Doctor Fate is portrayed by Pierce Brosnan,

VIDEO TRAILER:   https://youtu.be/X0tOpBuYasI

Rob's Movie Review: Aquaman

Mera and Aquaman

We got to see Aquaman at the movie theater and enjoyed it. Although it was full of action and the film did cover a lot of Aquaman comic-book lore, including his origin, his evil half brother, Orm the Ocean Master, and even the weird, ferocious looking creatures in "the trench," it seemed like there was too much "Star Wars" influence. That's because the sunken city of Atlantis, where people learned to breathe underwater (by a magic) , developed advanced technology so they had an army of watercraft that shot lasers and there were several battle scenes.
   Jason Mamoa was good in the role, and he's certainly built for it. However, as a long-time comics fan, I still miss my  blonde Aquaman - the one from the comics. Jason actually looked more like Conan the Barbarian underwater... but I was finally glad to see him don the Aquaman orange-colored chain mail shirt.
   The actors were all great. I really enjoyed Mera's character, and Aquaman's father's character. 

The Comic's version of Aquaman fighting Trench creatures

  Tom, who isn't a superhero fan, gave it a "B." I thought it was a "B or B plus."  I won't buy the dvd, because I likely wouldn't watch it again, but it was entertaining, and well-done. - Rob

Good Movie - Ant Man

  Another superhero film that we watched recently (on DVD) was Ant Man. Although we didn't care all that much for Avengers 2, Ant Man was surprisingly good! We give it a B+/A-, and it's worth renting.
  It was surprising to me (Rob), who is a superhero fan, because Ant Man is an older character that hadn't been around for decades in the comics (really). With the movie, Marvel Comics resurrected the character and gave him a new identity. We didn't know what to expect, but after the first 45 minutes (which was a little slow- setting up the movie), the last hour was really enjoyable. Paul Rudd gave a convincing performance and was really personable and likable. He really made the film.  Rent it!


MOVIE PLOT:  Forced out of his own company by former protégé Darren Cross, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) recruits the talents of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a master thief just released from prison. Lang becomes Ant-Man, trained by Pym and armed with a suit that allows him to shrink in size, possess superhuman strength and control an army of ants. The miniature hero must use his new skills to prevent Cross, also known as Yellowjacket, from perfecting the same technology and using it as a weapon for evil.
MOVIE TRAILER: https://youtu.be/QfOZWGLT1JM 

Okay Movie: Avengers 2

   The superhero movie: Avengers 2 seems like it would be a big favorite of ours, especially since I
(Rob) am a huge superhero fan, but it wasn't all that, unfortunately. (Although they are Marvel Comics characters and I'm a DC Comics guy) Seeing superhero films where there's countless destruction has become really annoying and ridiculous - and this film was filled with it.
   Each superhero has their own personality and are enjoyable when they're actually being portrayed by the actors and not computer generated battles. The moments between the Hulk and the Black Widow were nice and added some warmth. The Hawkeye character was also explored more and that was welcome. Of course, it's always nice to look at Chris Evans as Captain America and Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk. I did like the introduction of the new characters like the Vision, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver - but the ridiculous, overpowering destruction of everything was annoying.
  So, we give it a "B." We're glad we didn't see it in the theater.

MOVIE SUMMARY: When Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) jump-starts a dormant peacekeeping program, things go terribly awry, forcing him, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and the rest of the Avengers to reassemble. As the fate of Earth hangs in the balance, the team is put to the ultimate test as they battle Ultron, a technological terror hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they encounter two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff.
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/bMP-FLmiIM0