Blog: Black Panther and Black Adam

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I have recently been to the pictures TWICE to see two different superhero films with similar-ish names - "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and "Black Adam: Murder Is Hilarious." They were NOT similar in many other ways!

I went to see Black Panther with my traditional MCU Pal Mr S Carter, who had booked us in to see it at the BFI. As per he had selected PRIME CINEASTE SEATS in the middle right at the back, and by the time we got there I was out of breath for LO! it is a MASSIVE cinema with a RUDDY ENORMOUS screen. Crumbs but it was big, and that meant that the FILM itself felt pretty enornous too.

This was also helped by the fact that the actual film IS rather huge, with a LOT going on. Dull idiots always say dull, idiotic things like "Ooh, superhero films, they're all the same aren't they?" but this was VERY different to something like "Guardians Of The Galaxy" or "Thor: Ragnorak", as it was QUITE SERIOUS throughout (though there were still some GAGS) and had a lot to say about GRIEF and all that. It was also pretty EPIC in its story, and in places it felt like Game Of Thrones or something, with Important Families and Huge Nations going into battle.

The whole thing was Very Exciting throughout, but there were two key points I took away from it. Firatly, it was amazing to watch a colossal blockbuster of action and excitement where nearly ALL of the main characters were WOMEN, and also Women Of Colour, but that not be The Be All And End All of it. I guess if they HAD spent the whole film going "Look! Look who the main characters are everybody! Let's just do that and not bother with a plot" then it would probably get a LOT more Oscars than the traditional single Oscar for something technical that superhero films usually get, but it would have been a lot less GRATE.

The second key point is that flipping NAMOR THE SUBMARINER was not only IN it, but he was presented VISUALLY very much like he is in the comics - including FLAPPY LITTLE ANKLE WINGS and also TINY GREEN SWIMMING TRUNKS - and yet was STILL VERY COOL! I am entirely happy with all the changes to Atlantis and all that, but I was AMAZED throughout that they made him so brilliant. Well done, MARVEL!

So yes, I enjoyed it a LOT, which is much more than can be said for "Black Adam", although I must admit that the cinema I saw it at may have contrinuted to my lack of THRILLZ. I saw it in the VUE in Stratford Westfield early on a Saturday evening and my fellow moviegoers were A BIT MUCH. Crikey, it felt like pretty much EVERYBODY got up at some point and left for a bit, almost always having A GOOD OLD CHAT about it before and afterwards, including the ENTIRE ROW of teenage boys who changed seats eighteen times and then LEFT FOREVER halfway through. It was like being at a GIG!

The film itself was mostly sort of ALL RIGHT, but some of the choices were a bit DERANGED. Why oh why oh why does anybody think having a PLUCKY SKATEBOARDING TEEN as the main character is a good idea? It was dreary and annoying when THE CHILDREN'S FILM FOUNDATION did it, and it hasn't got any more wonderful since then, even with the 21st Century innovation of having their BRAVE YET BEAUTIFUL SINGLE MUM as the main romantic lead. And the less said about FUN FAT UNCLE the better.

It MIGHT be argued that the Plucky Teen is there to appeal to Actual Children, but in that case it's even more MAD that the main moral lesson of the movie is "MURDER IS HILARIOUS!" All the way through people get murdered in more and more ridiculous, yet explicit, ways, and all the way through this is played as BRILLIANT, even when other characters say it isn't, it's immediately followed up by a Plucky Local saying "No, it is FAB!" I don't mind this sort of thing when it's done WELL, like in Deadpool or something, but here it felt QUEASY when mixed up with TEEN FUN.

It wasn't all terrible - The Justice Society were done really well, in a fashion quite similar to how NAMOR was done in Black Panther, and I especially liked COUSIN PIERCE* (* he is my second cousin twice removed by marriage - FACT) as Doctor Fate. All of that stuff was good fun, but the rest of it was mostly DULL, except where it was ANNOYING. I have done really well over the past few years in avoding the inevitable disappointment of DC movies by simply NOT going to see them but I'd read a couple of reviews recently that said this one would be different. It wasn't as hideously awful as "Batman VS Superman: Three Hours Of Tedium", but that's not saying an awful lot!

In summary: Black Panther good, Black Adam tedious, plucky teens awful, tiny green swimming trunks GRATE!

posted 22/11/2022 by MJ Hibbett

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Comments:

He played The Rock.
posted 22/11/2022 by MJ Hibbett

You didn't mention The Rock. Did The Rock play The Rock, or did he extend his range by playing The Rock extending his range?
posted 22/11/2022 by WWFOREVER

contrinuted? typo. fix and delete this comment.
posted 26/11/2022 by typo

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