How Does Shazam Tie Into Black Adam?

Black Adam greatly expands the scope of the DC Extended Universe, bringing in the Justice Society as well as Dwayne Johnson's dark demigod. Even characters from The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker show up, proving that James Gunn's time in the DC Universe is only beginning. And while the majority of the films' Easter eggs are connected to the history of Adam and the Justice Society, there's another DC hero who plays a major part in the story. That hero? None other than Billy Batson/Shazam (Asher Angel/Zachary Levi).

The strongest tie that connects Billy and Adam is the source of their powers. Adam gains his powers from a council of wizards who empower him with abilities from the Egyptian pantheon of gods. Whenever Adam speaks the word "Shazam!" he is granted godlike powers including superhuman strength and durability, flight, and the ability to generate lightning. But there's a twist to how Adam gained his powers. He was not chosen as the champion of Khandaq; rather, that honor went to his son Harut (Jalon Christian). Harut chose to give his power to Adam to save his life, and was killed shortly afterwards. This led Adam to wreak his unholy vengeance against the king who had oppressed his people and took his son from him. However, his rage ended up nearly leveling Khandaq, and the same wizards who gave him his powers imprisoned him within the ruins of the king's castle. In the present day, Adam is freed when Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) speaks the word "Shazam" unlocking his prison. And once again, Adam finds himself battling against powerful foes when the Justice Society arrives to ensure his "peaceful surrender". By contrast, Billy accidentally stumbles upon the Rock of Eternity in Shazam! - the mystical fortress where the wizards convened when escaping a pair of bullies. There he meets the last living wizard (Djimon Honsou) who attempts to discover if he's worthy of becoming a new champion. While discussing the origins of the power, the Wizard says that he and his fellow magicians made a mistake in choosing the champion once hence his test of worthiness. It's more than likely he was referring to Adam at the time. Like Adam, Billy also gains incredible powers when he shouts "Shazam!" Said powers are derived from deities in Greek mythology (except for the biblical king Solomon, whose wisdom Billy gains.) Billy also shares his power with his foster family in order to defeat the madman Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong). Much like Adam's bond with his son, Billy shares a close connection with his family - both in terms of magical power and the bonds of love. Johnson also bears a strong connection to Shazam!, having served as an executive producer on the film. He was also attached to star as either Black Adam or Shazam before Black Adam was put into development. Though Johnson has expressed his desire for Superman and Black Adam to collide in future films, all the signs are pointing toward a Black Adam/Shazam showdown. The two have had a long and fierce rivalry in DC Comics canon, and the similarities in origins and powers could make for an interesting conflict.

Red Notice Movie Review

You can’t argue with the muscular marquee value of headlining Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot in a slick, fast-paced action thriller laced with playful comedy, even if it’s an empty-calorie entertainment like Red Notice. Like many Netflix star vehicles, writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber’s busy crime caper has more glossy industrial sheen than unique personality. But it’s diverting enough to justify the sequel so clearly set up in its final scenes, even if it’s unlikely to linger in the minds of many viewers beyond the end credits. Mostly, the derivative adventure keeps you occupied checking off the many films from which it borrows. It starts well enough with an engaging opening that sets up the MacGuffins of the film, which are the three ornate eggs that Mark Antony supposedly gifted to Cleopatra on their wedding day. Two were recovered, with one in a museum in Rome and the other in the private collection of a wealthy arms dealer, while the third exists only in rumor. The Rome-based egg is targeted for thievery on the black market, which spurs FBI special profiler and art specialist John Hartley (Johnson) and Interpol Inspector Das (Ritu Arya) to confirm that it’s still secure. It is not, because famed art thief Nolan Booth (Reynolds) has already absconded with the priceless piece, creating the first of many, many chases involving the two men trying to outmaneuver one another physically, mentally, or, in Reynolds’ case, with an arsenal of “dad joke”-level quips. The other player in this quest is Gadot’s Sarah Black, a slinky art thief who considers herself the greatest in the world, and makes it her life’s work to be just one step ahead of both Hartley and Booth as she’s pursuing the eggs for a buyer willing to pay $300 million for their collection and delivery.

Red Notice starts with a lot of energetic potential but then devolves into a pastiche of other, better films, cribbing scenes that feel like they were lifted straight from a myriad of films from Indiana Jones to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Of the three mega-star leads, Dwayne Johnson acquits himself the best to committing to his FBI profiler as more of a brainy hero rather than just brawn, and it works. Reynolds exists as a quip machine who gets tiresome quick, while Gadot feels like she’s barely in it. While this may be positioned as a new franchise, there’s nothing here that sets up any urgency or excitement to go on more adventures with this trio.

 

 

 

 

In the first act, Thurber teases with a breezy and well-choreographed museum escape that he’s going to subvert the big, loud set pieces expected in these kinds of films with something different, and then he doesn’t deliver. As the players jump from Rome to Bali to London to Valencia and finally, Argentina, playing find the eggs, the less each scenario feels original or fresh. Several action sequences are framed like first-person video games with the camera inside cars during chases, or handheld during fistfights to put us inside the action, but it’s far from innovative or exhilarating. It just feels like gimmicky video game cut scenes that aren’t anything new to the choreography, framing, or even fun of the fights. There’s also the issue of the audience ever buying that Reynolds is going to hold his own longer than a full-blown punch or two with Johnson in a fist fight. Then Gadot is added to the melee, easily holding her own, or just plain besting both of them. While I appreciate that Gadot’s Black at least gets to take her heels off for major fights, none of these people are superheroes, which means the only one brawling with any cred is Johnson, so there’s a lot of suspension of disbelief required.

And that’s carried through to Reynolds’ Booth, who is a test to the nerves with his constant, terrible running commentary of comebacks and snarkery about everything. Yes, it’s Reynolds’ signature schtick, but in Red Notice, he operates like an obnoxious talking doll with a broken pull string. In yet another suspension of disbelief, it’s unbelievable that neither Gadot or Johnson’s characters wouldn’t gag him with a sock by the second act, especially when Booth gets weirdly emotional with Hartley. Who needs bro bonding in a heist, relic, caper? Thurber makes a lot of other odd choices in the film, like not letting Chris Diamantopoulos go full weird with his short-man-syndrome arms dealer, Sotto Voce (yes, that’s the character’s name.) Instead, he’s allowed to rasp his lines like he’s in dire need of a lozenge, but never ends up taking the space an intentional bad guy should have in a movie like this. In fact, there’s no real antagonist of note to hang the stakes of the film on at all, and that’s because Thurber is more interested in maintaining the moral liquidity of all the characters so you’re left guessing about their true intentions instead of feeling any sense of danger at any point. It’s just an endless race from museums to Russian prisons to bullfighting rings and jungles, which all blur together without giving anything time to breathe, as we wait for someone to double-cross someone because that’s all the whole movie keeps giving us.

Plus, by the second and third act, every set piece feels derivative from another movie. Ocean’s 11, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, National Treasure, The Mummy, and even Mr. and Mrs. Smith could all rightfully accuse Red Notice of stealing their scenes. What makes it even worse is the fact that this cast is up to doing something truly different. Gadot, when she appears, plays Black like she’s having a lot of fun. Reynolds is more than capable of not coming across like a human blooper reel, but that’s all he’s asked to do here. And Johnson does his best to bring a competent hotness to Hartley so he’s not just the muscle, which makes him the MVP here. But the dialogue and strange, forced bromance that Booth demands of Hartley, even if it’s a joke, is tiring and not as engaging as the filmmakers think it is. Red Notice really needed a script with a much lighter touch all around. It should have been sexier and smarter, with less action, and more original storytelling. Instead, it’s a mindless diversion that’s blandly familiar, yet thinks it’s far cleverer than it really is.