‘Black Adam’ Review: Dwayne Johnson's DC Anti-Hero Flick is Mindless Fun
Black Adam
PG-13: Sequences of strong violence, intense action, and some language
Runtime: 2 Hours and 4 Minutes
Production Companies: New Line Cinema, DC, Seven Bucks Productions,
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Writers: Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell, Bodhi Sabongui, Pierce Brosnan
Release Date: October 21, 2022
In Theaters Only
In ancient Kahndaq, Teth Adam bestowed the almighty powers of the gods. After using these powers for vengeance, he was imprisoned, becoming Black Adam. Nearly 5,000 years have passed and Black Adam has gone from man to myth to legend. Now free, his unique form of justice, born out of rage, is challenged by modern-day heroes who form the Justice Society: Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Atom Smasher, and Cyclone.
15 years ago, when the DCEU was merely a pipe dream, Dwayne Johnson was hired to play Black Adam. In what? Nobody knew. WB was contractually obligated to do something with that. Now that they’re in a messy, never-ending transitional period where the only thread of consistency is paper-thin, we finally have Johnson as Shazam’s most formidable foe… in a solo movie nobody cared about. Let’s be honest, if it wasn’t for Dwayne Johnson’s star power, this project would’ve been dead in the water.
WB has been gunning for their DC flicks to sport PG-13 or R ratings. With Black Adam donning a PG-13 rating (as most superhero flicks do), I thought its tone would be as light as the fast-food energy of the MCU. Director Jaume Collet-Serra, who previously worked with Johnson on Disney’s Uncharted-like Jungle Cruise, boasts as many jaw-dropping fatalities as a PG-13 film can get away with. When Teth Adam is released from his slumber by modern Kahndaq-resistant fighters, he makes one hell of an entrance. Adam instantly fry-cooks mercenaries and demolishes fighter jets, taking no damage in the process. The action is thrilling and Collet-Serra maintains that high-octane energy throughout the film. Eventually, the Justice Society—Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Atom Smasher, and Cyclone—get involved to end Teth Adam’s rampage.
Most of the action is noticeably computer-generated, though DC films like The Batman and The Suicide Squad found a sweet balance between practical and CGI. Black Adam looks stunning in most instances and the CGI is surprisingly solid. DC’s project output is significantly more tame than the MCU’s, which allows the VFX to succeed on a “quality over a quantity” basis. Some scenes are bogged down by Zack Snyder-style slow-motion, but those moments rightfully gloat about how completed the film looks.
Saying that Dwayne Johnson brings a freshness to his portrayal of the titular character is like your therapist trying to convince you that the identical ink blots they show you are different images. Black Adam is Johnson revisiting his Scorpion King era of stoicism. That said, he carries the film with confidence and charisma. He shines best through the rapport he shares with his supporting costars.
Adam’s interactions with the Justice Society, particularly laid-back sorcerer Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan) and the preachy Hawkman (Aldis Hodge)—who constantly gets his ass handed to him—had some of the best comedic moments. The Justice Society is fun, with Pierce Brosnan being the undisputed standout through his suave demeanor. It also helps that he has the coolest abilities that boast the most stunning VFX in the film.
Black Adam’s writers—Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani—surprisingly tie in well-rounded commentary on militarized occupation in third-world countries. This subject was better explored in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, but Black Adam adds a realistic component that strengthens the story. While Adam is a fish out of water in this world, its citizens call the Justice Society out for leaving them to fend for themselves. Now that their protector is unleashed and slaughtering the men who committed unspeakable crimes within their country, it’s riveting to see how the citizens root for Teth’s gray morality. The narrative takes an ambitious swing to tie Kahndaq’s history with Adam’s character arc. The lines blurring between the country's revisionism and Adam’s rage and grief is a smart juxtaposition that kept me hooked.
Making a feature-length narrative about a C-list DC villain/anti-hero is quite the challenge, especially for general audiences unfamiliar with the character. Black Adam’s first half incorporates surprising themes that add depth to the character but most of that is smothered in a routine MacGuffin caper. Black Adam doesn’t double down on the strength of its unique identity, for most of the story is a convoluted wild goose chase that’s a dime a dozen in the genre today. Thankfully, it’s not as egregious as the blundering Morbius mess we had to endure this year, but the redundancy piles on to the superhero fatigue audiences have been suffering from.
Since Black Adam is a bonafide anti-hero and has to tussle with the “we don’t kill” brand of superheroes––which feels weird given how many murders the Justice League members themselves have conducted––the dialogue is soured by repetitive grade-school dialogue about hero roles. The story is unnecessarily padded with a MacGuffin and thankless characters that don’t do much. The Justice Society is cool but Atom Smasher and Cyclone don’t add substance outside of “coolness points.” Also, the coolest thing about the film’s villain is how his arc is similar to Jafar’s from Aladdin and he’s played by the guy who played Jafar in Guy Ritchie’s live-action Aladdin. There’s no reason this movie had to bear a two-hour runtime, for a good thirty minutes of it is mindless CG action that goes in one ear and out the other.
Though the CGI is effective, when Black Adam hits its climax, it becomes utterly overbearing. This also applies to the ADR mixing. I don’t know how, but this movie featured some of the most glaringly bad use of ADR I’ve seen in a while. The fact that it’s present in a big-budget superhero blockbuster is embarrassing.
Black Adam is certainly better than it should’ve been. There are specks of greatness within the mid-tier story but it’s more entertaining than the past few MCU features, which is saying a lot. Boasting solid VFX, exhilarating action sequences, and fun performances from its ensemble, Black Adam is an A-okay anti-hero flick that is worth a theatrical viewing.
