“Black Adam” is the latest entry within the DC Extended Universe. The film stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the titular Black Adam, Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate and Aldis Hodge as Hawkman. “Black Adam” has been a passion project for The Rock for over a decade. It’s been his dream role ever since his WWE days, but the film has been trapped in development hell this whole time. After countless directors dropped off the project due to creative differences with The Rock, Warner Brothers finally settled on Jaume Collet-Serra. Serra has collaborated with The Rock beforehand for the Disney blockbuster “Jungle Cruise.” The duo is the first to bring “Black Adam” to the silver screen.
The plot of the film is built around the powerful demigod Black Adam. Adam uses his ancient power to help protect the people of his home, Kahndaq. He uses his god-like power to take justice into his own hands. However, the sun starts to set on Adam’s escapades as his morals are challenged by the Justice Society.
The marketing of the film would make you believe that it’s the villainous Black Adam against this bootleg Justice League. In reality, Adam focuses on helping a mother and son of Kahndaq keep an ancient relic out of the wrong hands. The caregiver element that is passed to Adam closes him off from his true potential as a villain. Adam does slaughter people with his powers. However, all his victims are faceless henchmen that you feel no remorse for. The Rock is trying to portray Black Adam as a bad motherf***** that could tear any superhero to shreds. In reality, Adam never pushes the envelope or does anything that could shock the audience.
The Justice Society serves as one of the obstacles that try to impede Adam’s journey. The film rushes through the backstory of the heroes that make up the team, which causes the audience to feel somewhat disconnected from the characters. It’s hard for an audience to care about a set of characters they’re not familiar with. The director should’ve given more screen time to fully flesh out the background and motives of these characters.
Nonetheless, seasoned actor Pierce Brosnan and his portrayal of Dr. Fate is a standout. He serves as Adam’s moral compass. The relationship between Adam and Fate is like father and son. Fate believes that Adam has a good heart and is capable of being the savior of the universe. Hawkman (team leader) sees Adam as a threat to the free world. The clash between the two power players is one of the few highlights of the film.
Another highlight is the acting chops of Johnson as he proves why he was meant to play this role. He’s having a blast playing the anti-hero and emulates that through his performance. Johnson uses his charisma to try and seduce audiences into loving the movie. Unfortunately, Johnson’s charm isn’t strong enough to save the state of this DC film.
Black Adam has its faults within the heart of the story. Serra puts all his time and effort into a messy cluster of CGI effects. It makes the movie look like a “Fast & Furious” film with the bonus of superpowers. It’s hard to tell the difference between this project and any other of the Rock’s various pictures. The movie takes no creative risks and sees the Rock play his cards close to his chest. The last half hour fumbles and rushes the introduction of the main villain. Serra seemed to forget that Black Adam still fought with a big bad CGI monster. The battle is extremely predictable and provides nothing stimulating. The final battle of the movie is stuck in a 2000s movie. It seems that Johnson wanted to play his cards safe. In the end, the Rock produces a superhero movie that provides nothing groundbreaking to the industry.
Verdict: “Black Adam” is a heavily flawed movie that doesn’t provide anything new for audiences. If you’re looking for a classic superhero movie with mind-numbing action, “Black Adam” is the picture for you.
