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Black Adam
(Warner Bros. Pictures/New Line Cinema/DC)
By Lucas Allen
The DC Extended Universe is certainly playing catch-up to Marvel Studios’ successful superhero formula, but it is at least trying. The future of these movies lies in the new arrival of the mystical “Black Adam.” This film continues where “Shazam” leaves off, with gods and wizards becoming a big part of the universe. It is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who is previously well-known to action fans directing many of Liam Neeson’s post-“Taken” features.
Legend says that a strong champion named Teth-Adam (Dwayne Johnson) liberated the denizens of Kahndaq from their evil King Ahk-Ton before disappearing. However, in its present day, the city is under the control of the crime organization called Intergang. While evading the guards, archeologist Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) discovers a mystical crown full of ancient power only to awaken Adam from his tomb before laying waste to the Intergang soldiers who were trying to catch her. It is not long before Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) assigns the Justice Society of America, which includes Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) to deal with the problem.
But while the JSA tried to get him under control, Adam’s presence also gave way for the crown being sought after by Intergang and Adrianna’s friend Ishmael (Marwan Kenzari). Things get complicated with her young son Amon (Bodhi Sabongui) and brother Karim (Mohammed Amer) possessing the crown. Now, Adam must dig deep to discover his true destiny in order to save the world.
If you’ve seen these superhero movies over the past few years, you will know what’s coming scene-by-scene, like a manufacturing plant writing these scripts. It is bound to repeat the same tropes as before, plus trying to add character development and emotional beats to make it more interesting. We have become very numb to these movies already that it is difficult to resist them whenever a new one comes out.
With that said, this movie still has a strong entertainment value that outweighs any negative in its script. There is lots of cool moments that happen within its action sequences especially with the title character taking out his enemies in different ways. The fighting scenes are insanely fun and offer a wide variety of one-on-one choreography that does not bog down the experience. There is also some good comedy mainly with Adam keeping himself stoic while uttering some nifty one-liners.
Collet-Serra is a solid action director working here on a bigger budget, yet he seems to be emulating Zack Snyder’s style with slow-motion moments and visual sensibilities. There is also a bit of James Gunn with the goofy humor and some rocking needle drops. While these elements do help the film, the movie could have benefitted from an original voice like Ryan Coogler with “Black Panther.” Still, it mostly works on the strengths of its entertainment value.
Much like his old alter-ego on the WWE, Johnson commands every scene as the anti-hero with additional electrical powers to boot. He is also good at being funny even when he is not cracking a smile. Brosnan displays his wise old man trope very well while still retaining that 007 swagger with his own one-liners. The rest of the JSA each add something good to the action scenes as well as bringing their own light tone. As for the other human characters, they are serviceable enough to help set up the plot and to help the heroes out.
Though standard for the genre, “Black Adam” still achieves its goal for creating fun entertainment for the masses while establishing another new hero in the DC Universe. Looks like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman will have to contend with a new almighty hero in their league.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: PG-13 (for sequences of strong violence, intense action, and some language)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.5 Stars (Out of Four)
