Black Adam review

Black Adam marks a noticeable step forward for DC’s sorta, kinda maybe shared universe of films. It feels and plays out in a lot of ways like a Marvel Studios film from Phase 1 or Phase 2. And ironically, the closest comparison is Chris Hemsworth’s first crack at the god of thunder in Thor.

Being a step or two behind its marvelous competition isn’t anything new for DC whether in comic books, TV or films. In some areas, Black Adam feels like a dated throwback much like Ryan Reynold’s 2011 Green Lantern, which felt out of touch after Iron Man’s arrival on the big screen.

It’s not all dark and gloomy skies for Black Adam though. There are enough encouraging signs of life to suggest the Dwayne Johnson-led project could be the reset the DC Extended Universe, or whatever it’s called these days, could use.

Screenwriters Adam Sztykiel (Rampage) and Rory Haines & Sohrab Noshirvani check off lots of boxes from the How to Marvel Studios Your Movie checklist. A strong woman who is brilliant and an amazing fighter a la Jane Foster?

Sarah Shahi’s Adrianna has that covered. Plucky kid who wants to be helpful to our anti-hero like Iron Man 3? Adrianna’s son Amon (Bodhi Sabongui) is ready for his closeup. A bad guy who wants to be all powerful? Yep, he’s here too.

That’s not a bad thing. Following the Marvel Studios blueprint is a good formula for building a billion-dollar comic book movie empire. Black Adam gets a lot of it right and the mistakes and misses are negligible.

Awakened from a long slumber, Teth Adam (Johnson, Jungle Cruise) is back in a world completely foreign to him. But he does know how to unleash his mighty powers against anyone foolish enough to come at him.

With Teth Adam creating widespread carnage, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) calls up the Justice Society to stop him. Hawkman (Aldis Hodge, Straight Outta Compton) assembles Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo, To All the Boys: Always and Forever).

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Introducing the Justice Society (of America) in Black Adam seemed like an odd choice when they were announced and nothing that occurs in the film justifies their participation. In the comics, the JSA formed during World War II to answer FDR’s call to protect America and repel Axis invaders after Pearl Harbor. Over the decades, the JSA has been a legacy group where the established veterans teach and mentor the next generation of heroes.

Here’s where DC’s incoherent sense of a connected universe proves problematic. The CW’s Stargirl features a new generation of JSA members with occasional cameos from the old guard.

Even if Stargirl and her crew couldn’t have shown up, it would have been a nice touch to have John Wesley Shipp’s The Flash show up. Or three or four more JSA members. Four people doesn’t exactly constitute a society. And there was no chance this foursome could legitimately stop Black Adam.

Still, the film does a better job of showcasing the JSA members than Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn yet it felt like the JSA with an expanded roster could have easily carried their own film. Hawkman and Dr. Fate’s longstanding friendship makes for some quality scenes between Hodge and Brosnan while Centineo and Swindell have their own strong scenes as the team’s rookies.

Director Jaume Collet-Serra (The Commuter, Run All Night) loves, loves, loves slow-motion. This is obvious within the first 10 minutes. Rarely does a fight scene play out without copious amounts of slow motion “bullet time” camerawork. That’s fine in limited doses, but it quickly feels like a crutch when every hero launches into slow-mo as they charge into battle.

Collet-Serra has a solid handle on superpower fight scenes utilizing Black Adam and the Justice Society’s respective powers creatively and with a good sense of their magnitude. And if you’re going to get anything right with a comic book movie, nailing the action scenes is clearly the priority.

For the most part, costumers Kurt and Bart (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2) stick to the comic book looks resulting in some sharp looking outfits.

Johnson (Red Notice) doesn’t do bad movies. Even his average films are entertaining. Black Adam isn’t his best, but Johnson’s larger than life screen presence makes the film easy viewing. I kind of wish the script didn’t make Black Adam so goofy when it came to things like using doors instead of bursting through walls. And Amon’s insistence on him having a catchphrase felt forced.

There’s some wider DC Extended Universe nods and cameos here, but it’s hard to argue the most exciting development comes from the post credit scene. Ideally, that wouldn’t be the big take away from a film although in this case it’s worth getting hyped about.

With Johnson positioned as a prime player going forward, Black Adam looks to be the spark to set up a new era of DC films. As the kickoff, this is a solid and entertaining start.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Photo Credit: Warner Bros. 

Check out Black Adam: JSA – Black Reign trade paperback on Amazon.

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