Movie Breakdown: Black Adam

Pre-Screening Stance:

I don’t know if I’m excited for Black Adam, but I’m at least curious to check out what The Rock has been cooking. Here’s really, really hoping that the film puts the DCEU on a better path.

Post-Screening Ramble:

There’s a lot at play in Black Adam – some if it works, and some of it doesn’t. The film kicks off with a flashback that explains the origins of the titular character (Dwayne Johnson), and then it picks up 5,000-ish years later. Black Adam (or as he was initially known, Teth Adam) has long been MIA, but he’s still revered as a hero to the people of Kahndaq, who – coincidentally – are once again being oppressed. This time it’s by a group known as Intergang, and what they want – in addition to the country’s natural resources – is a long lost magical item called the Crown of Sabbac. And well, they find it, and along with it comes Adam, who then proceeds to destroy a lot of people and things, which forces Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to send in the Justice Society of America – Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell). From here, everyone scrambles to claim the Crown of Sabbac while trying to convince Adam to be a hero or an anti-hero (it depends on their goals). Also, a lot of fighting happens.

In regard to the action in Black Adam, it’s easily the best part of the film. Johnson obviously fits the part as a hulking mass of destruction, but director Jaume Collet-Serra enhances that by doing everything in his power to constantly make him (and the Justice Society team) look badass. Where Collet-Serra isn’t quite as successful though is when things aren’t exploding. The dialogue is clunky and I found myself quickly exhausted by the need to include a line in seemingly every convo where Adam states that he’s not a hero, especially when he never really does anything all that terrible. The movie also has a funky pace, with what’s essentially a fourth act tacked on to the back of it, and the result of that is a disjointed, cobbled-together feel. Still though, I was generally entertained by Black Adam. It’s definitely a messy ride, but you can see the effort on the screen.

Black Adam opens in theaters tomorrow, October 21.

One Last Thought:

There are so many comic book movies now that it’s getting difficult for all of these characters to not seem almost identical. I mean, just look at the Justice Society here: Hawkman is Falcon, Doctor Fate is Doctor Strange, Atom Smasher is Ant-Man, Cyclone is Storm. This team even has a jet that looks like the X-Men’s Blackbird – it also comes out a of secret underground base at a mansion!