‘Black Adam’ Review: Dwayne Johnson Plays God, Hero, and Liberator
Black Adam might not change the hierarchy of power in the DCEU, as Dwayne Johnson has been promising, but it does present a refreshingly new approach to superheroes that has been long overdue in the DC Universe. There are several major plot points at play during the 2-hour movie, but the main underlying plot is the conflict between Black Adam and the Justice Society, which boils down to Black Adam wanting to kill the grunts enabling the oppression of the people of Kahndaq and Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) believing that the bad guys should be allowed to live.
Black Adam opts to open with a prologue sequence designed to introduce audiences to Teth-Adam and the mythos of Black Adam, before diving straight into a bit of relic hunting that helps to set the scene for what the people of Kahndaq have been dealing with ever since their high-tech oppressors moved into their country. Adrianna (Sarah Shahi), her brother Karim (Mohammed Amer), and their friend Ishmael (Marwan Kenzari) set out in search of the crown of Sabbac—an ancient, dangerous relic that was forged by demons. When their Tomb Raider-ish adventure goes sideways, Adrianna is forced to resurrect the purported Champion of Kahndaq to protect them from the mercenaries that have ambushed them. On the other side of the world, Black Adam’s warpath against the oppressors catches the attention of Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) and the Justice Society. Hawkman decides to call in the reinforcements, namely Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), to fly over to Kahndaq with their fancy technology and convince Black Adam to say “Shazam” before it’s too late or die trying.
Image via Warner Bros.
Adrianna, on the other hand, has a very different philosophy for how to deal with a newly awoken god-like antihero. Naturally, when you have an injured super-powered hunk like Black Adam on your hands, you bring him home and tuck him into bed in your son’s twin sized bed. Adrianna’s son Amon (Bodhi Sabongui) is a highlight of the film, giving audiences the ability to see Black Adam with child-like wonder. Amon’s room is a shrine to superheroes, his walls are covered in Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, and Aquaman posters (which present an interesting question about whether superhero movies might also exist in this world) and his shelves are lined with action figures and other superhero-themed detritus. In a lot of ways, Amon parallels the story of Teth-Adam’s son that plays out through flashbacks: he is an actual hero, fighting back against oppressors without superpowers or weapons. And ultimately, it’s Amon and Adrianna that act as motivators for Black Adam to come to terms with who he is as an antihero and what he can stand for.
Despite being set in the fictional Middle Eastern town of Kahndaq, Black Adam is still affected by the often overused yellow filter, which is unfortunate in the wake of shows like Moon Knight, which showed how vibrant, colorful, and full of life the region can be portrayed. While the filter does allow the film to feel a certain degree of “lived in” and “gritty,” which seems to be the angle that they were going for, the sepia-like tone mostly makes it less visually appealing. The yellow filter decision also clashes with the core messaging that exists in the subtext. The people of Kahndaq don’t need “heroes” like the Justice Society arriving unwelcomed to save them, they have their own heroes and their own people to fight back against oppressors. It doesn’t seem accidental that Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani’s screenplay essentially says you can’t be a hero if you show up and protect the oppressors under the guise of helping the oppressed. There is a fairly interesting story at the root of this subplot, but Black Adam never fully tackles it, and maybe it doesn’t have to.
Image via Warner Bros.
Despite the unfortunate filter, Black Adam still has impressive visuals, most notably in the costume designs of the Justice Society. When we are first introduced to Cyclone’s Maxine Hunkel, she’s quickly pedaling a bicycle with a flying monkey backpack strapped to her, and the Wizard of Oz influence is notable in her actual costume. She’s a dazzling cyclone of greens and purples that is visually reminiscent of the Emerald City. Hawkman and Dr. Fate both have impressive costuming as well, though they’re both visually similar to their comic book characters. Their gold-hued helmets get a little lost in the sea of yellow, but they really pop on the screen when they need to.
While hailed as being outside of the typical superhero formula, Black Adam does ultimately tread familiar beats as the race to the credits sets in. Preconceived notions and hard-held beliefs are set aside as Black Adam and the Justice Society are forced to fight a common enemy, and the final battle dissolves into a struggle between blue electricity and the flash of red flames. It’s a familiar situation that enjoyers of the superhero industrial complex have gotten used to, so why reinvent the wheel?
Image via Warner Bros.
Black Adam might not break the mold, but it does present a very different type of antihero to root for. Johnson gives a very impressive performance, playing Black Adam with the stone-faced seriousness at the start, before finding the heart beneath the stone at the end. The film also proves that you don’t necessarily need standalone films before you introduce a team like the Justice Society—there was enough chemistry between the cast and small revelatory moments to give audiences a clear look at their dynamic as a super team. Black Adam makes it clear that the DCEU is still alive and well, and there is plenty of groundwork being laid for crossovers with Peacemaker and even the Suicide Squad as the franchise reclaims its footing. Jaume Collet-Serra’s Black Adam might not be a profound chapter in the ever-expanding catalog of superhero tales, but it is a very fun and riveting film with enough depth and storytelling to keep even the most nay-saying superhero fan engaged.
Final Verdict: B
