Black Adam Reviews

Jaume Collet-Serra (Jungle Cruise) directs Black Adam, featuring characters from the DC superhero universe. Unfortunately, writer Adam Sztykiel (Rampage) and the team of Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani (The Mauritanian) fall short of their duties. This, combined with uneven direction, makes for a decent but flawed film that is heavy on action but short on substance. In ancient Khandar, Teth Adam (Dwayne Johnson) was a savior of the people, wielding the power of the gods. Now revived in modern society by Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi), he is told that the people of Khandar are once again oppressed. But Adam is disinterested in helping them, even after numerous violent encounters with Intergang mercenaries. Meanwhile, news of his return causes Waller (Viola Davis) to dispatch the Justice Society: Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell). Their mission is to convince him to allow them to imprison him. But he, Tomaz, and the Justice Society are all at odds about his fate, even as an ancient relic of unfathomable power threatens the world.The script isn't bad, but it isn't great, either. The story is good, but too much is missing to make it well-rounded. Sztykiel, Haines, and Noshirvani rely too much on the audience already knowing the characters, loosely introduced as the Justice Society. Anyone watching the film that isn't familiar with them is likely to be lost. This two-dimensionality prevents the development of an emotional connection to any of them. Even Black Adam's history seems truncated, but at least by the end of the film, moviegoers know his origin and motivations. A mediocre script can lead to similarly mediocre direction, which unfortunately happens here. Collet-Serra concentrates more on action than characterization and story. Despite these factors, the actors do their best with what they have to work with, especially Brosnan and Hodge. Johnson works best when a little bit of humor is injected into the script, and the writers did try. But it comes across as forced rather than natural and would have, for the most part, been better left out - especially if they had used the time to develop other characters.The special effects help carry the film, becoming especially well-rendered in the final scenes. There is a lot of use of slow motion, though it only really works with Cyclone. As with many of today's films, the CGI is sometimes dizzying or overdone, creating moments of visual overstimulation. Fortunately, the soundtrack keeps everything on pace, so while some aspects of the script are lacking, the pacing doesn't get lost.Black Adam is enjoyable enough, but it isn't as much of a good time as other films in the superhero genre. As the first real introduction of the Justice Society, it lacks the color needed to make audiences care about their futures, which at this point seems dark.