In ancient Kahndaq, Teth Adam was bestowed the almighty powers of the gods. After using these powers for vengeance, he was imprisoned, becoming Black Adam. Nearly 5,000 years have passed, and Black Adam has gone from man to myth to legend. Now free, his unique form of justice, born out of rage, is challenged by modern-day heroes who form the Justice Society: Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Atom Smasher and Cyclone.
Dwayne Johnson, Sarah Shahi, Noah Centineo, Pierce Brosnan, Aldis Hodge, Quintessa Swindell
After years of a lack of interconnectedness in the DCEU, we’re finally seeing a return to form in “Black Adam”, the long awaited film that took fifteen years to grace silver screens around the world. What I can tell you is that the wait was definitely worth it.
Dwayne Johnson’s passion for the titular character is unmatched, and he does a fantastic job in the role. Black Adam is consistently brutal and badass throughout the duration of the film, yet he remains a sympathetic character that the audience can root for due to his tragic backstory and heartwarming relationship with Bodhi Sabongui’s character, Amon.
The action in this film takes its place as some of the best we’ve seen in the superhero genre. From the very first scene we see Black Adam, to the last, the action almost never stops. Nearly every fight scene is inventive, and does something creative that keeps the viewer interested. This is all thanks to Jaume Collet-Serra’s incredible directing and Johnson’s electrifying performance, so the action never gets old.
The inclusion of the Justice Society of America in this film was a welcome one. Each character in the team brought an added layer to the film. The highlights to me were Pierce Brosnan’s Doctor Fate, and Aldis Hodge’s Hawkman. The dynamic between these two was an interesting one to watch onscreen as it’s established that they’ve been friends long before the events we see in the film took place. It brought a heightened level of stakes when they know the mission they’re embarking on is one that could cost them their lives. Noah Centineo’s Atom Smasher and Quintessa Swindell’s Cyclone were a fun addition as well, they brought a playful energy to the team that contrasted the seriousness of Brosnan and Hodge’s characters.
While the film’s big bad Sabbac is nothing really to be excited about, the character, albeit underdeveloped and not really all that interesting, serves its purpose and opens the door for some awesome fight scenes with the JSA and Black Adam.
It would be a crime for me to go this entire review without mentioning Lorne Balfe’s outstanding score. The theme he crafted for Black Adam is utterly fantastic and I can’t stress enough that you should go to a theater with the best sound system possible to see this movie. The music makes every scene so much fun to watch, and I’ve been playing the music even in the gym days after I attended the New York world premiere.
Once this film releases, it’s obvious that the majority of the internet is going to be focused on a certain something that happens in the post credits, I’m not even sure it’s worth hiding it at this point since it’s been confirmed in nearly every interview The Rock did in promoting this film… Nevertheless I assure you that post credits aside, this film is absolutely worth watching, especially with the boisterous audience reactions that are sure to come on opening weekend.
It’s really a joy to be excited about the future of the DCEU again, and we have this film, and Dwayne Johnson to thank for that.
