Two weeks ago, I was adamant on not seeing Black Adam due to the horrible taste in my mouth from Thor: Love and Thunder. However, I went to see Hollywood staple, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the new comic book movie. I went with Nigel, one of my best friends, who is more optimistic about comic book movies than my pseudo movie critic self. After watching it, DC’s latest movie is an entertaining ride but ultimately a dumb film. Way better than the MCU’s latest two attempts at movies.
Black Adam is by far one of the coolest DC characters set in the comic book’s history. No bias, of course. I won’t bore you with powers or feats, but I can assure you that Teth Adam is not to be tested. Granted, my base knowledge of Black Adam hinges on video games like Injustice: Gods Among Us and his inclusion in select animated movies or shows. The fun of Black Adam’s presence is his ruthlessness in battle and decision making. Tossing humans like yesterday’s trash or humbling heavyweight superheroes like Shazam or Superman is always a good time.
Regarding the movie, it captured Black Adam’s brutality flawlessly. Story wise, it had the structure of the Golden Gate Bridge built out of paper. Everyone felt disposable or one note and cheesy. A mercenary in the first twenty minutes of the movie even said, “Any last words?” Like, really? In the year 2022, we are still using phrases from the 80s? Wild. I did not care for the Kahndaq family strapped to Black Adam throughout the movie. I understand this is to humanize Teth, but it came off more annoying rather than endearing. The son was unbearable with his constant hero worship and inane choices. Who the hell tries to sneak out of a building with armed guards on a skateboard?
Thankfully, the action did make up for the lackluster story beats. The introduction was slow to start but when Teth finally mowed the first couple of guys down, I knew it was going to be a treat. Outside of terrorizing jobbers, Black Adam’s fights with the JSA and final boss left me surprisingly hyped for the movie’s conculsion. Proper flight battles and cool use of powers makes it a fun watch all the same. My favorite side character was Doctor Fate due to Pierce Brosnan’s portrayal and personal bias. Although Black Adam partly used Fate’s helmet correctly, it was still nice to see on the big screen.
Finale
Black Adam is a movie that is shaky with its narrative execution while excelling in terms of action and character. The biggest strength that this movie possess is the scattered use of comic book accuracy. Black Adam respects its source material and that fleshes it out through its adaptation. It does lose points for excessive slow-motion but overall, I look forward to a streaming release. That way I can watch the powerful fights and mute the Kahndaq son at my leisure.
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