'Black Adam' Review: A Flawed Step In The Right Direction For DC
Fifteen years in the making, Black Adam is finally hitting theaters, giving audiences their first glimpse of Dwayne Johnson’s man in black, a character he was truly born to inhabit.
It’s no secret that Black Adam has been a passion project for Dwayne Johnson for years, refusing to portray any other comic book character. The comic book film tells the story of the almighty titular character who, after being buried for nearly 5,000 years, is freed from his tomb and bestows his own distinctive brand of justice on those he deems deserve it. Trying to stop the anti-hero from causing considerable destruction is the Justice Society of America, which includes Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell).
The character of Black Adam is able to make a unique first impression with ease, clearly establishing his powers and lack of mercy early on. Johnson, who has found great success in playing an elevated version of himself for years, finally channels something wholly different here. His charisma naturally gets a chance to shine, but he’s able to channel a palpable, vengeful energy into the character that makes it difficult to take your eyes away from him. The anti-hero is given a well-established and thoughtfully crafted backstory that makes him a flawed, but deeply sympathetic character, aided in large part by Johnson’s strong central performance. The JSA members, particularly Hawkman and Doctor Fate, provide great foils for the character, their interactions with one another providing some of the film’s highest peaks. Hodge and Brosnan put in fantastic work here as their respective characters, not only in their scenes with Johnson, but in those with each other that are prickly, but endearing. While Centineo and Swindell don’t get all that much to do, they’re still extremely likable and charming here.
The film is helmed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who previously worked with Johnson on Disney’s Jungle Cruise, a surprisingly fun, old-fashioned adventure film. Serra, who has shown his visual prowess in the past, particularly with films like The Shallows, House of Wax, and Orphan, puts his creative sensibilities on full display here, injecting the action sequences with a visual flair and energy that is much-needed, especially as the film gets more and more action heavy. The set pieces are colorful, well-shot, visceral, and incredibly entertaining, sure to please fans of the character. This is a film that never feels tonally inconsistent and knows exactly what kind of comic book entry it aspires to be. The fruitful partnership between Johnson and Serra gives the film a steady hand in front of and behind the camera, their visions for this story never seeming out of step with one another.
However, the film isn’t without its fair share of minor issues. While the action set pieces are very entertaining and visually stunning, there is an overabundance of slow motion throughout. While in certain areas the creative choice amplifies and enhances the action, it also hinders it in others. Especially in the last third of the film, the vast majority of the action is seen in slow motion, dragging the momentum and energy of those sequences down immensely. In fact, there are various scenes in which poor CGI becomes far more of an eyesore due to this creative choice.
The most glaring flaw of the film though is its central antagonist, who has been largely absent from the promotional materials and for good reason. This is a villain that is as generic as they come, lacking any semblance of compelling motivation and registers as nothing more than a walking CGI cliche. With a character as rich and compelling as Black Adam is, having him square off against an equally magnetic villain would’ve taken an impressive debut and turned it into something truly special. Unfortunately, we get a hollow, two-dimensional villain that eats up far more screen time than he deserves.
Black Adam is not only a surprisingly entertaining and well-crafted comic book film, but is also an assured step forward for the DCEU overall. This is a character with nearly unlimited potential and with Johnson donning the iconic suit, the man in black is clearly in very safe, passionate hands. While it may not be perfect, it is sure to provide the blockbuster entertainment fans of the character and actor have to come to know and expect. Simply put, Johnson and company have jumpstarted the seemingly lifeless DCEU with a proper bolt of electricity, casting a future that looks far brighter than it did before.