Movie Review: Black Adam
Anthony Mackie, better known now as The Falcon in the MCU, made a great point about actors getting lost in Superhero characters in comic book films. The celebrity and their own brand fade away as people show up to see Spiderman or Superman, not Henry Cavill or Tom Holland. The shift in emphasis toward these flashy comic properties has lead to the death of the classic Hollywood movie star.
If ever there were a personality who could defy this trope it would be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Standing in a small class of bankable A-list stars that can sell a movie on their name alone, The Rock is in reality quite late to the superhero party. One might think that like the other few remaining megastars — Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves — he was deliberately avoiding the genre as they have. But in truth Black Adam was a labor of love for The Rock, as it had spent over a decade in development hell.
As a result many aspects of the story feel dated. Black Adam relies on a number of well-worn Superhero tropes. You have the mysterious macguffin magic metal in the form of “eternium,” you have the familial death motivation, you have the plucky kid sidekick, you have the wisecracking superhero team slinging quips in the middle of a life or death battle, and you have the disposable one-dimensional villain unceremoniously killed off after one movie. There’s very little originality here. What’s worse is that the titular character’s journey isn’t that great as Black Adam himself spends most of the movie just being led around by random circumstances.
Nevertheless I had a great time with Black Adam. As a comic nerd it was really fun seeing Doctor Fate and Hawkman on the big screen. The Rock looked fantastic and had some hilarious one-liners. The action and effects were generally good too. I have to single out Pierce Brosnan as a particularly great side character. He grounds the story well giving it just enough seriousness and wit. The Superman tease at the end was a nice touch as I am among the growing number who feel that Cavill deserved better. There is potential for Black Adam to play a big role in the DC universe as I think at the very least the film set the groundwork for something better.
Ultimately I think if you enjoy the genre, Black Adam is very much worth your time. It is full of great action and fun and thanks to some decent supporting character work from Pierce Brosnan and Aldis Hodge, it rises above the average superhero movie in moments. While the cliche story, weak character arc, and mediocre villain definitely drag it down and create a sense of “what could have been…?” it’s just really entertaining thanks to The Rock’s natural charisma and the no nonsense storytelling approach. It’s among the better DC movies and just an all around good time if you’re in the mood for a straightforward popcorn action flick.
Grade: B
