Rating of
3/4
Symphony of Destruction
Chris Kavan - wrote on 10/29/22
As of this writing, the DCEU is at a crossroads. Recent events include the entire scrapping of Batgirl - a film that by all accounts was finished, arguably to save Warner Bros. some cash. It also includes a messy trail between Aquaman co-star Amber Heard and Johnny Depp as well as the bizarre behavior of Flash star Ezra Miller. Black Adam is not going to save this super hero franchise - but at least it keeps it trending in the right direction. Hopefully with the recent announcement that James Gunn and Peter Safran are taking over the future direction of the entire mess means we can look forward to more than just Henry Cavill putting his cape back on.
That aside, Black Adam is Dwayne Johnson's hero passion product - one he has been touting, teasing and planning for years. Whereas most superhero films feature, well, heroes, Black Adam is decidedly much more liberal with his ideology - that is, he's not afraid to kick ass and lay waste. Taking place in the fictional nation of Kahndaq, our boy Teth-Adam reveals a history full of slavery, uprising and imprisonment. Ever since defeating the tyrannical King Ahk-Ton - who sought to create the Crown of Sabbac out of Kahndaq's unique mineral, Eternium, to give him nigh-unlimited power, both he and the crown have been lost to the ages.
Enter Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) and her band of merry misfits, who realize the current regime Intergang, may be close to uncovering the long-lost location. This includes her brother (and the film's comic relief) Karim (Mohammed Amer) and Ismael (Marwan Kenzari) with her younger son, Amon (Bodhi Sabongui) running interference. Of course they find the location and with Adrianna giving everyone's favorite "turn-me-into-a-god-hero" SHAZAM! - Black Adam returns and wastes no time taking down any and all threats - with the Rolling Stones "Paint It Black" setting the tone.
But all this death and destruction does not go unnoticed and Amanda Waller (Viola Davis in a short cameo appearance) calls in the Justice Society - Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) to deal with the awakened threat before harm starts to come to innocent civilians. Of course, it turns out trying to make a deal with an ancient and pissed-off dude with god-like powers is no easy task the the group gets into a lot of fights, and lets just say the collateral damage is far from minimal.
None-the-less, when a certain character reveals his true colors, the angry demi-god and Justice Society find themselves joining temporary forces for the greater good. As if the film was going to lead to any other conclusion. But at least it makes for a fun, loud ride along the way. Black Adam is at least an anti-hero who sticks to his guns - that is, not giving a crap about what "heroes" think - he's going to do things his way, and if that means some guys die, so be it. The end stinger (leaked already - but still good even if you know what's coming) leads to an intriguing possibility for the future.
Black Adam was not a hit with critics - and I can see why - it's pretty by-the-books, kind of dumb and with some, at times, tepid special effects. But you can also tell Johnson is having a blast, even if he's a bit one-note and the supporting cast - especially Brosnan, is well put together. Yes, this Justice Society group came out of nowhere - but you have to rebuild your brand somewhere, so hopefully these characters resurface at some point. Black Adam is is like most MCU/DCEU offerings - uneven but wildly entertaining. Will things get better from here? I can't say but I can say Black Adam feels like a good fit for now.
