Black Adam (2022) - Movie Review

Black Adam - A Dumb, Fun, Antihero Bore

Rating - 7/10

“The world needed a hero. It got me instead.”

    Black Adam tries to bring a new edge to the DC universe, but ends up as little more than loud, flashy spectacle. It certainly has moments of fun chaos, with over the top action and some solid visual effects, but for all its noise, there is not much that sticks once the credits roll.

    Dwayne Johnson steps into the role of Black Adam with his trademark intensity, but that also ends up being part of the problem. He never truly disappears into the character. Instead, it feels like The Rock dressed as a superhero rather than a fully realized antihero with depth or complexity. His stoic demeanor and dry delivery make sense for the role on paper, but in practice, it just feels flat.

    Pierce Brosnan is easily the standout as Doctor Fate, bringing gravitas and class to every scene he is in. He feels like the one character who belongs in a more thoughtful and emotionally rich movie. Aldis Hodge as Hawkman has presence but gets lost in the blur of constant action and one liners that rarely land. The rest of the Justice Society members are forgettable, and the villain is one of the weakest in recent comic book memory.

    The plot feels like it was stitched together from every superhero cliché possible, complete with predictable twists and overly dramatic slow motion battles. The action, while occasionally entertaining, often looks like a video game cutscene, and the heavy reliance on CGI drains the movie of any real tension.

    At times, Black Adam can be dumb fun, the kind of movie you can watch for big explosions and cool powers without thinking too hard. But it never rises above mediocrity, and despite its attempts to reshape the DC universe, it feels more like a relic of the superhero formula rather than the reinvention it was meant to be.