Black Adam

This weekend, Black Adam, the newest DCEU film, was released in theaters. This film follows Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) as he awakens 5000 years after he was given the powers of the Egyptian gods. In the modern world, he soon attempts to deliver his unique form of justice but soon clashes with heroes who try to operate by the law. When a threat from his time reemerges, he must work with the heroes to save his homeland.

This movie was a lot of fun. It has the exact level of action and energy you would expect from a Dwayne Johnson film. Of course. being one of my favorite actors, I was really looking forward to this film and as expected, Dwayne Johnson is a lot of fun to see in this movie. It is really cool to see him as a superhero and deliver his unique form of justice. It is also fun to see him as more of a morally questionable character instead of just the standard superhero. The Justice Society was also a lot of fun in this film. I was surprised by how much they were in the film, as I expected them to just make a short appearance and then be done. Instead, they are in the entire film and add a great presence to the overall story. All four members are a lot of fun to see and are each entertaining in their own way. Pierce Brosnan is the standout in the group, playing Dr. Fate. He gives a very strong performance and was a lot of fun to see on screen. Aside from the characters, the action was very exciting. The film never really lets up and moves from one action sequence to the next. It also does some unique visual work with the action with the way they mix slow motion which I thought was very well done. Finally, the story itself was straightforward. It keeps the setting contained to one city and really delivers a tight superhero action film.

However, there are a few aspects that keep the film back for me. The first issue was that they didn't use Dwayne Johnson to his full potential. Usually, in his movies, Johnson is a very charming charismatic guy. However, in this movie, he is playing a very serious character that doesn't have much charm. While he is still fun to see, it just isn't quite at the level we normally get from him. For a movie that is so over top, they really could have had more fun with Dwayne Johnson and the role of Black Adam. The other issue I had was that the central conflict wasn't as concise as it could've been. I felt that it took a bit of time to establish who the antagonist was and where the story was actually going. For the first 45 minutes, the movie just felt like the Rock beating up bad guys without a central plot in mind. Additionally, the third act was a bit sudden and disconnected from the conflict and the rest of the film. Had they transitioned between the 2nd and 3rd acts better, I think it would've been a much smoother film.

Overall, this film was a lot of fun and was a solid addition to the DCEU. With a bit more direction with the plot and connection in the second and third acts, I think the film could've been one of Dwayne Johnson's best.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B Recommendation: Go see it