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Black Adam embraces many of the worst elements and tropes of the superhero
genre, resulting in a loud, discordant experience replete with fist-fights,
pyrotechnics, and an overdose of CGI. While attempts are made to maintain a
degree of faithfulness to the character’s comic book origins, the result is a
half-formed world where voiceovers are necessary to deliver huge chunks of
exposition. The plot is scattershot, seemingly without much of a direction until
the narrative sharpens during the final 45 minutes. And, instead of allowing
Dwayne Johnson’s natural charisma to come to the fore, the requirements of the
script demand that he ape Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator character (from
Terminator 2), right down to the young male sidekick.
Prior to making Black Adam, director Jaume Collet-Serra directed Johnson in
Jungle Cruise. That came after spending the better part of a decade working with
Liam Neeson on a quartet of mostly forgettable action films: Unknown, Non-Stop,
Run All Night, and The Commuter. Although none of those rank among the worst
Neeson has done, only Run All Night was worth the time spent sitting through it.
The kind of mediocrity evident in those movies accurately sets expectations for
Black Adam.
The story opens with a narrated prologue that attempts to encapsulate the
origins of the title character with a disjointed series of scenes set in the
ancient city of Khandaq. Teth Adam (Johnson) gains his powers as a result of a
choice made by his son, the Champion of Khandaq, who is subsequently
assassinated. Once he has defeated a king with godly aspirations, Adam vanishes
for about 4600 years only to be resurrected in modern times by the efforts of
Adrianna (Sarah Shahi) and her son, Amon (Bodhi Sabongui).
Adam’s return attracts the attention of the Justice Society of America (not to
be confused with the Justice League), who travel to Khandaq to confront this new
threat. Comprised of four somewhat anonymous superheroes (or at least those we
haven’t previously seen on-screen in any theatrical DC release), they
unfortunately feel like knock-offs of X-Men and Avengers characters. Doctor Fate
(Pierce Brosnan), the leader of the JSA, is a cross between Professor X and
Doctor Strange. Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) bears a resemblance to either Falcon or
Iron Man (take your pick). Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) is a first cousin to
Ant-Man. And Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) is a downgraded Storm. A conflict with
Black Adam is inevitable; however, since everyone appears to be indestructible,
it amounts to little more than a bunch of special effects-enhanced brawling with
no resolution. Transformers vibes may occur.
Eventually, when the screenwriters come to the realization that the movie needs
something more than the JSA and Black Adam scowling at one another, they decide
to add a third act development. Faster than you can say “Shazam!” (which Black
Adam mustn’t say lest he lose his powers – PLOT POINT ALERT!), enter the demonic
creature Sabbac (Marwan Kenzari). As the last survivor of the old line of
Khandaq’s kings, he believes he deserves dominion over all and uses dark magic
to get it.
If all of this sounds vaguely exhausting to read, imagine how it is to sit
through. The writers pillage high and low to fill in gaps in their screenplay
with the most obvious target being the aforementioned T2. However, while the
relationship between the Terminator and young John Connor worked in James
Cameron’s film, the same cannot be said in Black Adam, where there’s no credible
connection between the title character and Amon. And, although much is made of
Black Adam being an “anti-hero,” it doesn’t take a savant to discern that the
movie provides his journey with an arc of redemption. The movie softens Black
Adam’s edges to avoid the risk that audiences might be ambivalent about him.
The need to make Black Adam repressed neuters much of Johnson’s charisma. Pierce
Brosnan appears to be enjoying himself, although it’s tough to say whether his
smile is a performance or the result of his thinking about his paycheck. Pretty
much everyone else is playing their expected roles – no more, no less – and it
will be hard to remember any of the supporting actors a few days after seeing
this movie.
The movie is uncertain about how closely it wants to be associated with the
overall DCEU. For the most part, it seems like Black Adam wants an independent
existence, even to the point of creating a junior varsity squad (the JSA) to
justify the absence of the better-known Justice League heroes from this
skirmish. On the other hand, there are references to the popular DC faces
(including a Batman action figure) and a few cameos connecting Black Adam to the
pre-existing franchises.
Ultimately, Black Adam contains little that’s new, enervating, or interesting.
It seems like it has been assembled out of the discarded bits and pieces of
other superhero movies, with characters that are pale clones of their MCU
counterparts. The jokie tone, which is intended to mimic the “lighter” approach
favored by Marvel movies (in direct opposition to the doom-and-gloom darkness of
the Snyderverse), feels forced and juvenile. As what was intended by Johnson as
the start of a new franchise within DC’s Expanded Universe until recent
corporate and creative changes occurred, this was a poor first step.
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