Black Adam (2022)
Black Adam is a fun-filled, action-packed spectacle that on the one hand doesn't take itself too seriously. Even if it does seem to say that sometimes evil can only be defeated by violence.
Dwayne Johnson was born to play Black Adam. I think we can all agree on that.
Pierce Brosnan (as Doctor Fate), Noah Centineo (as Atom Smasher), Quintessa Swindell (as Cyclone), Aldis Hodge (as Hawkman) and many others lend added value to one of the more exciting DC movies of recent times.
They all have their moments to shine, even though it is clear as day that this is the Dwayne Johnson show.
Five thousand years ago Black Adam suddenly vanished after the powers of the Egyptian gods were bestowed on him. But before you can say Shazam! - or actually when university professor Adrianna (Sarah Shahi) does - he is freed in present day Khandaq and immediately ready to take on the world.
Fortunately, the aforementioned members of the Justice Society of America are on hand to counteract, though it's also their job to turn Black Adam from bad to good.
Although they face opposition from the resistance, Kahndaq is ruled by the members of the vicious Intergang, who mine the country’s precious ethereum and all talk with funny Australian accents. It takes about two seconds to realize that they are the Real Bad Guys in the movie. Fortunately, Black Adam kills a lot of ‘em in a very comic book kind of way.
Eventually, the JSA and Black Adam are forced to work together when Adrianna’s son is kidnapped. That director Jaume Collet-Serra (Jungle Cruise) keeps his foot firmly on the gas is completely fine. You don't want to use that one braincell you need to follow the story to also question the logic of certain things that happen along the way.
All silliness aside, the movie doesn’t shy away from the message that sometimes violence is necessary to defeat evil.
Still, this colorful spectacle is in many ways the diametrical opposite of the slow and brooding Batman film from earlier this year.
Black Adam guarantees pure popcorn entertainment. And for this time, that's more than enough.
Bring on Black Adam vs Superman!