The evangelizing superhero movie is here! It is not the hero movie we need, but it is the hero movie we deserve after a dry patch from DC. Black Adam a superhero film that adheres to every expected trope while posing as a rebellious new antihero tale.
A quick-spoken tragic backstory involving a magical demon crown, a gang of wizards, and a populace’s uprising in an old kingdom known as Kahndaqi is presented at the outset. Cut to that; there’s a time fast-forward of 5,000 years to contemporary Kahndaqi with futuristic attributes. With assistance from her clumsy brother Karim (Mohammed Amer) and hero-obsessed son Amon, Adrianna (Sarah Shahi), a Kahndaqi scholar turned artifact hunter, is looking for the diadem mentioned above of doom (Bodhi Sabongui).
Adrianna calls upon Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson), a champion of ancient Kahndaqi who was endowed with godlike abilities. Furthermore, he was bestowed these powers by the same sorcerer who changed the youthful Billy Batson into the red-clad cape man Shazam (Zachary Levi).
However, Black Adam has some fury issues and a bothersome tendency to use his lightning powers to zap evil guys to death. Therefore, to face him, a superteam is in accord. The complies of Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), a Doctor Strange-like character in a knight helmet, Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), a meek genius with colorful clothing who can control the wind, Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), a rookie hero doing his best, and Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), the head of this Justice Society of America.
Apart from all the action and A-list star cast, the Black Adam somewhere dips to giving us a hero epic that is unable to create emotional stakes or vivify its characters sufficiently to pique our interest. But here’s a simple rundown from The DCMarvel of all that has happened in the film and the post-credit that most of us didn’t expect.
Black Adam: Cast and Screenplay
The cinematic presentation of slow motion and superheroes is a little cliche. However, the fight sequences with resurrected hell demons and antagonists who are split in half like loose-leaf papers were eye pleasing. Johnson moves through the action with a brow furrowed indignantly and a face frozen between alarm and uncertainty. In terms of action and drama, the character has a stronghold. But that somewhere becomes monotonous as Dawane tries to hide his trademark lighter humorous delivery with a stony deadpan. Although the humor is not lacking, don’t feel that you’ll be watching all things seriously.
Centineo and Amer are in it for comic relief as silly sidekick types, but they both strike the same false notes. On the other hand, Adam’s humorous beats are restricted to his clumsy reactions to the other characters’ advice on how to behave like a hero.
The film’s constant projection on justice and cumbersome framing of Adam as the substitute hero for a time that demands more complex moral standards and decisive action depend on the hero’s advice. Taking from the movie, Amon says to Adam, “Even the best of the world’s do-gooders can be selective and unfair when it comes to battling, yet heroes like Superman and Aquaman conveniently missed Kahndaq.”
Portraying it as an antihero, yet unlimited and deliberate attempts to show that Black Adam is actually one of the good guys, becomes annoying as the movie goes on. Adam destroys his opponents in various methods that keep the spectator interested. Our review for this one is a mixed batch. On the one hand, a mediocre comic book movie might be sufficient for some people. Comparatively, it will seem lifeless to those who thought a Dwayne Johnson superhero movie would paint the entertainment black.
