Black Adam is a superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Produced by New Line Cinema, DC Films, Seven Bucks Productions, and FlynnPictureCo., it is a spin-off from Shazam! (2019) and the eleventh film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), serving as the first installment of Phase One. Black Adam is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani. Being this character is new to me, I was anxious to see what Black Adam was all about. The film was as good as any Superhero film which passes my okay-to-go-and-see status.
In 2600 BC, the tyrannical king of Kahndaq, Anh-Kot (Bodhi Sabongui), sought the power of dark magic and planned to forge the crown of Sabbac in order to gain the supernatural power of six demons. After attempting to stage a revolt, a young slave boy Hurut (Jalon Christian) is given the power of Shazam, transforming him into Kahndaq’s heroic champion Teth-Adam (Uli Latukefu), he kills Anh-Kot and ends his reign.
In the present day, Kahndaq, a country in the Middle Eastern region of Africa, is oppressed by the Intergang. Archaeologist Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) tries to locate the Crown of Sabbac with the help of her brother Karim (Mohammed Amer), and colleagues, Samir (James Cusati-Moyer) and Ishmael Gregor/Sabbac (Marwan Kenzari). As Adrianna obtains the crown but they are ambushed by Intergang, a militant, criminal organization.
The remainder of this story is sort of a run-of-the-mill plot for superheroes trying to fill in the blanks. While this has been done before, the film was still exciting and had some pretty funny scenes. The team leader of the JSA (Justice Society of America), Carter Hall / Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), and the rest of his crew, Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Maxine Hunkel / Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Albert “Al” Rothstein / Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) were called in by the Public Government official, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to assist in handling Adam who is huge and powerful. Destruction was plentiful as well as endless fighting. The special effects were brilliant. Dwayne Johnson played the all-grown-up Teth-Adam / Black Adam to perfection. I was especially impressed by Adrianna’s son, Amon Tomaz (Bodhi Sabongui) who is a wiz on the skateboard. All in all, Black Adam was a decent film with a decent plot but didn’t motivate jaw-dropping responses like I felt with Avatar or Black Panther, which were both new births to the screen. Black Adam has made $26.8 million on its first day, including $7.6 million from Thursday night previews, both the highest of Johnson’s leading career and besting Shazam!‘s totals. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 41% based on 208 reviews, with an average rating of 5.10/10. The website’s critic’s consensus reads: “Black Adam may end up pointing the way to an exciting future for DC films, but as a standalone experience, it’s a wildly uneven letdown.” IMDB has a 7.2 rating out of 33,947 IMDb users. I think Black Adam is a worthwhile watch and is currently playing in theaters only — Check It Out!
CAROL's WORLDS 