[Header Image: Dwyane Johnson as Teth-Adam/Black Adam | Warner Bros. Pictures]
“I’m not peaceful. Nor do I surrender.”
Admittedly, when it came to movies we could possibly see in the DCEU, I have to say Black Adam never so much as entered my mind. While not necessarily the best movie to come out of this franchise, it’s far from the worst.
That being said, Black Adam follows Teth-Adam aka Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) who is awoken almost 5000 years after he received the powers of the Egyptian gods. There are definitely tie-ins with other DCEU titles but you could get away without having seen any of them in order to watch this one.
Black Adam begins with an origin story of sorts in which we see how and why those powers were given to him before things jump forward to the present day. The past is very much a key component as to why Teth-Adam acts (or reacts) the way he does throughout but also explains the actions of other characters too. We’re continuously learning about him and his past and the powers bestowed on him but we also learn about the King he fought in the past as well as the modern enemies he faces.
For the most part, the story is structured fairly well with important details of that story revealed gradually over the course of the movie. However, it isn’t perfect and the same can be said for the pacing. It does drag in a couple of areas with some scenes occasionally going on a little longer than necessary. That being said, in other areas, it does feel a little rushed. Overall, the movie could have been a lot neater but it’s not enough to be too offputting.
Now, Black Adam is almost entirely made up of new characters. Personally, I enjoyed watching all of them and I would very much be interested in seeing them again. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much time to get to know all of them that well. While it makes sense because Teth-Adam is the most important character, it does feel like a loss. It really felt like we barely broke the surface when it came to a lot of the other characters and the most that can be hoped for is that we get the chance to see them all again. While I did like these characters, it would have been easier to become really invested in them had there been more of a chance to get to know them, whether it be through backstory or revealing more of their personalities, or both.
At the end of the day, it’s a superhero (anti-hero) movie that does exactly what you would expect and not an awful lot more. As I said, Black Adam may not be the best thing to come out of the DCEU but it’s not the worst thing either. It’s a fun watch with a decent cast and is at least worth checking out, especially if you already like superhero movies or just silly, entertaining action movies.
Rating: ★★★ /5
wonderoes 