Alright everyone, welcome back to another session of movie reviewing! Today, we are going to be reviewing the latest DC Comics superhero film that stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He stars as the title character of this film. Presenting the one, and only, Black Adam!
Plot: Set in a futuristic world in a fictional city called Khandaq, a single mother (Adrianna Tomaz), and her son (Bodhi Sabongui) retrieve a legendary crown that was worn by the last powerful ruler of the kingdom back in 2600 BC. Now, after a citizen (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) with special powers is resurrected from the dead after being dead since that time, all three, along with a justice society group, must team up to stop a madman (Marwan Kenzari) from achieving the crown, and using it to destroy Khandaq once and for all.
Well, I will say that over the past few years, a lot of the more superhero films have had more flaws than those of the Marvel superhero films. Be it Batman Vs. Superman, and films like those, most of them were not that great. So, was Black Adam any better? Well, yes, and no. Black Adam may be a decent film, but not exactly one of the best films out there. First of all, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson may have done a mostly great job as the main character of this film. At the same time, however, he seems to be a little too serious this time around. Okay, I can get that in a fictional story, when one is dead, and then resurrected, it could change that person, or creature. Still, the character of Black Adam seems to hardly any personality. Sure, he may have growth as the film progresses. Still, he could have been developed more. As for the four members of the Justice Society, a couple of them seem to be fairly well fleshed out. However, the other couple characters, while we know about say their talents, and abilities, they stint on much more character development aside from that. Some of the climax may have dragged on by a bit as well. As for the storyline, though it was good, didn’t seem to be quite as engaging, or as strong as other action films, be it superhero films, or just regular action films. There were also some action scenes that seemed to drag on a little more than they should have in the end. In addition to all of this, there were times when the movie makers could have maybe gone with a musical score during certain scenes as opposed to, well, having a song montage. Okay, some of those songs were good, but maybe not the best thing to use during those scenes, you know? Finally, there were messages in this film that seemed to not be the best ones to incorporate in Black Adam.
Still, the visuals are one of the many pros for Black Adam as well. I mean whether they be gold shields, any magic electricity shooting out of certain characters, or things like those. Oh, and how could one not like some of the slow motion capture moments, even if some of those may drag on from time to time? As for the acting, it was mostly good. Still, again, that could have been a little better especially from The Rock. Honestly, after you see this film. I wouldn’t be surprised if people were to watch this film, and then say afterwards that they liked his roles in films like some of the Fast & The Furious films, voicing Maui in Moana, or any other roles that were not Black Adam for that matter. Also, Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate was great. He does well as someone who might as well be a wise sage in this film. Not only that, but he still has the same charm, and charisma that he had when say he played James Bond in a few of the 007 movies. Additionally, for what amount of growth that Black Adam did have, at least he ends up learning some good lessons that I’m sure many of us could learn as well. Finally, if you want to see a superhero film that seems to incorporate elements from movies like the Indiana Jones franchise, or Tomb Raider, or films like those, then all the more reason to see this film, especially if you can do so for free.
And that’s my review for Black Adam. Even if it wasn’t exactly a bad film, it does seem to feel weaker due to elements that seemed to drag it down a ways. Some of the characters were a little bland, the main character is not quite as likable until later on, certain elements didn’t seem to quite fit in, and there were some other things too. Nevertheless, I would recommend it if you can see this film at a cheaper price, or, better yet, for free. Yes, especially for those of us who are superhero fans, it is worth seeing once. Still, the rewatch-able factor may not be there as much as in other films. Either way, see it at least if you want to see the continuity of the DC League superhero stories!
Final Grade: C
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 