Review: 'Black Adam' plays to the strengths of Dwayne Johnson well in a muddled screenplay that tries too much

Black Adam

It seemed like the perfect casting choice - the muscular giant that is Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson playing Black Adam, the villain-turned-anti-hero thus making his entry into the DC universe. The trailer seemed more promising than ever with the likes of Pierce Brosnan being roped in to play Dr. Fate and finally having Atom Smasher make an appearance in a DC movie.

But did all this optimism lead to a satisfactory end product? Having had the chance to see Black Adam beforehand,  I will help you to answer that question-

The Dwayne Johnson Factor

It is amazing how the biggest possible star in Hollywood and likely Presidential Candidate has managed to make his entry into the comic book-adapted film universe in what seemed like the perfect casting choice. And credit where it is due, the film and director Jaume Collet-Suera play to the strengths of Johnson more often than not. Almost maintaining a constant stoic presence with barely any expressions and lesser acting chops, this role was tailor-made for him to portray and hence, he obviously excels. Of course, his sheer aura, screen presence and umpteen slo-mo sequences add up to the Dwayne Johnson factor.

Taking the 'Funny Route'

It seems that the internet conversation and memes of DC being 'darker' than Marvel has finally caught up more than ever as inspite of this film being as dark as a subject matter can be - doesn't shy away from putting in plenty of jokes and light moments. That indeed helps in a screenplay that is just extremely muddled barely serving any room for exposition. Be it the not-so-subtle Clint Eastwood and The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly references or the banter between Hawkman and Atom Smasher - these light moments assist a film that is trying way too much.

Trying Too Much Serving Loopholes

And that becomes one of the biggest issues for Black Adam. The film, in an attempt to introduce plenty of new characters to the non-DCEU fans ends up making the mistake of overcrowding the screenplay and execution. On one hand, actors like Pierce Brosnan and Aldis Hodge as Dr. Fate and Hawkman respectively get a lot to do and impress; on the other hand, Quintessa Swindell and Noah Centineo as Cyclone and Atom Smasher respectively are entirely wasted. The journey of Teth Adam being a slave, given powers with the word Shazam, fighting King Ahk-Ton, disappearing and then re-appearing 5,000 years later in modern day Kandhaq turns out to be a tedious exercise with only a few moments to enjoy.

Might Not be the Perfect Beginning but Sets Things Up

Black Adam is far away from being a perfect start for a brand-new franchise where it's attempt of being an origin story then turning into an introduction to other factors is satisfactory at best. But hey, the way things are set up, there is one thing for sure - things are only upward from here. The end-credits scene made the entire experience absolutely worth it and just went on to make sure that no matter what your takeaway is from Black Adam, you will be back for the next Black Adam movie.

The Verdict

Dwayne Johnson, an extended 2-hour but overall good action sequence of a film, Pierce Brosnan and a brilliant end-credits sequence serve enough reasons to still go and watch Black Adam.

Rating - *** (3/5)