Black Adam has been The Rock’s passion project for years. It seems like ever since he became a movie star he’s been wanting to play Black Adam. You would never know this from looking at him in the movie as he at all times seemed broody, gloomy, and bored. Maybe it was a case of miscasting. The Rock is a likeable, funny, gregarious guy. Seeing him play such a predominantly petulant superhero isn’t very much fun at all. Even when he does crack the errant joke, it lands with a thud, thanks to his stoneface delivery.
An archaeologist (Sarah Shahi) looking for the Crown of McGuffin unleashes the ancient superhero Black Adam from his centuries-long slumber to save her from some bad guys. She and her annoying son (Bodhi Sabongui) then try to acclimate Adam to the 21st century, but they are interrupted by the Justice Society who want Adam to surrender to them. When a bad dude dons the crown and becomes a devilish monster bent on bringing Hell on Earth, Adam reluctantly joins forces with the Justice Society to save the day.
I guess the draw here is that Black Adam is an anti-hero, who unlike Superman, uses his superpower to kill bad guys. We know he’s an anti-hero because there’s a scene where he watches Clint Eastwood in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on TV. You know, just in case we needed it spelled out for us. Other than the fact that he occasionally turns dudes into skeletons and shit, it's another day at the superhero office.
The best moments belong to the Justice Society. So much so that you kind of wish you were watching them starring in their own movie. Aldis Hodge does a fine job as the leader, Hawkman. Noah Centineo gets the only laughs in the movie as the bumbling Atom Smasher who is still getting used to his Giant-Man-style powers. (Seeing Henry Winkler turn up in a cameo as the previous version of the character was cool too.) Quintessa Swindell is also quite good as the superheroine Cyclone, but it’s Pierce Brosnan who steals the movie as Dr. Fate. He's dashing, debonair, and badass playing a character that’s equal parts Doctor Strange and The Shadow, and even gets to dust off some of that old time James Bond charisma.
Watching this with the knowledge that he won’t be coming back, this is (probably) the last time we get to see Henry Cavill as Superman. Traditionally, Black Adam is the flipside of Shazam, but The Rock strongarmed Shazam out of the movie in favor of Superman. It’s funny because he’s only on screen for about five seconds and says, “We should talk”. About what, we’ll never know since the DC Universe is getting chucked into the toilet and rebooted. If they keep making movies as forgettable as Black Adam, I’d say a reboot is needed the sooner the better.
DC EXTENDED UNIVERSE RANKING:
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: ****
Man of Steel: ****
Aquaman: *** ½
Wonder Woman: *** ½
Justice League: *** ½
Shazam!: ***
Suicide Squad: ***
The Suicide Squad: ** ½
Black Adam: **
WW84: * ½
Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn): * ½
I thought Johnson was damn good and not miscast at all and I found him very compelling.
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