First announced and subsequently confirmed by Dwayne Johnson himself back in 2014(!), it’s certainly been a long road to the big screen for Black Adam. First unveiled as a joint Shazam/Black Adam venture scheduled for release in 2019, it was unveiled back in 2017 that the project would be split into a solo film for Johnson’s anti-hero. With numerous production and development shuffles, we’ve been promised that the hierarchy of the DC universe will change following the introduction of the comic book character for a number of years now. The question is, does the much hyped 11th instalment in the DC Extended Universe do justice to the revered villain-turned-anti-hero who has existed in the comics for almost 80 years now?
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Jungle Cruise), Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) centres on an ancient magical city known as Kahndaq, in which slave Teth Adam was transferred the almighty powers of the Gods by the Wizards. But when he rises up against his oppressors and enacts the biblical ‘justice’ of old, his immense capacity for violence shocks the Wizards, leading them to imprison him. 5,000 years later, he is awoken in another time of uprising, but born out of rage – so the modern day heroes of the Justice Society: Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) are called in to help bring down the super powered threat.
For those looking for something new from the DCEU, I’m afraid that Black Adam does tend to stray into generic superhero blockbuster territory. Introducing and establishing the popular villain/anti-hero – plus four brand new characters assembling as fan favourites the Justice Society of America – results in a significant amount of runtime devoted to ticking the boxes of the familiar formulaic superhero origin narrative. It’s clear that Dwayne Johnson and director Collet-Serra know exactly what fans want from this instalment though, with the inclusion of large-scale action, surprisingly brutal battles and plenty of fun team-ups.
However, despite the reliance of these tropes, the excellent (and particularly heartfelt) central performances and often weighty themes explored do elevate DC’s latest outing, particularly when questioning the nature of justice and rising up against our oppressors (with a certain nod to the West in relation to exploiting natural resources). Plus there’s a particularly enjoyable-but-brief delve into Tomb Raider/Mummy-esque territory with a fun, action-adventure sequence in the search of a certain MacGuffin.
DC continues their streak of brilliant casting too – Johnson is undoubtedly perfect in the titular role, shaking off his usual nice-guy persona to embrace Black Adam’s more morally ambiguous brand of ‘justice’. His presence and physique are truly intimidating as he transforms into the anti-hero, bringing an intriguing new dynamic and angle to the universe. However, it’s the wonderful dynamic of the hugely charismatic Brosnan and Hodge as Doctor Fate and Hawkman which proves the real heart of the film, consistently stealing scenes – particularly when it comes to imparting ‘sarcasm’ to Black Adam. Hawkman in particular shares a fascinating dichotomy to the anti-heroes’ brand of ‘justice’, with the two often coming to fierce blows over their opposition.
Considering this is the big screen live-action debut of The Justice Society of America, the cast certainly excel in making you think otherwise. Hodge and Brosnan shine as the wise and fearless leaders, while Centineo and Swindell share a very sweet dynamic as the legacy newbies eagerly looking to fill big shoes. Centineo is particularly endearing as the clumsy Atom Smasher, proving a breath of fresh air in the more comedic moments. The secret orchestrators of the civil uprising – Sarah Shahi’s Adriana, Mohammed Amer’s Karim and Bodhi Sabongui’s Amon Tomaz – prove a brilliant, if somewhat slightly underused, human counterpart to the super-powered brawls.
On the other hand, the weak link is unfortunately the paper thin villain once again – an under-developed aspect which certainly seems to recur throughout the genre. The script could have done with developing the villainous Intergang further, as despite from a certain few scenes interacting with Kahndaq residents, the organisation came across as generic Tron-esque law enforcers.
As expected with Johnson in the leading role, there’s plenty of large-scale action scenes, superhero smackdowns and resulting wreckage, particularly when Atom Smasher is involved! Due to the nature of the characters, these sequences are heavily reliant on visual effects, with some of the fights (the climatic third act battle in particular) feeling like they were ripped straight from the Injustice games. This is most notable when set against the backdrop of the fictitious ancient city of Kahndaq, which features an oddly greeny yellow tinged colour grading (reminiscent of 300) which unfortunately tends to wash out the once magical realm.
The costume designs by Kurt and Bart are a particular standout however, especially in the wonderfully ornate armour of Hawkman and the intricately patterned detailing of Black Adam’s costume – which impressively sets itself apart from Zachary Levi’s Shazam! counterpart. Considering Doctor Fate’s suit and powers are fully CGI, this is also surprisingly well realised onscreen. The costumes, paired with Lorne Balfe’s particularly triumphant score – which wonderfully incorporates a mix of classic superhero strings and brass with more modern synths and electric instruments – really does work its movie magic.
Verdict
Despite not breaking free from the formulaic superhero origin narrative, Black Adam establishes an intriguing future for DC, with Director Juame Collet-Serra and Dwayne Johnson laying the building blocks for an exciting, expanded universe. For a studio which has struggled with connecting the dots between projects, the introduction of the JSA and the highly anticipated post-credits scene certainly feels like a course correction!
