Black Adam Review: Dwayne Johnson’s film is an over-egged and undercooked pudding

‘Black Adam’ is the 11th film in the DC Comics Extended Universe.

By Rohini Rajhansh On Oct 22, 2022

Black Adam Review: Dwayne Johnson’s film is an over-egged and undercooked pudding

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell, Mohammed Amer, Bodhi Sabongui, Pierce Brosnan, Viola Davis, James Cusati Moyer

Where: In theatres near you

Rating: 2.5 stars

‘Black Adam’ is the 11th film in the DC Comics Extended Universe. It is the origin story of a relatable but complex anti-hero portrayed by Dwayne Johnson, he plays the saviour of the perennially oppressed nation called Kahndaq.

The prologue informs us about the mystical land called Kahndaq, which was ruled by the tyrannical King Anh-Kot, who had enslaved his people, forcing them to extract ‘Eternium,’ an element that would give him great power.

A slave finds a large chunk of the crystal and expects a reward. Instead of being rewarded, the overseer of the mine kills him. Teth-Adam’s son Hurut witnesses the murder, and he soon leads a revolution that ends Anh-Kot’s reign.

Then we are transported to the present-day Kahndaq, where a set of bad guys called ‘Intergang’ control the city.

Adrianna (Sarah Shahi), an archaeologist goes to a remote site in Kahndaq along with her brother Karim (Mohammed Amer) and colleagues Samir (James Cusati-Moyer) and Ishmael (Marwan Kenzari) in search of King Anh-Kot’s crown. Here she accidentally reads an incantation that awakens Teth-Adam, who had been trapped for millennia, and he is freed like a genie.

After being coaxed by Adrianna’s teenage son Amon (Bodhi Sabongui) to save Kahndaq, Teth-Adam goes on rampant killing members of the Intergang.

Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), reprising her role from ‘The Suicide Squad’ immediately dispatches members of the Justice Society to combat Adam. The members are Hawkman (Adis Hodge), Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell).

While ‘Black Adam’ is Dwayne Johnson’s canvas, he seems to be a misfit in his role. Despite being charming, he leaves a trail of tired performance with slow-motion action scenes.

On the other hand, Pierce Brosnan delivers an appealing and mysterious performance as Doctor Fate, despite being short-changed by the script that tries to do too much with his character in a story that is not his.

With his gleaming wings and energised mace, Adis Hodge, in a poorly written role as the veteran hero, Hawkman is a sight to behold. He serves as a punching bag, both physically and metaphorically.

Similarly, in criminally underdeveloped roles, Noah Centineo and Quintessa Swindell are earnest but are mere pawns who waste screen time.

Sarah Shahi, Bodhi Sabongui, Mohammed Amer, James Cusati-Moyer, and Marwan Kenzari are all brilliant and have moments of on-screen glory.

Loaded with interesting characters, the plot is made clunky by too much exposition. The villain is one-dimensional, and there’s an over-reliance on spectacle over character and story. Visually the computer-generated images lack finesse as they do not mesh seamlessly into the live-action scenes, and the background score does not elevate the viewing experience. While the first half of the film is engaging, the second half drags.

There are a few moments of brilliance that arise due to the crisp and curt one-liners between Adam and Hawkman.

Overall, the film is akin to an over-egged and undercooked pudding.