Black Adam
Synopsis
The Rock plays an anti-hero of few words but much action in Jaume Collet-Serra’s Black Adam. After having been imprisoned for several millennia, Teth/Black Adam (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) – a.k.a., Superman with anger issues and lightning powers – is freed from his ancient prison by archaeologist and resistance-fighter Adrianna (Sarah Shahi). Upon his release, Black Adam discovers that his native country of Kahndaq is being oppressed by the mercenary group Intergang. At the behest of Adrianna and her strong-willed son, Amon (Bodhi Sabongui), Black Adam reluctantly decides to take on the role of Kahndaq’s protector and brutally takes the fight to Intergang. However, the potential danger Black Adam poses captures the attention of the Justice Society of America (JSA), whose members consist of team leader Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), the mystical Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Ant-Man-like Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), and wind…person Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell). The JSA’s ensuing battle with Black Adam thus not only becomes one about the safety of Kahndaq, but also about what it means to be a hero.
Analysis
I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed the character of Black Adam. Absent is the stereotypical charisma and inherit “goodness” that we’ve seen in the Rock’s previous roles. Instead, we get a much more jaded and upfront performance – with subtle comedic notes sprinkled throughout. This felt much more in line with the character of Black Adam than it did the persona of The Rock. I was also impressed by the way the movie tackled Black Adam’s anti-heroism. It would’ve been easy for the film to have Black Adam kill bad guys for shock value alone. However, the script goes a step further by arguing that not all conflicts require a morally righteous hero; what the people of Kahndaq need is a savage protector, not the type of hero to be shown on lunchboxes. This approach effectively counters that of the JSA, since they eventually realize the ignorance in their attempts to resolve the conflict in Kahndaq by applying their brand of black-and-white heroism.
The JSA was pretty solid as well. Brosnan’s Doctor Fate is easily the group’s – and even the movie’s – standout character. The actor brings so much class, charm, and the weariness of being all-knowing to the role, that he steals nearly every scene. What makes things easier for Brosnan is how well his character is written: Doctor Fate demonstrates a strong combination of wise guide and good friend. The character has a very visually appealing powerset as well – e.g., illusions, incantations, self-copying – which places him on par with another certain Sorcerer Supreme. And without giving too much away, he’s also the best part of the third act. Next up we have Hodge’s Hawkman. While he frequently comes across as one-note by way of his hardline stance against Black Adam, Hodge adds dimension to Hawkman by bringing a healthy dose of swagger and sincerity. And thankfully, the character improves significantly throughout the film. Though Cyclone and Atom Smasher have a cute dynamic and a couple of interesting action sequences, the script fails to gives these two JSA members much to do. But as a whole, the JSA team is enjoyable to see in action: their banter and how well they work together on the battlefield gives the impression they’ve been a team for years, even though this is the first time we’re meeting them. Fingers crossed that we’ll see more of them in future DC projects.
I was also impressed by the movie’s bombastic and ridiculous action. It’s extremely satisfying watching Black Adam use a combination of super strength, speed, and lightning, to bulldoze through enemies rather than give them superhero-friendly smacks (his last move in the film is pretty much a Mortal Kombat fatality). Regarding his battles with the JSA, Black Adam being forced to take on each character differently makes for a slew of unique battles, and the members working together to execute combos stirs the pot further. The action sequences were very polished as well, not only in terms of being creative and fully developed, but also by being placed strategically throughout the film to create a good balance between story and action. The awesome spectacle that these action sequences create provides more than enough reason to catch the movie in theaters.
All that being said, this film is by no means perfect. For one thing, the movie tries to cram in too much movie. There’s the story of what Kahndaq and Black Adam were like prior to his imprisonment; the story of Black Adam’s evolving relationship with Adrianna and Amon; the story of the JSA and their battle with Black Adam; and the over-encompassing story of Black Adam, the JSA, Adrianna, and Amon, fighting to prevent a (MacGuffin) magical crown from falling into the hands of the main villain (Marwan Kenzari) who pretty much wants to become the devil. While the movie does an ok job of juggling all of these plotlines, none of them are fully developed and you leave the film wanting more. The villain isn’t all that interesting, but in the world of blockbuster superhero movies this isn’t anything new. I also wasn’t onboard with the movie’s seemingly random approach to score and use of slow motion either: the soundtrack doesn’t have a signature vibe but is rather a disorderly assortment of mainstream songs, and the excessive use of slow-motion adds nothing to scenes besides dragging them far beyond their natural length. I certainly wasn’t expecting the movie to be perfect, but I still felt that most of these shortcomings could’ve been easily fixed.
Conclusion
All in all, Black Adam is an action-packed, loud, dumb, and utterly enjoyable film. It boasts a strong cast with great action and an interesting analysis of what it means to be a hero in the moral grey area, though it’s not without its faults. So if you’re looking to give your brain a break and watch something fun, Black Adam is the perfect movie for you.