In the year 2007 Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had an idea for an anti-hero movie based on one of his favorite comic book characters and 15 years later that idea would become a reality. 

In 2,600 B.C. in the city of Kahndaq, a man was bestowed with superpowers by the most powerful wizards and he was imprisoned shortly after. In the present “Black Adam” (Dwayne Johnson) is freed from his prison, ready to bring justice to Kahndaq by any means necessary. A new team must come out of the shadows to stop Black Adam from his unique form of justice. Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) will team up to represent the Justice Society of America (JSA) and try to bring Black Adam to justice.

Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam. Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.

Director, Jaume Collet-Serra, creates a standard film that does not reinvent the wheel when it comes to the superhero genre. It is a visually appealing film and has some great special effects. There are some spectacular slow motion moments that were very impressive. 

Writers, Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, created a story that had some nice moments but other than that it was a very mediocre story. Certain characters such as Doctor Fate and Hawkman felt like they had full stories written about them while the other JSA members felt thrown in for the sake of needing more members. There were also parts where anyone who is familiar with these characters either from other shows such as “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” or the comic books would be curious as to why the most essential parts of some of the characters were left out.

I will say the one thing I was impressed with was that the writers did a good job at introducing all of these new characters, the city of Kahndaq and tying it into “Shazam (2019) without making me feel overwhelmed.

Composer, Lorne Balf, creates some powerful themes for both Black Adam and the JSA. However, besides the themes, the score for the movie was very mediocre. I was really impressed with the use of “Paint It, Black” by The Rolling Stones in an epic fight sequence.

Johnson’s acting was nothing spectacular but it was fun to watch him become an epic anti-hero. Hodge and Brosnan were both fantastic in their roles. Hodge’s take on Hawkman brought some great laughs to the role. Brosnan’s portrayal of Doctor Fate was amazing and it was apparent that he put a lot of work into becoming this character.

Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) stands off against Hawkman (Aldis Hodge). Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.

Overall, “Black Adam” was a standard superhero movie that is impressive by DC standards, but is not anything too special if compared to Marvel standards. However, there is a post credit scene that blew me away. I went in with zero expectations and had a fun time. I was glad to have seen the movie in the theaters because I know that had I waited for the film to come to streaming, I would have been upset with myself for waiting. 

If you have never seen a DC film before and are looking for a place to start then this might be the movie for you. While there are some connections to “Shazam” and “The Suicide Squad” (2021), neither are necessary to understand this film. I recommend seeing this film if you are a DC fan or if you are just looking for a fun movie to see, earning it a 3 out of 5 film reels. “Black Adam” is available to watch now, exclusively in theaters.

Image 1: Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) harness his powers from the wizards to protect Kahndaq. Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.
Image 2: Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan) prepares to fight against Black Adam. Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.
Image 3: Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) spreads his wings as he fights Black Adam. Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.
Image 4: Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) take down Black Adam. Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.
Image 5: Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) inside Hawkman’s jet preparing for the mission. Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.
Image 6: Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) being killed before he is bestowed with his powers 5,000 years ago. Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.
Image 7: Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) emerges unharmed from an epic battle. Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.