By: Kimberly Grant
It is rare that a film can meet two criteria on opposite sides of a spectrum. In fact, for a movie to be two disparate things at one time is … intriguing and annoying at the same time.
This latest review is about Black Adam (in theaters October 21), which stars Dwayne Johnson as the titular character and is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. The two sides of the spectrum in which Black Adam resides are that it is good and bad; all at the same time.
The Plot
Before we get into the two disparate sides that is Black Adam, I must explain the plot of the film. In Black Adam, the title character is freed from his tomb after 5,000 years of sleep in his hometown of Kahndaq. His raising sparks an all-out war between himself and the Intergang who are oppressing the people of Kahndaq. The Intergang is after a crown made of eternium that will give their leader infinite power; which is similar to the powers given to Black (Teth) Adam.
Because Teth Adam needs a formidable enemy that’s more tangible, writers Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani (based on characters created by Otto Binder and C. C.Beck) give him the Justice Society. Included in the Justice Society is Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Carter “Hawkman” Hall (Aldis Hodge), Maxine “Cyclone” Hunkel (Quintessa Swindell), Al “Atom Smasher” Rothstein (Noah Centineo) and they’re lead by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis). The Justice Society’s goal is to stop Teth Adam and restore order to the foreign land that resides in Iran. Their help is not really appreciated.
The subplot of the film is about Adrianna (Sarah Shahi) and her son Amon (Bodhi Sabongui) who are hoping to use the Crown of Sabbac that’s made of eternium (read: DC’s version of vibranium) to … I’m not quite sure. But the crown is a hot ticket item in the film and many people lose their lives trying to get it. So, the audience is left to guess at its importance to the people of Kahndaq who need a champion.
The Bad
When I comes to receiving good news and bad news, I prefer to hear the bad news first so that I can end the conversation on a good note. Therefore, I will start with what’s bad with Black Adam. First, he (an ancient being from 5,000 years ago) and all of the people of Kahndaq speak English and not what would be that region’s native tongue. Two, the plot is weak. The main purpose of the film is not all together clear and the Justice Society just comes off as annoying Americans trying to save people who don’t want to be saved.
Next, the destruction in this film is astronomically high. To give you an example, Teth Adam destroys Adrianna’s apartment because he refuses to use doors when he’s moving from one room to another. It’s just flagrant destruction. The Justice Society’s presence doesn’t altogether make sense in the plot; other than to give Teth Adam an enemy until his real nemesis arrives.
Lastly, this film feels like one big rip-off of Marvel’s previously released content that’s been reconstituted to be in the DC style; which is not a good thing. Black Adam feels like a Middle Eastern version of Black Panther but way more destructive. The Justice Society is a riff off of X-Men, minus the balding mentor. Instead, they made up the Justice Society of DC’s version of Storm, Doctor Strange, Ant Man, and the Falcon.
The Good
The second half of this review will highlight some of the good qualities of Black Adam. First, the Justice Society is pretty interesting. So interesting that they need their own origin story to explain how they came to be. I would definitely watch that. Second, comparing the Justice Society in the DC Cinematic Universe and the Justice Society of Arrowverse, I prefer Hodge’s version of Hawkman. Again, he needs his own origin story.
Another good thing about the movie is its funny lines. There are parts of the film that are funny on purpose, so that’s a good thing. The soundtrack, generated by the stylings of Lorne Balfe has shades of other DC Cinematic Universe films like The Dark Knight). Lastly, the fight scenes, which are totally CGI generated are awesome. The detailing of each punch and kick is mesmerizing, which makes the expensive destruction in the film jaw-dropping in a good way; since the audience isn’t paying for damages.
Mixed Review
Before screening Black Adam I had heard that the movie was bad. But I prefer to make my own conclusions. Alas I have mixed feelings about this movie. On one hand, it’s not well-written and the plot has holes. On the other hand, I like seeing Aldis Hodge light up the screen. The question is: Is this film worth your money? I’m going to go with a “sure”. This will be more of a judge-for-yourself experiment. Once you watch the movie, please feel free to comment and let me know what you think.
Interested in other good and bad reviews from K. A. Grant? You can read more on her Entertainment Blog.
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