Black Adam is the best thing about it. The new mega superhero film from DC takes place over a few days. At times, you can barely catch your breath, because the action and story are so propulsive. The fast pace leaves little room for director Jaume Collet-Serra to explore the many, many, themes, subplots, and characters packed into the film. Most of the emotional threads in Black Adam get lost in the explosions. A movie that is usually fun to watch ends up feeling messy because everything is rushed and half-explained.
An example can be found here. The title character, a former slave who is given special powers 5,000 years ago before being killed, is played by one of the biggest movie stars in the world. The film never calls him "Black Adam." Everyone refers to him as "Teth Adam" when he wakes up in modern times because of his name from the comic books. He finds himself in a world with a rich history and culture. Unless you know your comic book history, you won't be able to figure out what the main character is called in the film. It may sound like Death Adam or Tenth Adam. I heard a song called fifth Adam. The importance of the choice can be lost because of the sloppy execution of it. That's right, Black Adam.
That is an example of how Black Adam constantly swings and misses. Adrianna Tomaz is a character in the film that continues to unfold and develop over the course of the movie. She is a professor fighting for freedom with her brother, son, and a few friends, all of whom believe she has found the location of an evil crown. She's done that. Adrianna discovers a mythical being who was the champion of Kahndaq at one time.
After Adam is unleashed, he goes on a murder spree that lasts for the rest of the movie. There wasn't a joke. There are occasional breaks from about 10 minutes into the movie to the end. The Justice Society, a superhero team led by Hawkman, is asked to capture Adam by the damsel in distress. In order to confront Adam, Hawkman, Dr. Fate, and two brand new additions to the team, Cyclone and Atom Smasher, traveled to Kahndaq.
The film's best attribute is its propulsive nature. When the Justice Society arrives to fight Adam, he already has been fighting in ways that exploit and explore each hero's powers. Dr. Fate's ability to exist in multiple places is important to the overall plot. The control of wind and Hawkman's is less than it used to be. Even if the film treats them like toys to play with, they are still entertaining and unique to watch.
Black Adam touches upon several related themes when flying, punching, and explosions stop. The creation of Teth Adam can be traced back to the death of his son and the enemy he was fighting 5,000 years ago. There is a throughline about the Kahndaq people, how they are fighting for their freedom and how the city praises their violent champion. BlackAdam tries to pull at that thread. Adam is not afraid to kill. He does it for the right reasons, but he doesn't feel bad about it. It's an ethos that endseared him to his people, but puts him at odds with the Justice Society.
All of these things are thrown into the film at various times, but never have any real meaning. When the story seems ready to discuss violence or oppression, things shift to another topic. There are scenes with wildly out of place songs. The musical choices change the tone of the film and take you out of a moment of potential poignancy. Watching Adam demolish a city set to cool rock music is a lot of fun. The film is torn between exciting action set pieces and being about substance.
The film has a lot of tones and themes in it. As Adam, he plays his most serious character to date. You can't help but miss Johnson's charisma even though you have to understand the heart of this anti-hero. His solid performance feels a bit at odds with his larger-than-life personality. He was cast because he was awesome and the movie doesn't get made without him, but you also wonder if an actor less famous might have been a tad more believable, at the expense of the real-life muscles.
The members of the justice society have a better balance. Even Johnson had a run for his money on the best day of his life. When it is necessary, Brosnan goes for a more reserved performance than we are used to from him. The fact that Swindell and Centineo steal the film completely makes their characters feel tacked on and painfully hurt.
One of the solid non-superhero characters is Amon, the son of Adrianna. The film has two leads, one of which is Amon. He is the one who tells Teth Adam he needs a new name, he is the one who explains superhero slogans, and he is the one who injects much needed humor into his scenes. The setting of his bedroom for the film's most meta action scene adds to his utility. Black Adam doesn't work as well with Sabongui.
Black Adam is a movie that is made for people who don't want a lot of that. It has big loud special effects and good music and is a movie that focuses on Johnson. Black Adam delivered. It doesn't stand out in a sea of other superhero films because it's not about anything. The end credit scene is like a finalHail Mary attempt to give audiences something to talk about when they leave the theater. Black Adam is a good addition to the DC universe, but not the game-changing one it was looking for.
The movie Black Adam is opening on October 21.
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