Honestly, it seems like we’ve been bombarded with superhero films as of late and I might be getting overly critical of the cinema franchises.
I finally got a chance to see “Black Adam” over the weekend and found that my knowledge of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and comic series are woefully underdeveloped.
That being said, I’m still a bit annoyed that the powers that be didn’t just add Black Adam into the 2019 “Shazam!” film – even in a post-credits scene!
It certainly would have made more sense than introducing the character now.
I’m not even going to delve into all the DCEU rumors and gossip circulating in the online information sphere.
I felt like this film suffered from a weak storyline and a host of unknown characters that audience members had to identify or lower their expectations about.
Black Adam is a superhero film starring Dwayne Johnson as the titular DC Comics character.
The film is a spin-off of Shazam! (2019) and the 11th film in the DCEU.
The film is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani.
In addition to Johnson, the film stars Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell, Mohammed Amer, James Cusati-Moyer, Viola Davis, Bodhi Sabongui, and Pierce Brosnan.
It is produced by New Line Cinema, DC Films, Seven Bucks Productions, and FlynnPictureCo., and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
The film is 125 minutes long and rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, intense action, and some language.
In 2600 BC, the tyrannical King Ahk-Ton of Kahndaq (Kenzari) creates the Crown of Sabbac to attain great power.
After attempting to stage a revolt, a young slave boy is given the powers of Shazam by the Council of Wizards, transforming him into Kahndaq’s heroic champion, who kills Ahk-Ton and ends his reign.
In the present day, Kahndaq is oppressed by the Intergang, a mercenary organization.
As archaeologist and resistance fighter Adrianna Tomaz (Shashi) tries to locate the Crown of Sabbac with the help of her brother Karim (Amer) and their colleagues Samir (Moyer) and Ishmael (Kenzari).
As Adrianna obtains the crown, Intergang ambushes them and kills Samir, forcing Adrianna to read an incantation that awakens Teth-Adam (Johnson), whom she believes to be Kahndaq’s champion.
As he slaughters most of the Intergang troops, US government official Amanda Waller (Davis) deems Adam a threat and contacts the Justice Society to apprehend him.
Justice Society members Hawkman (Hodge), Doctor Fate (Brosnan), Cyclone (Swindell), and Atom Smasher (Centineo) arrive in time to stop Adam’s killing spree and explain to Adrianna that Adam was not an entombed savior, but an imprisoned madman.
Ishmael reveals himself as the leader of Intergang in Kahndaq and kidnaps Adrianna’s teenage son Amon (Sabongui), who has stolen and hidden the crown.
Adam, Adrianna, and the Justice Society find the crown and intend to trade it for Amon.
Upon reaching Ishmael, he reveals himself as the last descendant of King Ahk-Ton and wants his rightful place on the throne.
The pacing seems to drag on forever to get to the point, but things pick up significantly after Ismael makes his reveal.
Overall, the fight scenes and computer graphics are awesome, but the movie suffers from a few flaws.
But, hey, don’t take my word for it – check it out for yourself!
I do have to add that there is a post-credit scene that’s worth sticking around to catch.
