movie review of black adam

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra , and featuring a remarkable lead performance by Dwayne Johnson , the spiky and majestic “Black Adam” is one of the best DC superhero films to date. This tale of a gloomy, seemingly malevolent god who reappears in a long-occupied Middle Eastern nation rejects most of the choices that bland-ify even the good entries in the genre. For its first third, it presents its title character—a champion who challenged a despotic king thousands of years earlier—as a frightening and unknowable force with a bottomless appetite for destruction. Known by his ancient moniker Teth-Adam, his reemergence from a desert tomb proves both a miracle and a curse for people who prayed for someone to defend them against corporate-mercenary thugs who have oppressed them for decades and strip-mined their land.

Throughout the rest of its running time, “Black Adam” leans into the inevitability of Adam’s evolution toward good-guy status, condensing the transformation of the title character in the first two “Terminator” films (there are even comic bits where people try to teach Adam sarcasm and the Geneva Conventions). “Black Adam” then stirs in dollops of a macho sentimentality that used to be common in old Hollywood dramas about loners who needed to get involved in a cause to reset their moral compasses or recognize their worth. But the sharp edge that the film brings to the early parts of its story never dulls.

Adam initially seems as much of a literal as well as a figurative force of nature as Godzilla and other beasts in Japanese kaiju films. It’s initially hard for the people in Adam’s path to tell if he’s good, evil, or merely indifferent to human concerns. One thing’s for sure: everyone wants Adam to help them prevent a crown forged in hell and infused with the energy of six demons from being placed atop the head of someone in Intergang, a global corporate/mercenary consortium whose interests are represented by a two-faced charmer ( Marwan Kenzari ).

Decades ago, Humphrey Bogart played a lot of cynical men who insisted they weren’t interested in causes, then changed their minds and took up arms against corruption or tyranny. Viewers still love that story, and Johnson has updated it many times during his career, most recently in “ Jungle Cruise ,” in which he played a character modeled on Bogart’s riverboat captain in “The African Queen.” He channels vintage primordial acting by Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger but also poet-brute performances like Anthony Quinn’s strongman in “ La Strada ,” and infuses the totality with his unique charisma. “Black Adam” confirms that he’s studied the classics and cherry-picked bits that seem to work for him. There are even tenderhearted moments of regret and recrimination that seem inspired by 1950s moral awakening pictures like “ On the Waterfront .”

The latter are usually triggered by three “civilian” characters who appeal to Adam’s presumed innate (though submerged) goodness. One is Adrianna Tomaz ( Sarah Shahi ), a university professor, resistance fighter, and widow of a resistance hero who was killed by the colonizers. Another is Adrianna’s cheerful and indomitable son Amon ( Bodhi Sabongui ), who zips around the bombed-out city on a skateboard that seems to have as many secondary uses as a Swiss Army Knife. And then there’s Adrianna’s brother Amir (comedian Mohammed Amer), who livens up a standard-issue earthy everyman role.

Somehow, though, the script by Adam Sztykiel , Rory Haines , and Sohrab Noshirvani resists the temptation to wallow in unearned sentiment. Nor does the movie insist, despite the evidence, that Adam and the superheroes brought into to confront him ( Aldis Hodge ’s Hawkman, Noah Centineo ’s Atom Smasher, Quintessa Swindell ’s wind-manipulating Cyclone, and Pierce Brosnan ’s dimension-hopping and clairvoyant Dr. Fate) are wonderful people who have pure motives and always mean well. In conversations about motivations and tactics, nobody is entirely right or wrong. The movie’s edge comes from its determination to live in moral gray areas as long as it can.

It also comes from the violence, which is presented as the inevitable result of the characters’ personalities, ambitions, and duties, rather than being associated with any particular code or philosophy. That framing, plus the sprays of blood and images of people being impaled, shot, and crushed, pushes the movie’s PG-13 rating to the breaking point like “ Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ” and “ Gremlins ” did with the PG rating nearly 40 years earlier. There were several walkouts at the “Black Adam” screening this writer attended, and in every case, it was somebody who brought a child under 10.

In fairness, they may not have expected the movie to begin with a flashback that climaxes with a slave at a construction site getting gut-stabbed and thrown off a cliff, and a boy being threatened with beheading, or for the title character to obliterate an army with electrical bolts and his bare hands seconds after his first appearance. Nearly every other scene—including expository dialogue exchanges—is set against the backdrop of a chaotic city whose residents have been hardened not just by the occupation, but by the catastrophes that are unleashed whenever super-beings clash, which ties into recurring scenes and dialogue about what it means for a small country to be invaded and occupied by outsiders who set their own rules and are indifferent to daily life on the ground.

Film history buffs might note the studio that originated the project: the Warner Bros. subdivision New Line. It rose to prominence with horror films, grew by releasing auteur-driven, down-and-dirty genre pieces and dramas (including “ Menace II Society ” and “ Deep Cover ”), and got into blockbusters with the original “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. You can see that lineage reflected in many scenes and sequences of this film, which is PG-13 in fact but R in spirit. “Black Adam” immediately announces what sort of film it is by weaving in quotes from the Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black” (the melody of which is referenced in Lorne Balfe ’s score) and musical as well as visual snippets from “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly”—key works from artists whose best work invites you to root for people who move through their worlds like threshers.

The film’s director honed his mayhem chops in horror movies, then in R-rated thrillers in which Liam Neeson brutally dispatches adversaries. Collet-Serra makes a PG-13 film feel like an R by cutting away or jumping back from the nastiest violence, but letting us hear it (or imagine it when people watch from a great distance). He also does it by insisting, through actions as well as dialogue, that individuals, even superhuman ones, do things for multiple, often contradictory reasons. (A boy’s bedroom is filled with superhero posters and comics, and when a “good guy” and Adam fight in there, they burn and tear through DC’s most recognizable icons in a way that rhymes with scenes of the city’s historic monuments being toppled or pulverized.)

Fidelity to basic film storytelling keeps “Black Adam” centered even when it’s doing ten things at once. The film is packed with foreshadowings, setups, payoffs, twists, and surprises, and is filled with well-defined lead and supporting characters. One standout is Brosnan, who delivers a moving portrait of an immortal who is tired of seeing the future and thinking back on his past. Dr. Fate looks at those who can live in the present with a mixture of melancholy, wisdom, and envy.

Another is Johnson, who has real acting chops but in recent years has often seemed to be constrained (maybe intimidated?) by his lucrative image as the people’s colossus. He’s as minimalist as one could be when playing a god. He takes a lot of his cues from the screen star that the film quotes most often, Clint Eastwood , but he also seems to have learned from action-hero performances by stars like Neeson, Toshiro Mifune , Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Charles Bronson , who understood that the camera can detect and amplify faint tremors of emotion as long as you act with the film—not just in it, and never against it. The peak is a fleeting moment when Johnson lets us know that something deep inside Adam has changed by glancing in a different direction and softening his features. It’s maybe half a second. It’s not the kind of acting that wins prizes because if it’s done well—as it is here—you feel as if it happened in your mind rather than on the screen.

The politics and spirituality of the movie are just as committed and consistent. Even when the story flirts with Orientalism or incorporates simplistic Western heaven-and-hell imagery, “Black Adam” never loses track of what Adam represents in our world: autonomy, liberation, the possibility of redemption and renewal, and a refusal to be defined by however things have always been done.

The result sometimes plays like the DC answer to the pop culture quake that was “ Black Panther ,” serving up a Middle Eastern-inflected version of the Marvel film’s Afro-Futurist sensibility, and letting its setting stand in for any place that was colonized. But its politics are more clearly defined and less compromised. “Black Adam” is staunchly anti-imperialist to its marrow, even equating the Avengers-like crew sent to capture and imprison Black Adam to a United Nations “intervention” force that the people of the region don’t want because it only makes things worse. The movie is anti-royalist, too, which is even more of a surprise considering that the backstory hinges on kings and lineage.

“Black Adam” is a superlative and clever example of this sort of movie, coloring within the lines while drawing fascinating doodles on the margins. In its brash, relentless, overscaled way, Collet-Serra’s film respects its audience and wants to be respected by it. “Black Adam” gives the audience everything they wanted, along with things they never expected.

Only in theaters today.

Matt Zoller Seitz

Matt Zoller Seitz is the Editor-at-Large of RogerEbert.com, TV critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.com, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism.

Dwayne Johnson as Teth Adam / Black Adam
Aldis Hodge as Carter Hall / Hawkman
Pierce Brosnan as Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate
Noah Centineo as Al Rothstein / Atom Smasher
Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz / Isis
Marwan Kenzari as Ishmael Gregor / Sabbac
Quintessa Swindell as Maxine Hunkel / Cyclone
Bodhi Sabongui as Amon Tomaz
Viola Davis as Amanda Waller
Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt
Mo Amer as Karim
Adam Sztykiel
Rory Haines
Sohrab Noshirvani

Writer (based on the characters created by)

Bill Parker
Jaume Collet-Serra
Michael L. Sale

Cinematographer

Lawrence Sher
Lorne Balfe

Now playing.

The Fire Inside

Sonic the Hedgehog 3

The Six Triple Eight

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Room Next Door

The Brutalist

Mufasa: The Lion King

September 5

The Last Showgirl

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

Process the Environment: Rachel Morrison on “The Fire Inside”

It’s Time to Give a FECK: Elevating Humanity through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion and Kindness (book by Chaz Ebert, with Foreword by Tamron Hall)

The Great Performances of 2024, Part Two

The Great Performances of 2024, Part One

The best movie reviews, in your inbox.

We sent an email to [email protected]

Didn't you get the email?

By joining, you agree to the Terms and Policies and Privacy Policy and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Upcoming Movies and TV shows
Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

About Rotten Tomatoes®
Login/signup

Movies in theaters

Opening This Week
Top Box Office
Coming Soon to Theaters
Certified Fresh Movies

Movies at Home

Fandango at Home
Prime Video
Most Popular Streaming Movies
What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

88% Nosferatu Link to Nosferatu
82% Babygirl Link to Babygirl
77% A Complete Unknown Link to A Complete Unknown

New TV Tonight

88% What If...?: Season 3
-- Squid Game: Season 2
86% Doctor Who: Season 1.1
-- Call the Midwife: Season 13.1
-- Queen Woo: Season 1
-- Maestro in Blue: Season 3
-- The Flipping El Moussas: Season 2

Black Adam Reviews

Black Adam excels at being a popcorn film, one with stellar action and visuals

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 29, 2024

There’s some fun to be had, but it is mediocre at best.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 25, 2024

While Black Adam‘s scattered script doesn’t do its characters and story full justice, the characters, visuals, and hilarious yet heartfelt moments ensure that you’ll still have a fun time.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Jul 7, 2024

One of the most notable issues with Johnson as an actor is his constant mugging for the camera.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Oct 5, 2023

Dwayne Johnson saves the day, despite some hiccups.

Full Review | Oct 4, 2023

Black Adam is clearly a major passion project for the Rock, and he clearly wanted to go for something of a more dramatic role, but it doesn't always feel like the film is making the best use of his talents.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 17, 2023

The cast’s chemistry and running jokes help rescue an otherwise formulaic action film. Brosnan’s elegant performance stands out, and the post-credits scene will leave moviegoers begging for a sequel.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Aug 16, 2023

Tiresomely heavy exposition, story with little to no creativity, and inconsistent humor make it impossible for the DCEU to take "the next step" in a truly impactful manner.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Jul 25, 2023

A misunderstood epic kick off to the next era of the DC UNIVERSE. Visceral & Intense action scenes create such a kinetic time that I loved. @TheRock completely became Black Adam & added much needed mythology to the word SHAZAM.

Full Review | Jul 25, 2023

Black Adam is an action-driven film that knows it is in service of the fans, which means plenty of spectacle and a focus on entertainment with a capital E, for better and worse.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 21, 2023

Black Adam compensates for the copious amounts of expository dialogue with copious amounts of action and spectacle. Dwayne Johnson’s entry as the titular character is fantastic. There’s visual comedy. It is quite barbaric.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 20, 2023

Sabbac's late-stage introduction in Black Adam does not justify the ill timing of his arrival. It only strains an already-thin plot.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Feb 23, 2023

It is NOT all doom and gloom, thankfully. It has a tongue placed firmly in its cheek and a sly sense of humor, never allowing the movie to get too light or dark; just the right amount of entertainment and humor. The Rock gets to let loose.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Feb 19, 2023

I thought it was enjoyable and a different take on the superhero genre. But given everything happening in DC with James Gunn, this story is pretty much irrelevant.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jan 29, 2023

This is my least favorite superhero movie in recent memory. I'm hoping "The Rock" will choose projects that truly challenge him as an actor and that go beyond cliche action set pieces and poor character development.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Jan 29, 2023

Maybe there was a coherent film being developed at some point, but those days are long gone.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/10 | Jan 20, 2023

While DC might have produced the best superhero saga of 2022 with The Batman (take that, Marvel!), it was also responsible for the worst with Black Adam (take that, DC!).

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jan 14, 2023

Big, loud, and full of energy. Absolutely nothing that you're going to remember after a couple of days, but it does go down easy and is very watchable.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 14, 2023

To do both characters of Shazam and Black Adam justice, they needed their own separate films with separate tones. We finally have that Black Adam movie, which is just as brutal and action packed as the Rock has always promised. ... I had a blast.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 5, 2023

It is obvious why Johnson was cast in the title role. He is a HUGE box office draw, can portray an extremely menacing character, and would be believable as an ancient superhero.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jan 2, 2023

Warner Bros. Pictures Germany

Summary Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient gods—and imprisoned just as quickly—Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.

Directed By : Jaume Collet-Serra

Written By : Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani, Bill Parker

Where to Watch

Dwayne Johnson

Black adam, teth adam, aldis hodge, hawkman, carter hall, pierce brosnan, dr. fate, kent nelson, noah centineo, atom smasher, al rothstein, sarah shahi, adrianna tomaz, quintessa swindell, cyclone, maxine hunkel, marwan kenzari, ishmael, sabbac, king ahk-ton, bodhi sabongui, mohammed amer, james cusati-moyer, jalon christian, benjamin patterson, skinny teth adam, odelya halevi, uli latukefu, the champion, jennifer holland, emilia harcourt, henry winkler, chaim jeraffi, mrs. farmer, stephan jones, a. manuel 'manny' miranda, ancient mine soldier, critic reviews.

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

User Reviews

Related movies, seven samurai, the wild bunch, crouching tiger, hidden dragon, the french connection, mad max: fury road, the incredibles, star wars: episode iv - a new hope, house of flying daggers, assault on precinct 13, gangs of wasseypur, captain blood, foreign correspondent, letters from iwo jima, black panther, wolfwalkers, related news.

2025 Movie Release Calendar

Jason dietz.

Find a schedule of release dates for every movie coming to theaters, VOD, and streaming throughout 2025 and beyond, updated daily.

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

Find a list of new movie and TV releases on DVD and Blu-ray (updated weekly) as well as a calendar of upcoming releases on home video.

The Worst Movies of 2024

We rank the lowest-scoring films released in 2024.

December 2024 Movie Preview

Keith kimbell.

The month ahead will bring a new Robert Eggers horror film, likely Oscar contender The Brutalist, a Lion King sequel, a Bob Dylan biopic, and more. Get details on these and all of the other notable films debuting this month.

The 15 Best Ridley Scott Movies

We rank the highest-scoring films directed by Ridley Scott from throughout his entire career.

Trending on RT

Black Adam First Reviews: Action-Packed and Powered by a Charismatic Dwayne Johnson

Critics say the film suffers from a villain problem and a lackluster script, but a scene-stealing pierce brosnan, lots of action, and the hint of something new in the dceu powers it forward..

TAGGED AS: dceu , First Reviews , movies

Almost 15 years after Dwayne Johnson first announced interest in playing the character, he finally makes his debut as Black Adam in the DCEU this week. But is the movie, eponymously titled Black Adam , worth the wait, the promise, and the anticipation? The first reviews of the superhero spectacle are mixed, but those that get what the movie is and who it’s for praise the positives enough to disregard any shortcomings.

Here’s what critics are saying about Black Adam :

Does it live up to expectations?

Johnson has been attached to the Black Adam role for nearly two decades… His love for the DC Universe shines through the film and his passion pays off well throughout. – Sheraz Farooqi, Cinema Debate

Those who have been waiting for this adaptation long since Johnson first expressed interest back in 2007 will not walk away disappointed. – Ben Rolph, Discussing Film

If The Rock smashing more things than he usually can as human characters sounds like a good time, Black Adam delivers. – Fred Topel, United Press International

Given the number of years this project was in development, and how it was promoted to shift the balance of power in the DC Universe, it’s disappointing that the end result is so unremarkable. – Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend

How well does it fit into the DCEU?

Black Adam isn’t a full-on course correction for the DCEU, but it is an encouraging new installment in this larger universe. – Ross Bonaime, Collider

Black Adam feels like the first project in years to take from multiple parts of this universe while also focusing on setting up something big for its future. – Gregg Katzman, CBR

Though we’ve prayed DC would move on, there are more than echoes of the Snyderverse here. – John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter

A strong entry into the DCEU. – Sheraz Farooqi, Cinema Debate

As much as Black Adam is a darker take on Shazam, it also repeats the missteps of lesser DC movies. – Fred Topel, United Press International

It’s not awful, especially when compared to many of the other DCEU films, but it’s far from the game-changer it claims to be. – Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire

Does it feel like any other movies?

The film plays like 2018’s Venom in multiple ways, focusing on brutal action sequences and a mixed tone of dark moments and humor. – Sheraz Farooqi, Cinema Debate

The movie is essentially Shane on steroids, set in the Middle East instead of the Old West. – Peter Debruge, Variety

One movie that’s clearly a model for Black Adam is Terminator 2: Judgment Day . – Chris Bumbray, JoBlo’s Movie Network

(Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures)

How is The Rock as Black Adam?

The Rock delivers one of his best performances. He put his heart and soul into this role. – Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

An absolutely terrific performance by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, [the movie allows] him to flex his trademark muscular showmanship and combine that with character-driven appeal. – Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction

Johnson keeps up his enchanting screen presence as he lands old-fashioned one-liners and brutal action all with complete passion. – Ben Rolph, Discussing Film

Johnson also breathes just enough emotion and empathy into the character. – Gregg Katzman, CBR

Johnson is grandiose as Black Adam, leaving his charismatic movie star stamp in every scene. This is perfect casting from more than a physical standpoint. – Jeff Nelson, Showbiz Cheat Sheet

No matter what one might think about this Black Adam movie as a whole, The Rock grabs your attention and keeps it no matter what he’s doing. Johnson is the man. – Todd McCarthy, Deadline Hollywood Daily

His charisma and brooding stares can only take the film so far. – Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire

Black Adam is perfect for Johnson’s action-figure frame. He just deserves a better first superhero outing than this. – Brian Truitt, USA Today

The problem isn’t that Johnson can’t act — he definitely can! — the problem is that he doesn’t want to. – David Ehrlich, IndieWire

What about the Justice Society?

The Justice Society of America nearly steal the movie right from underneath [Johnson] as the film gives them a satisfactory introduction, leaving us wanting more from all of them by the end. – Matt Neglia, Next Best Picture

Aldis Hodge and Pierce Brosnan’s portrayals of Hawkman and Doctor Fate are both equally brilliant. – Ben Rolph, Discussing Film

Brosnan is a natural in the role of Fate and it’s a wonder how no one tapped on his talents sooner for a superhero role. Hodge is just as great in the film. – Sheraz Farooqi, Cinema Debate

Pierce Brosnan [is] the standout, even if his character reads like a second-rate Doctor Strange. – Peter Debruge, Variety

Brosnan steals every scene he’s a part of, and the actor is brimming with charisma. – Ross Bonaime, Collider

On the whole, members of the JSA are dealt short shrift, leaving [them] severely underdeveloped. – Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction

Noah Centineo and Quintessa Swindell’s Atom Smasher and Cyclone feel like they stumbled in from another movie. – Chris Bumbray, JoBlo’s Movie Network

Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher in Black Adam (2022)

(Photo by ©Warner Bros.)

How is the action?

Black Adam features a lot more action than most DC movies. – Peter Debruge, Variety

The visual spectacle just keeps coming at you for two hours, and the effects are all so stupendous that you could begin to take it for granted. – Todd McCarthy, Deadline Hollywood Daily

This movie is packed with action. When we say that, we mean it is pretty much non-stop action for the entire movie. – Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

Every fight sequence packs a punch, and the film gets extra creative when utilizing Doctor Fate’s powers. – Ben Rolph, Discussing Film

Collet-Serra manages to make these action scenes exciting in everything from Adam wiping out large armies to a hand-on-hand fight through an apartment with Hawkman. – Ross Bonaime, Collider

There is no wit, no thrill, and no slickness to the action. – Witney Seibold, Slashfilm

Does the film have a worthy villain?

The villain doesn’t do much of anything except provide us with a pretty cool battle, so we will take it — reluctantly. – Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

Unfortunately, there isn’t much depth to the big bad, and he’s ultimately there to offer a ton of action in the final act. – Gregg Katzman, CBR

It’s just a shame that the main villain isn’t stronger here because it does overshadow some of the bombastic action on display. – Ben Rolph, Discussing Film

The single most forgettable villain in comic book movie history. – David Ehrlich, IndieWire

Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam in Black Adam (2022)

How is the script?

The screenplay is so action-orientated that it almost completely leaves out the necessary room for characters to breathe. – Ben Rolph, Discussing Film

The script of Black Adam is arguably the weakest part of the film. Character arcs can feel paper-thin and predictable. – Sheraz Farooqi, Cinema Debate

The character development is shallow. – Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend

The script does little to help non-DC-scholars here, briefly alluding to nanobots and relics and the Justice Society of America as if other movies had introduced them already. – John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter

Does the movie get political?

The picture’s overarching themes – dealing with colonialism and our desperate need for heroes to speak out against tyranny during bleak times – are affecting and effectively crafted. – Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction

There’s enough complexity in the post-colonial politics of Kahndaq to engage adults. – Peter Debruge, Variety

It’s an interesting setup: American “heroes” coming to a foreign country to stop the local hero from protecting the citizens. But if you’re hoping Black Adam will get into the complexities of that, this is not that movie. – Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy

Moviegoers may have trouble finding escapist pleasure here, given the knotty global issues the movie raises but doesn’t fully process. – John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter

Will we leave feeling hopeful for the DCEU?

Black Adam will help DC fans restore their faith in the DCEU. – Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

Black Adam might not change things single-handedly, but it certainly feels like the start of a new era of DC movies. – Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy

What it sets up for the future of the DCEU is exciting and not to be overlooked. – Ben Rolph, Discussing Film

The film’s whole purpose is to give Black Adam a suitably grand introduction on the assumption that he’ll be pitted against a more deserving adversary soon enough. – Peter Debruge, Variety

Perhaps this is a new way forward for the DCEU, but do we really need them to do exactly what the MCU is doing? – Chris Bumbray, JoBlo’s Movie Network

Black Adam opens everywhere on October 21, 2022.

On an Apple device? Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Apple News .

Related News

Weekend Box Office: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Speeds to Pre-Holiday Weekend Win

All 22 Disney Live-Action Remakes Ranked

100 Best Movies on HBO and MAX (December 2024)

Renewed and Cancelled TV Shows 2024

Upcoming Video Game Movies and TV Adaptations

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 First Reviews: Come for Sonic and Shadow, Stay for Deranged Jim Carrey

Movie & TV News

Featured on rt.

December 23, 2024

30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming

54 Video Game Movies Ranked (with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 )

Top Headlines

30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming –
54 Video Game Movies Ranked (with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 ) –
25 Most Popular TV Shows Right Now: What to Watch on Streaming –
All 22 Disney Live-Action Remakes Ranked –
Box Office 2024: Top 10 Movies of the Year –
Best Movies of 2024: Best New Movies to Watch Now –

an image, when javascript is unavailable

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

‘black adam’ review: dwayne johnson’s charisma carries a morally muddy superhero flick.

The star brings Shazam's maybe-nemesis to the screen in director Jaume Collet-Serra's DC debut, costarring Aldis Hodge and Pierce Brosnan.

By John DeFore

John DeFore

Share on Facebook
Share to Flipboard
Send an Email
Show additional share options
Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest
Share on Reddit
Share on Tumblr
Share on Whats App
Print the Article
Post a Comment

Full credits

Thr newsletters.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Álex de la iglesia and carolina bang’s pokeepsie films turns 10, ‘a simple favor’ director paul feig shows support for blake lively: “she truly did not deserve any of this smear campaign against her”, art evans, ‘die hard 2’ and ‘a soldier’s story’ actor, dies at 82, joe alwyn explains ‘the brutalist’ ending and that trump-esque invincibility: “it makes me angry”, box office: ‘sonic 3’ bounds over the hedge with $62m opening, ‘mufasa’ limps to $35m, justin baldoni dropped from wme after blake lively files complaint accusing him of sexual harassment.

Black Adam Review

The DC Film universe has, for nearly a decade now, been pinballing between the lightness of Shazam! or Wonder Woman and the grim violence of Batman v Superman . With Black Adam , Dwayne Johnson and director Jaume Collet-Serra attempt to offer a grand unified theory of DC, mixing family-film tropes with a protagonist who straight-up murders people. The result is sometimes a mess, but it’s a generally entertaining one.

As is traditional, a complicated prologue set in 2600 BCE introduces a superpowered hero who then disappears. Cut to the present day, and the vaguely scholarly freedom fighter Adrianna ( Sarah Shahi ) goes to visit an ancient tomb (as is also traditional). She reads out an inscription and whaddya know, lightning strikes to release Teth-Adam (Dwayne Johnson) to battle the enemies who threaten her, and their shared homeland of Kahndaq. Adam is so powerful, however, that soon Viola Davis ’ Amanda Waller gets the Justice Society involved. They’re led by flying fighter Hawkman ( Aldis Hodge ) and magic user Doctor Fate ( Pierce Brosnan ), who bring newbies Atom Smasher ( Noah Centineo ) and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) to stop this new threat.

There’s never much doubt where all this is going. Black Adam clearly isn’t that bad, given how he bonds with Adrianna (a largely undeveloped character) and her likeable son Amon (Bodhi Sabongui). And the Justice Society, while rightly accused of only caring about Kahndaq’s plight when a superpowered being arises there, are clearly well-meaning. There’s obviously going to be a greater threat to come. But first Collet-Sera stages some fun, destructive action scenes to allow Adam and the Justice Society to strut their stuff in. Brosnan’s a standout: his powers are extremely Doctor Strange-y, down to the glass-shattering of reality, but he has a fatalistic sense of the future and a lightness of touch that feels fresh. The film also wisely doesn’t pretend that Black Adam is ever in much danger: it’s only a question of how angry he gets, and who's hit in the crossfire.

The film’s greatest strength, which runs like a current through it, is the sense that superpowers can be terrifying.

Still, that weird contradiction remains: Johnson, Collet-Serra and their team want edge, but without alienating family audiences. So you get massive action scenes without any obvious civilian casualties, and godlike powers without consequence. It’s all nicely shot in low-lying sun and dusty vistas, but it suffers from the weightlessness that gives superhero movies their bad name: great power, no responsibility.

The film’s greatest strength, which runs like a current through it, is the sense that superpowers can be terrifying. Johnson, far stiller and more stony-faced than usual, shows a sort of bemused amorality, and his killing of bad guys seems as natural as breathing during his impressive introductory scenes. The idea of a superhuman who fights for his oppressed people is also a solid one, and an interesting challenge to the usual small-c conservative superheroes who just save a few individuals from baddies. Black Adam may not make his world better, not yet, but he shows the potential to shake up the DC Universe in ways that may yet succeed in uniting its disparate elements.

Movies | 21 06 2023

Movies | 09 09 2022

Movies | 02 08 2022

Movies | 27 07 2022

Movies | 08 06 2022

Movies | 31 08 2021

Movies | 06 06 2021

Movies | 24 05 2021

Search Please fill out this field.
Newsletters
Sweepstakes
Movie Reviews

Black Adam review: New superheroes and villains rise, but the slog remains the same

The DCEU expands with its B team, promoted to an underwhelming movie of its own.

Senior Editor, Movies

Being steeped in comics lore is a very different thing than being emotionally invested in a movie. Suffice to say, there are people — many people — who have been anticipating a Black Adam spinoff for years. But apart from a fleeting end-credits scene which we won't spoil here, none of the film's DC Comics-derived characters, major or minor, will be recognizable to nonfans. The fact that they haven't gotten franchises of their own speaks not to unearthed gold but the restless, insatiable appetite of today's superhero industrial complex (a phrase actually uttered in Black Adam 's dialogue), now moving onto the crumbs. It's a bit like wandering into another family's heated domestic argument already in progress.

If you just go with it, though, you'll get a pre-chewed experience that's vaguely familiar and generic, but with a subversive zag or two that shouldn't be discounted. Black Adam (now in theaters) begins with a breathless, boy-narrated rush through thousands of years of history sketching the fictional Middle Eastern country of Kahndaq; before your eyes glaze over, the takeaways are: oppressed slaves, glowing blue crown of power, a hero will rise, etc. Today's Kahndaq — sun-blasted, overcrowded, specked with military checkpoints and British-accented soldiers — indicates the anti-colonialist movie that Black Adam sometimes gestures at (as forcefully as a multimillion-dollar product from a global media conglomerate can).

When that hero does rise, floating ominously above the city, he's Teth-Adam ( Dwayne Johnson ), immortal, accidentally freed from his prison tomb, and not hip to today's morality, never mind its wokeness. Johnson has gone on record about his longtime obsession with the character, yet, in a paradox more interesting than the movie itself, he's distinctly unsuited for the role, despite his build. As an actor, the Rock has been not merely serviceable but terrific in parts that lean on his speed and slyness. ( Michael Bay , of all people, got something subtle out of him in 2013's underrated Pain & Gain .) "Glower!" you'll yell at the screen, but Johnson's not the glowering type.

The viciousness feels unearned; Black Adam bends over backward to link its antihero to Clint Eastwood's iconic Man with No Name, but apart from a few flashes of PG-13 gore (signature-free Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra grasps for the vibe of Terminator 2: Judgment Day ), the film is unusually toothless. It doesn't help that the plot brings on a whole host of nobodies — Doctor Fate! ( Pierce Brosnan ), Cyclone! ( Quintessa Swindell ), Atom Smasher! ( Noah Centineo ), Hawkman! ( Aldis Hodge ) — all of them bent on trying to take down the one mildly interesting presence in the film. Black Adam is what happens when artists say they want to go dark but don't really have the stomach for it. Cue scenes of humorless mid-air wrestling, shake vigorously, wait for the sequel. Grade: C+

User reviews

Pierce Brosnan, Aldis Hodge, Dwayne Johnson, Sarah Shahi, and Noah Centineo in Black Adam (2022)

Dec 17, 2022

Fun entertaining anti-hero DC movie starring Dwayne Johnson; Pierce Brosnan shines as Doctor Fate

ObsessiveCinemaDisorder
Oct 27, 2022
MackMonMay87
Nov 9, 2022

Never seen a movie so bad that I still enjoyed...

Oct 22, 2022

Visually stunning DC film has lots of action violence, some laughs and an outstanding cast

Oct 18, 2022

It's okay

PaperCoffins

I was shocked by how much I disliked Black Adam.

Oct 20, 2022

It was surprisingly fun!

john_ting_li

A fun and action packed superhero journey.

A disappointing film, it's been awhile since a movie is not rushed and still enjoyable. "black adam".

nabeel-40851

Fast paced action and kinda fun

namob-43673
Oct 21, 2022

Laughably bad

StantonDrew
Nov 16, 2022

Really fun superhero movie

Numb by the numbers ai-generated plot and concept.

Fluke_Skywalker
Jan 5, 2023

A good and fun superhero movie

I just liked the black adam film.

migellepatterson

Disappointing

Nov 12, 2022

Black Adam Is Not Perfect But It's Still Great, It's Still Fun, It's Still Fascinating, It's Still Exciting, And I Enjoy The Hell Out Of It

HabibieHakim123
Oct 19, 2022

Flawed but pretty good and mostly fun

Black adam: pretty much spot on what i expected.

They were competing against the vastly superior MCU
They cast people who just weren't committed to the long term project
Multiple backstage dramas and controversies
Sketchy inconsistent writing and simply too many unengaging movies
Platypuschow
Apr 17, 2024

Unnaturally written with slight hint of entertainment

Oct 24, 2022

The Rock's Power Fantasy

More from this title, more to explore, recently viewed.

IMAGES

Movie Review
Film review: Black Adam
BLACK ADAM
Black Adam: Who is he in the comics? Cast, trailer and release date
Movie Review : Black Adam
Black Adam: Movie Review and Analysis

COMMENTS

Black Adam movie review & film summary (2022) | Roger Ebert
Oct 21, 2022 · The movie is anti-royalist, too, which is even more of a surprise considering that the backstory hinges on kings and lineage. “Black Adam” is a superlative and clever example of this sort of movie, coloring within the lines while drawing fascinating doodles on the margins.
Black Adam - Rotten Tomatoes
Rated: 1.5/5 Oct 27, 2022 Full Review Branyan Towe Loud and Clear Reviews Black Adam excels at being a popcorn film, one with stellar action and visuals Rated: 3.5/5 Jul 29, 2024 Full ...
Black Adam - Movie Reviews - Rotten Tomatoes
Black Adam excels at being a popcorn film, one with stellar action and visuals. Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 29, 2024. Brittany Patrice Witherspoon ...
Black Adam Reviews - Metacritic
Oct 21, 2022 · Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient gods—and imprisoned just as quickly—Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
Black Adam First Reviews: Action-Packed and Powered by a ...
Oct 18, 2022 · Almost 15 years after Dwayne Johnson first announced interest in playing the character, he finally makes his debut as Black Adam in the DCEU this week. But is the movie, eponymously titled Black Adam, worth the wait, the promise, and the anticipation? The first reviews of the superhero spectacle are mixed, but those that get what the movie is ...
Black Adam Review - IGN
Our review for Black Adam details how the DC anti-hero's big screen debut suffers from far too many issues that other modern superhero movies have already solved.
'Black Adam' Review: Dwayne Johnson's in Morally Muddy ...
Oct 18, 2022 · A superhero movie in which a likely presidential candidate shows how satisfying it is to wield overwhelming force when nobody’s strong enough to challenge you, Jaume Collet-Serra‘s Black Adam ...
Black Adam Review | Empire Online
Oct 18, 2022 · With Black Adam, Dwayne Johnson and director Jaume Collet-Serra attempt to offer a grand unified theory of DC, mixing family-film tropes with a protagonist who straight-up murders people. The ...
Black Adam review: New superheroes but the slog remains the same
Oct 21, 2022 · The viciousness feels unearned; Black Adam bends over backward to link its antihero to Clint Eastwood's iconic Man with No Name, but apart from a few flashes of PG-13 gore (signature-free Spanish ...
Black Adam (2022) - User reviews - IMDb
While Black Adam isn't a groundbreaking top-tier superhero film, it is an entertaining superhero movie that makes it up with the charm from star Dwayne Johnson as an anti-hero and guilty pleasures including non-stop action, irreverent humor and a high kill count.