‘Black Adam’: Cast & Crew
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell, Pierce Brosnan
Available On: BookMyShow Stream
Duration: 2 Hours 4 Minutes
‘Black Adam’: Story
In ancient Kahndaq, the slave Teth Adam was gifted the almighty powers of the gods. But he used those powers for vengeance and was imprisoned. Now, 5,000 years later, he is freed and once again wields his dark sense of justice onto the world. Refusing to surrender, Teth Adam is challenged by a team of modern-day heroes known as the Justice Society—Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Atom Smasher and Cyclone—who seek to return him to eternal captivity. Will they be able to do so? Or will Teth Adam end up getting the better out of the Justice Society? Will Teth Adam end up redeeming himself of the crimes that he had committed in the past? Well, for all that you’ll have to watch the movie.
‘Black Adam’: Performances
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’ is in top form. There have been times when the actor has been accused of not being too expressive or emotional in his characters, but this character is very well poised between emotional and an action avatar. The actor carries the entire weight of the film solely on his shoulders and is a delight to watch in the action sequences.
Noah Centineo, despite having the least screentime of the superheroes, is quite a fun watch. The way he brings forth a new budding superhero who is just starting up in his career, is befuddled and is making mistakes and getting punished by his seniors, is brilliant to watch. Those sequences, if extended could have brought in the much-needed fun element into the movie.
None of the other supporting cast is worthy enough of a mention. The likes of Aldis Hodge and Pierce Brosnan have been wasted to a high degree. The way they’ve been demeaned as superheroes doesn’t bring out the necessary pathos needed from the audience.
Just like in ‘Justice League’, even in ‘Black Adam’, Henry Cavill as Superman saves the film. His cameo at the end credits gets more cheer than the entire film. His return was predicted and much talked about, and audiences are hoping to see more of Henry Cavill as Superman.
‘Black Adam’: Direction, Script & Technical Aspects
Jaume Collet-Serra’s direction depends heavily on the brilliant visual effects and the terrific action sequences. There is barely too much happening outside the vicinity of the make-believe city of Kahndaq. Therefore, despite being a superhero movie, it doesn’t end up seeming like a global presentation.
Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani’s writing is the soft spot of the movie. There are numerous places where you’re left wondering about the back story, not of Teth Adam but of the city of Kahndaq. Why was it occupied by the military? And baring aside the few military personnel who were checking people’s cars at the entry posts, why wasn't there any other form of the military when such heavy action sequences are happening, even so, if it was between the superheroes? If we look at ‘Man Of Steel’, the army played an immense role in it. Sadly, that was missing in ‘Black Adam’. To add to that, the writers couldn’t tap into the funny side of Dwayne Johnson at all. He is excellent when doing comedy, but the few times when he is actually trying to attempt a bit of comedy, with one-liners, the jokes fall flat. That’s another area where Marvel movies excel so much more than DC movies. Despite being fully-loaded action films, the Marvel movies always have a sense of fun and comic element which keeps the mood light and fun for the viewers.
The visual effects were impeccable. The presentation is heavily laden with visual effects, and it doesn’t disappoint even a bit. From the lightning steaks to the dark underworld sequences, all were brought out beautifully.
Lawrence Sher’s cinematography could have done away with the specific filter used throughout the film, just to make it look like a set-up in the middle east. The entire contouring and saturation of the shots could have been kept natural and that would have in itself got the entire presentation look more global, and not just a location-specific story. To add to that, there was an entire staircase sequence which wasn’t so well-lit that every aspect of the scene could be felt. It was too dark at times to even comprehend who was killing whom.
Michael L. Sale and John Lee’s editing could have done away with a few of the unnecessary subplots and made the 2-hour 4-minute duration a bit more filled with some relevant backstories.
‘Black Adam’: Can Kids Watch It?
Yes
Outlook’s Verdict
‘Black Adam’ is without a doubt one of the weakest of the DC films. Just because of Dwayne Johnson, and the Henry Cavill cameo, the presentation is watchable. Otherwise, the entire film lacks heavily in story, subplot and context to the other films in the DC universe. Despite its flaws, it's still an Average Watch. I am going with 2.5 stars.
