Review | Black Adam movie review: Dwayne Johnson plays the vengeance-fuelled antihero in DC Extended Universe’s latest effects-driven blockbuster
- Johnson brings charisma to his role as a vengeful superbeing freed from a crypt after 5,000 years only to face off against the Justice Society of America
- But the breathless pace of the film, the plethora of pixels and lack of a human dimension make it less compelling than its stablemate Shazam! from 2019
3/5 stars
There’s a moment in Black Adam where Dwayne Johnson’s eponymous antihero burns down a poster of Superman in a kid’s bedroom. The message is clear: the new guard are here.
The latest blockbuster in the DC Extended Universe, Black Adam does not just introduce Johnson’s vengeance-fuelled character, but also the JSA (the Justice Society of America). Called into action by Viola Davis’ sharp-tongued Amanda Waller, the JSA must stop Teth Adam, to give him his ancient name, when he’s released from a tomb after 5,000 years.
Leading the pack is the aerially gifted Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), who looks like a much leaner version of Brian Blessed in Flash Gordon.
Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), “a tornado with an IQ of 167”, controls the wind in a blur of rainbow colours. Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan) can see into the future and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) can change his molecular structure, making himself huge (echoing Ant-Man in the Avengers films).
Caught in the middle of this is Adrianna (Sarah Shahi), the widowed mother responsible for inadvertently unleashing Teth Adam during the search for an all-powerful crown.