Black Adam (2022)

Recent box office numbers have shown that the superhero genre is not the reliable cash cow it once was. Marvel and DC, the biggest players on the superhero movie game board, have seen revenues slip considerably in the last 4 years. On the Marvel side, since the completion of  2019’s Avengers: Endgame‘s theatrical run — which garnered over $858 million domestically — only one other release has come close to equaling that total. On the DC side, the biggest hit in the last decade was 2018’s Wonder Woman, which made $412.5 million in the United States. It almost seems ludicrous to think that DC’s Black Adam, which earned $168 million in the U.S., was considered a box office failure in 2022.

Setting its box office problems aside, Black Adam introduces audiences to one of the more interesting of DC’s pantheon of characters. 5000 years ago, Teth-Adam (Dwayne Johnson) was a slave in the fictional country of Khandaq. Bestowed with magical powers by the Council of Wizards, Teth-Adam overthrows the evil King Ahk-Ton and frees Khandaq from his rule.

We flash forward to the present day. Khandaq has been overrun by the Intergang, an organized crime syndicate. A group of resistance fighters are looking for the magical Crown of Sabacc. The crown gave King Ank-Ton the power to enslave Khandaq centuries ago. If found, it could grant its new owner immense power as well. Adrianna (Sarah Shahi) leads the resistance’s archeological expedition for the crown.

Of course, the Intergang knows what someone else obtaining the crown could mean for their hold on Khandaq. So, they also dispatch a team to look for it. When the Intergang team corners the resistance team, Adrianna summons Teth-Adam from his 5000 year slumber. Hoping the former champion of Khandaq can help the resistance, Adrianna gets more than she bargained for when Teth-Adam appears. He’s not quite the noble champion he’s supposed to be.

The Justice Society, a sort-of B-team version of the Justice League, arrives in Khandaq to intercept Teth-Adam. They want to capture him before he does real damage. Teth-Adam’s powers are roughly equivalent to those of Superman. He possesses super-speed, the ability to fly, and invulnerability to bullets, as well as the power to fire lightning bolts from his fingers. (If that sounds exactly like the powers of Shazam!‘s hero, that’s because the same Council of Wizards gave Billy Batson his powers in that film.) Khandaq’s populace welcome Teth-Adam as their returning champion and view the Justice Society as invaders. While that dichotomy could have been explored further, the script unsurprisingly plays it safe. The script tries to inject a darker subtext into the overall formula with Teth-Adam’s rejection of typical superhero behavior. He kills enemies without hesitation. As the Justice Society implores that heroes do not kill, Teth-Adam simply scoffs that he’s not a hero.

Black Adam falls prey to many of the same tropes that plague most modern superhero films. Most notably, there are too many characters with too many backstories. And, everyone teams up to fight a generic villain that “threatens the world” but never amounts to any real threat. The movie is at its best when Teth-Adam unleashes his powers on the unsuspecting Intergang. His interactions with the goody-two-shoes Justice Society provide more than a few humorous exchanges as well. For a largely CGI-based action movie, the fight scenes are easier-to-follow than many similar films. Director Jaume Collet-Serra, who has helmed a fair share of Liam Neeson action movies, provides a wealth of experience in that department.

Dwayne Johnson’s enthusiasm for the role shines through and, ultimately, provides the spark that saves Black Adam from being a completely generic superhero flick. Some say that his attempt to exert control over the final product may have ultimately doomed the franchise. (Johnson, who also co-produced the film, did not want the character to initially appear as a villain in a Shazam! movie. He demanded the relatively minor DC character have his own movie.)

We know that box office results are a poor measure of a film’s quality. And, of course, films released since the pandemic face lower overall theatrical attendance. Black Adam not only endured the aftermath of COVID-19 but also uncertainty surrounding DC’s Extended Universe. Shortly after Black Adam‘s release, news broke of a changing of the guard at DC Studios. Their stable of superhero films — which began with 2013’s Man of Steel — was getting a major overhaul. The stories advanced by films like Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods would likely be scrapped. So, why would audiences invest their time and money on a dead-end franchise?

Despite its many faults, I think Black Adam is one of the better of the recent entries into the DCEU. While it lacks the lovable dopiness of Aquaman, it never goes off the rails like Wonder Woman 1984. Thanks to the performance of Dwayne Johnson, Black Adam has its own brand of self-contained lunacy. It’s too bad we’re unlikely to see Johnson in the role again. It was marginally fun while it lasted.