Film Review: “Black Adam” (2022)

Dim-witted yet delightful

As I begin to discuss the latest film to both star The Rock and be based on a beloved DC Comics character, allow me to state the obvious: yes, Superhero movies have gotten old. So old, that they can be seen ordering cheap meals at your local diner while talking about their favorite cop shows on CBS. That’s not to say there aren’t any left for me to enjoy but, lately, it’s become excessive. Disney has been the most egregious thanks to both their Disney + shows and films coming out at a rapid-fire pace. I get it, if something makes money, keep milking it until it doesn’t. Still, I just wish that studios would at least tap the brakes on this genre overkill.

Superhero fatigue rant aside, when “Black Adam” was announced I wasn’t too enthusiastic. I didn’t necessarily have much fealty towards DC’s beloved anti-hero and as much as I like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in almost everything, The Rock basically plays.. well, The Rock in everything. However, after I saw that both Jaume Collet-Serra was announced as the film’s director and James Bond himself, Pierce Brosnan was cast as Dr. Fate, I was on board. While I really liked Daniel Craig as 007, Brosnan will always remain my favorite Bond. He’s always been an underrated actor who I feel is always deserving of better material. Frequent Liam Neeson collaborator Jaume Collet-Serra was also behind one of my favorites of last year, “Jungle Cruise” (Also starring The Rock), which I found to be Disney’s most fun movie in years. Needless to say, I was in anticipation of at least having a good time.

With “Black Adam” finally out in theaters after spending 15 years in development, how does it fare? Does this film change the hierarchy of the DC Extended Universe as its marketing has touted? Or is it “just another superhero, CG slugfest”? More so, is it at least a fun movie that caters to people who are secretly nostalgic for the mid-2000s? Actually, the answer is all of the above.

Similar to “Halloween Ends”, “Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness”, and even “Prometheus”, I’m not anticipating this to be a film that clicks with everyone. However, while those three are mostly related to creative decisions that might rub people the wrong way, “Black Adam” is a different kind of divisive. This is a film that depends on your threshold…