christian movie reviews black adam

Reviewed by: Raphael Vera CONTRIBUTOR

People subjected to tyranny and slavery

A human bestowed with the almighty powers of ancient Egyptian ‘gods’

His superpowers (per the comic books)… • Stamina of Shu: Superhuman stamina, Invulnerability, Agelessness • Swiftness of Horus: Superluminal speed • Strength of Amon: Superhuman strength • Wisdom of Zehuti: Genius-level intellect and Clairvoyance • Power of Aten: Control and emission of magical lightning and thunder, Flight • Courage of Mehen: Unflinching courage and willpower, and resistance to telepathy

Ancient EGYPTIAN mythology and false religion

About IDOLATRY and false goods in the Bible

ANTI-HERO (antiheroes lack usual heroic qualities: self-interest instead of self-sacrifice, unrestrained rage and violence, lack of mercy, righteousness, idealism, or morality)

The character Black Adam was created by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck, and first appeared in the debut issue of Fawcett Comics’ The Marvel Family comic book in December 1945. Since DC Comics licensed and acquired Fawcett's characters in the 1970s, Black Adam has endured as one of the archenemies of the superhero Captain Marvel / Shazam and the Marvel Family (a.k.a. Shazam Family).

Lightning , thunder and wind in the Bible

Anger in the Bible

What is JUSTICE? What does the Bible say about it? Answer

Justice of God

What is DEATH? and WHY does it exist? Answer in the Bible

What is the FINAL JUDGMENT? and WHAT do you need to know about it? Answer

HELL: Fact or Fiction—Is it an actual place? Answer

What is ETERNAL LIFE? Answer

What is ETERNAL DEATH? Answer

THE GOOD NEWS—How to be saved from Hell. Answer

O ur story begins in the Middle-East in the mythical land of Kandaq 2600 BC. A power hungry King Ahk-Ton forces his slaves to gather the rare gemstone eternium so he may fashion a crown that will summon six demon lords to Earth. The council of wizards, introduced in 2019’s “ Shazam! ,” bestow upon a young slave boy the powers of Shazam in order to end the mad king’s rule. Legend has it that when Kandaq is in dire need of a hero he shall return.

Modern day Kandaq is ruled by a gang of mercenaries who oppress the people much like the slave drivers of old. Adrianna ( Sarah Shahi ) and her ancestors have been tasked with making sure no one ever finds the eternium crown and so she and her brother travel to a hidden desert cave to retrieve it. She barely succeeds, only to be immediately surrounded by the mercenaries. About to be executed, she looks down and reads the ancient inscription carved in the floor and Tet-Adam/Black Adam ( Dwayne Johnson ) is released from his long sleep.

Black Adam is as unmerciful as he is unstoppable, as he makes short and grisly work of the mercenaries, electrocuting one in his grasp, and frying many others to charred husks. They are no match for him, since he is incapable of being harmed. Fortunately, he recognizes the woman who freed him and reluctantly becomes protector to both her and her son. He is astounded at how things have changed in 5,000 years, but his reverie is soon cut short by the arrival of The Justice Society.

About mercy in the Bible

What is true Christian love , according to the Bible?

Hawkman ( Aldis Hodge ), Doctor Fate ( Pierce Brosnan ) and two young super heroes fly to Kandaq to restrain and capture Black Adam. A ‘battle-royale’ ensues and by the time this ultimately pointless and overdrawn fight between ‘the good guys’ is concluded you may have surmised that this is what it must be like to read a current day comic book, and you would be pretty close to the mark.

Sandwiched between the battles already mentioned is an enemy that seeks the crown in order to bring Kandaq back to world prominence and establish a literal ‘ hell -on-Earth.’ Can Black Adam and The Justice Society cease fighting long enough to stop the real threat or will Adam be conquered and removed from the stage just in time for the real threat to appear?

“Black Adam” is an almost literal lifting of images, not to mention story-telling, from the comic book page to the screen. The film plays as much and draws from the appeal of both its lead actor, ‘the Rock’ (Johnson), and movie-goers decades long fascination with superheroes. Featuring a script focused overwhelmingly on fight scenes, it contains much material to be concerned about.

Objectionable Content

LANGUAGE: Heavy. God’s holy name is repeated about twice in a very off-handed way (‘god-like power’, ‘demi-god’) and once blasphemously, “I was reborn a god”. Black Adam is also sacrilegiously likened as a potential ‘ savior’ of the world , but more on that later. While the F-word was not said, other cursing abounded including: sh** (6), a** (5), h*ll (6), da*n (1), and bast**ds (1) and uses of the word God. Not a kid friendly movie in this respect, the violence exceeds the level of the language.

“…and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.” — Ephesians 5:4

VIOLENCE: Heavy. Beginning with his head, a villain is graphically ripped in half. A guard kills a slave by stabbing him, then throwing the old man down a short cliff and blood is shown. A palace explodes, probably killing everyone inside. A rocket annihilates a man, leaving only his lower legs. An injured man is executed by gunshot. A person is shot in the abdomen and guns are held to people’s heads. A wife is murdered with a blade. A son is skewered with an arrow. Characters are impaled. Mercenaries stab and likewise shoot and kill many, but the highest body count belongs to the anti-hero, Black Adam. The ‘hero’ electrocutes, chars, reduces to ashes, bludgeons, buries and blows up his enemies—one by putting the mercenary’s grenade back in his own mouth with the resulting explosion implied but not seen. A character is shown dissolving away into nothingness and another is impaled with his own weapon. “Call of Duty” level video game violence that should be rated ‘R’ in an otherwise PG-13 movies reminds us not to trust the current motion picture industry’s grading system. Do not bring kids to this film.

“The LORD examines the righteous , but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.” — Psalms 11:5

OCCULT: Heavy. Occultic imagery abounds, beginning with the physical scarring of a pentagram on the chests of the ancient king as well as his modern day counterpart in order to honor their “demon lords.” There is a visit to hell where we see the demons that await their entry into our world. They are shown "bringing back from the dead" their servant who assumes demonic form when he re-appears on earth to fight our heroes.

What are DEMONS ?

Who is Satan , the enemy of God and all people?

SEX/NUDITY: Minor. No sex or nudity is shown in the movie, but during the prologue all the male slaves are shown shirtless. The heroine’s (aka Cyclone) costume is tight-fitting but not risqué.

WOKE ELEMENTS: Cyclone commands the wind as well as a genius level intellect, whereas the young white-male character (Atom-Smasher) is all brawn and rather simplistic, bordering on dumb. Intelligence, not counting the villains, should only be paired with non-white characters according to ‘woke-Hollywood.’

The Justice Society’s mission to ‘protect international stability,’ is probably a nod to The UN, the World Economic Forum (WEF) and other political organizations that ‘know what is best’ for the general population, regardless of what the people think.

Lastly, Dr. Fate’s helmet is said to be millions of years old, in direct contradiction to what science continues to reveal even today about our young Earth and universe .

YOUNG EARTH—What are some of the evidences for a young Earth? Answer

Is the Bible clear about the age of the Earth and universe? Answer

Is the age of the Earth a “trivial” doctrinal point? Answer

Answers in Genesis on the AGE OF THE EARTH

Christian Answers on AGE OF THE EARTH

Young Age Evidence (astronomy, botany, geology, fossils, caves, coal, glaciology, human history, oceanography) — Creation Ministries International

Aside from the extensive battle scenes, the film has an almost singular focus on death . There are several good examples of this that should be explored including the fear of death, the finality of death and victory over death.

What is ETERNAL Life ? and what does the Bible say about it?

What is ETERNAL DEATH ?

FEAR OF DEATH. Doctor Fate warns his ally about a possible future in which he dies and Hawkman rightly responds that he does not fear death. None of us who are regenerate followers of Christ should fear death, “If you declare with your mouth, “ Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead , you will be saved ” (Romans 10:9). Jesus Christ Himself extols us where to properly place our fear and it is not with our brief lives but in the eternity that awaits us all.

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell .” — Matthew 10:28

THE FEAR OF THE LORD — What is it? Why is it very important? Answer

Why was Hell made? Answer

Is there anyone in Hell today? Answer

Will there literally be a burning fire in Hell? Answer

What should you be willing to do to stay out of Hell? Answer

How can a God of love send anybody to Hell? Answer

About God’s love and an answer to the questions : What is the true nature of God’s love? Is it biblically accurate to say, “God hates the SIN, but loves the SINNER”?

What if I don’t believe in Hell? Answer

FINALITY OF PHYSICAL DEATH. Ishmael believes that if he were to die with the crown he could return with the power of the demon lords and therefore conquer death. Likewise, Black Adam appears to have died only to return when needed. Not to put too fine a point on it, but death will touch each of us, however—for those that belong to our Lord—it has been ultimately defeated. And that is the greatest comfort of all, is it not?

“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment …” — Hebrews 9:27

“He will swallow up death forever. The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.” — Isaiah 25:8

VICTORY OVER DEATH. In trying to coax Black Adam into a more traditionally heroic path, he is told, “You have the power to be the destroyer of this world, but you can be its savior.” Perhaps a super-hero movie feels it can use these words flippantly, but we as Christians should not accept this. True victory belongs to our Lord and our Lord alone.

“… but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus , who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel ” — 2 Timothy 1:10

And at the end of human history there is only one outcome for us who put our faith and our trust in Jesus Christ .

“… and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death ; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” — Revelation 21:4

Final Thoughts

“Black Adam” is perhaps the most comic-book like movie you are ever likely to see. Adams’ back story is more poignant than the first half of the movie would lead you to believe, but this doesn’t excuse the choice of an action heavy narrative over solid story telling. The movie is a barrage of battle sequences strewn together, connected by minimal exposition with some humor in the vein of the older Marvel movies (Phases 1 through 3).

Teens and those who appreciate style over substance will not be disappointed, however, taken as a whole, the film has flaws. This, in addition to the language and the violence make this unsuitable as a family movie and likewise inappropriate for Christians .

• Violence: Heavy to Extreme
• Vulgar/Crude language: Heavy
• Occult: Heavy
• Profane language: Moderate
• Wokeism: Moderate
• Nudity: Minor
• Drugs/Alcohol: None

Learn about DISCERNMENT —wisdom in making personal entertainment decisions

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers .

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.

Black Adam (Christian Movie Review)

Verdict: A paint-by-numbers comic book film that uses only the drabbest colors.

About The Movie

Black Adam , the latest entry in the DC Universe, is finally soaring into theaters after several delays. Audiences have been waiting patiently to smell what Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been cooking up. Unfortunately, they better plug their nose because the cooking stinks. Black Adam an unappetizing stew of dissonant ideas and tones.

The character of Black Adam is invulnerable, but his debut film suffers a death from a thousand cuts. It does no one thing torturously bad but simply does nothing well. It is astonishing that a film featuring one of Hollywood’s most charismatic leading men can be so boring and unengaging.

One of Black Adam ‘s biggest problems is an inconsistent tone and lack of a clear identity. The opening scenes are compelling, hinting at a dark and more violent take on the genre. But the gritty vibe quickly gives way to painfully campy dialogue and goofy gags. An opening character’s death is almost shockingly gruesome, but outside of the first action scene, deaths are treated as cartoonish and frivolous jokes. The film never seems sure how serious to take itself, wavering between grounded realism and lighthearted fantasy, and landing in the no-man’s land between the two.    

The plot is somehow both convoluted and overly simplistic. For most of the film, a new team of heroes (The Justice Society of America) are on a mission to capture Black Adam, leading to a first half that is almost entirely given spectacle-driven action scenes, without much time to breathe or get to know the characters. There’s also a repetitive subplot about an evil crown that the villains want to obtain. At least three different times the same twist is used of having a character seemingly capture with the crown only to reveal that it had been secretly given it to someone else. The story spins its wheels, constantly retreading ground rather than moving the plot forward.  

The action and cinematography have some moments of inspiration, even if it is mostly stuff that has been done in countless other films, featuring highly stylized action and a gratuitous amount of slow motion. Cyclone, a hero with the power of wind, is a standout, whose superpowers are responsible for some vibrant visuals in the otherwise drab aesthetic.

The film scratches the surface several interesting ideas and themes (see below), but unfortunately these are buried under a barrage of action and spectacle. In the end, not even Dwayne Johnson’s super-powered charm and charisma can compensate for the lack of entertainment value, leaving Black Adam as nothing more than a paint-by-numbers comic book film that uses only the drabbest colors. 

For Consideration

Profanity: There are frequent minor profanities (5-6 uses of “s—,” and several “d—,” or  “a—”), and several other crude words (“P—s off,” etc.).

Violence: The death count is high but mostly bloodless. Countless bad guy goons are electrocuted, disintegrated, or smashed into walls. A character is melted down to a skeleton (not clearly depicted, but still gruesome). A character has his arm ripped off (the severed limb is visuable), and a demonic figure is ripped in half. There are also several instances of implied violence, such as Black Adam placing a grenade into another character’s mouth.

Sexuality: None.

Spirituality: The story is set in an Egyptian-inspired civilization, where characters frequently refer to “the gods.” Black Adam talks about being “reborn as a god.” When Black Adam is temporality imprisoned, a character remarks, “They say gods control us, but we’re the ones always burying them.” The antagonists are powered by demonic forces. An evil magic crown is said to contain the power of six demons, who later appear on screen. The demons’ champion is given a devilish new form which includes a pentagram emblazoned on his chest.  

Engage The Film

Justice v. vengeance (do ends justify the means).

“The world doesn’t always need a white knight. Sometimes it needs something darker.” This line encapsulates the film’s central thematic tension. Black Adam, driven by rage and violence, is contrasted with The Justice Society of America (JSA), who refrain from killing and represent more methodical law and order. If Black Adam is the vigilant, then the JSA is the police.   

After Black Adam goes on early murder spree of the country’s foreign oppressors, he is cheered and embraced as the people’s champion. Meanwhile, the JSA is rejected and rebuked for not doing what it takes to free them. It is an interesting moment, leaving viewers uneasy and unsure whether to sympathize with the people.

Concerning the oppressed people, Black Adam is told, “They don’t need a hero. They need to be free.” Throughout the story, it is suggested that what the people need (or, at least, desire) is vengeance rather than justice; results rather than virtue. It is suggested that it is Black Adam’s “darkness that lets him do what heroes cannot.” Eventually, near the end of the film, Black Adam declares, “They don’t need a hero. There are lots of heroes. They need a protector.”

The theme is intriguing from a narrative perspective but might be thorny for Christian viewers. The character of Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), who can see all possible futures, declares that we “don’t believe in absolutes.” Although, in context, the statement is not made with the direct implication of moral relativism, it is nevertheless consistent with the larger theme. Black Adam asks viewers to consider the tension between justice and vengeance, and whether peaceful ends justify violent means.

Daniel holds a PhD in "Christianity and the Arts" from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author/co-author of multiple books and he speaks in churches and schools across the country on the topics of Christian worldview, apologetics, creative writing, and the Arts.

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

Dove Review

The world needed a hero. It got “Black Adam.” The long-awaited superhero vehicle from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson finally arrives, centering on a former “Shazam!” villain turned antihero being pursued by the Justice Society while trying to prevent the apocalypse. In this origin story, Teth Adam is a mortal slave in the ancient city of Kahndaq who is bestowed the powers of Shazam by The Wizards. Entombed for 5,000 years, he is awakened by treasure seekers, both peaceful and malevolent.

Being the antihero, Teth Adam has little regard for the lives of anyone who stands in his way. Those who oppose him, are dealt with . . . violently.  Blood and body parts are spilled. The Justice Society, comprised of Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Cyclone, and Atom Smasher, are summoned to reign him in, setting up a series of visually spectacular battles and ultimately an understanding between the two opposing forces. They discover they have a much more sinister enemy to fight, one that summons the powers of Satan to unleash hell on earth.

The story slowly reveals key points of Teth Adam’s history, and he is forced to confront his own rage and violent tendencies. The other heroes, who maintain a strict moral code of saving all human life, eventually start to make inroads into his character, chipping away at his anger and bitterness. Through the process, the antihero becomes more humble and a little more human, finally becoming a true hero to his city.

The film is certainly designed to be a visual spectacle more than anything and there are some memorably framed scenes that action lovers in particular will appreciate. At the same time, Teth Adam’s emotional journey adds more depth to what seems to be a one-dimensional figure in the beginning. Members of the society and a family that befriends Teth Adam also add some levity in the middle of the action.

“Black Adam” will bring in big audiences, including a good mix of superhero fans and those coming to see one of the biggest actions stars in the world. Teens and young adults will love it, but parents of young children may want to bypass due to the violence, a storyline involving black magic, and frequent uses of profanity.

Dove Rating Details

The faith depicted in this film is all pagan, although the villain clearly receives his powers from hell.

Teth Adam’s journey from rage-filled vengeance seeker to heroic protector is a welcome storyline.

Frequent use of “S—t” and some other PG-type profanity. No F bombs, thankfully.

Frequent fighting and some of the early kills show severed limbs and blood. One character is ripped in half.

Shirtless men in the ancient city.

Several instances of black magic, and the final villain is clearly Satanic, with a pentagram carved on his chest.

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Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Movie Review: ‘Black Adam’

NEW YORK – Debates about the true nature of justice and heroism, as well as the proper use of force, pace the predictable dustups in “Black Adam” (Warner Bros.), director Jaume Collet-Serra’s adaptation of DC Comics lore.

But the film – primarily a vehicle for Dwayne Johnson, who takes on the title role – is stymied by cumbersome exposition and the halfhearted nature of its efforts at thematic freshness.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that the movie’s trio of screenwriters – Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani – labors to deliver its backstory, given that said mythos covers a time span of 5,000 years. That’s how long ago Johnson’s protagonist, known through most of the running time as Teth-Adam, became the legendary liberator of Kahndaq, his fictional native land, before mysteriously disappearing.

Flash forward to the present day and Teth-Adam is – almost accidentally, albeit quite conveniently – reawakened by Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi), a college professor-turned-resistance-fighter against Kahndaq’s current oppressors, the multinational crime syndicate Intergang. Aided by Adrianna and her plucky teen son, Amon (Bodhi Sabongui), Teth-Adam promptly takes on these occupiers.

And so, we’re off to the races with a straightforward, old-fashioned showdown between good and evil, yes? Well, not so fast.

Enter the metahuman agents of the Justice Society, led by Carter Hall, a.k.a. Hawkman (Aldis Hodge). They’re out to thwart Teth-Adam, maintaining that, far from a champion of freedom, he is, in reality, an uncontrollably violent villain whose long neutralization was a well-deserved imprisonment, not an extended nap.

Is he or is he ain’t a hero? It takes further flashbacks as well as more scenes of the ongoing struggle to sort through that question – during which, alas, audience interest is likely to dwindle.

The screenplay does have its funny moments, including exchanges between Hawkman’s colleagues, mishap-prone giant-at-will Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) and self-assured wind-wizard Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell). And Pierce Brosnan’s clairvoyant Doctor Fate adds a touch of British elegance to the proceedings.

Yet the grown viewers for whom “Black Adam” is acceptable are unlikely to connect with any of these characters.

A wrap-up showcasing self-sacrificing dedication, moreover, falls just as flat as the picture’s other serious elements. All that remains, as a result, is the questionable entertainment value of the genre-typical, hyper-powered brawling.

Look for: Attempts to delve into moral subtleties.

Look out for: Mostly stylized but sometimes nasty combat with some gore, a couple of mild oaths and about a half-dozen uses each of crude and crass language.

The Catholic Moviegoer’s guidance is M – suitable for mature viewers. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 – parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

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• DVD & Streaming
• Action/Adventure , Drama , Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Content Caution

In Theaters

• October 21, 2022
• Dwayne Johnson as Teth-Adam; Aldis Hodge as Carter Hall/Hawkman; Noah Centineo as Albert "Al" Rothstein/Atom Smasher; Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz; Marwan Kenzari as Ishmael Gregor; Quintessa Swindell as Maxine Hunkel/Cyclone; Bodhi Sabongui as Amon Tomaz; Pierce Brosnan as Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate

Home Release Date

• January 3, 2023
• Jaume Collet-Serra

Distributor

• Warner Bros.

Positive Elements   |   Spiritual Elements   |   Sexual & Romantic Content   |   Violent Content   |   Crude or Profane Language   |   Drug & Alcohol Content   |   Other Noteworthy Elements   | Conclusion

Movie Review

Everyone probably has moments they’d like to take back. We say the wrong thing. We do the wrong thing. We hurt someone’s feelings or make things harder than they should.

But few of us, have destroyed a city in an unguarded moment.

The same cannot be said of Teth-Adam, would-be protector of the ancient civilization of Kahndaq.

 About 5,000 years ago, he was granted (in a roundabout way) staggering powers by the Council of Wizards in an effort to check the megalomaniac Sabbac and his demon-powered crown. And while he did indeed check Sabbac—checked him right into whatever afterlife awaited him, in fact—he wasn’t exactly surgical in his strike. If Sabbac was a wildfire in serious need of quenching, Teth-Adam was a hurricane, exacting his own sort of disaster.

The wizards looked at the wreckage of Kahndaq, shook their heads sadly and decided to imprison Teth-Adam for eternity. After all, we can’t have a demigod with anger management issues running around, can we?

‘Course, if they were really serious about keeping Teth-Adam locked up, maybe they shouldn’t have carved the “get out of jail” spell on the door. But that’s just me.

Now, 5,000 years later, Kahndaq is still dealing with its share of problems. It’s controlled by an organization called the Intergang, and its leader is looking for the crown of Sabbac, which (as mentioned) grants its wearer with all sorts of demonic powers. Intrepid archaeologist Adrianna Tomaz and her small band of helpers aims to find the crown before he does, so she can hide it away again. (Perhaps under the sofa cushions.)

In an odd twist of fate (I’m beginning to think these wizards are extraordinarily bad planners), the crown was stored in the very same place where Teth-Adam was. So when the bad guys catch Adrianna with the crown, she releases Teth-Adam and … things get messy.

Moreover, Teth-Adam’s not one to kill scores of people and then just slink back to his prison. No sirree. He’s got a new epoch to explore! People to meet! Buildings to destroy! And given that the Intergang leader still wants the crown, perhaps it’s just as well. Can’t have that crown falling into the wrong hands.

But across the ocean, the Justice Society learns of Teth-Adam’s escape. They, like the wizards of old, know he’s not a nice guy. So they zip over to Kahndaq, hoping to drag the supercharged fella back to jail—before Teth-Adam really starts flexing his muscles.

Positive Elements

Teth-Adam (whom Black Adam is called throughout most of the movie) is an antihero. And we’ll talk loads more about those “anti” tendencies in the sections that follow. But he has some heroic tendencies, too. Adrianna notes that even when she first released him, Teth-Adam’s first instinct was to protect her son, Amon. It’s not the last time Adam protects him, or his mother—and indeed all of Kahndaq celebrates him as their very own “champion.” After millennia of foreign rule, they feel like they need one.

But the Justice Society—especially its leader, Hawkman—reminds Teth-Adam that heroism requires more from us.

“Heroes don’t kill people!” Hawkman tells Teth-Adam.

“Well, I do,” Teth-Adam deadpans.

But Hawkman is ultimately right, of course. If we claim the higher ground, we must walk the higher path.

Adrianna is a loving mom—even if some of the decisions she makes out of that love can be a bit questionable. All the members of the Justice Society are willing to risk their lives for a greater good—and to save each other.

[ Spoiler Warning ] Teth-Adam was not the person the wizards originally chose as their champion. That’d be his son. And indeed, that son proved to be far more worthy of the powers granted to him—serving as protector, champion and all-around good guy. But when bad guys tried to kill Teth-Adam, his son sacrificed his powers to heal his pops—and the son was killed soon thereafter, leaving Teth-Adam in possession of some very nasty abilities and a very serious grudge. Teth-Adam acknowledges that his son was the real hero, not him. And that boy, through his sacrifice, might be the movie’s real hero, too.

Spiritual Elements

When Hawkman suggest that Teth-Adam kneel before their authority (which, admittedly, was a poor choice of words), Teth-Adam says, “I was a slave before I died. Then I was reborn a god. I kneel before no one.”

It’s just one reference we hear to gods and the like in Black Adam . Teth-Adam is classified as a “demigod” once, for instance, and someone says he has “god-like powers” elsewhere. Someone belittles these lowercase “g” forces in the world. “They say the gods control us,” she says, “but we’re the ones who are always burying them.” We do hear someone casually reference an even higher power—saying “God willing.” But that’s the sole reference we get to a truly almighty being.

That’s a little odd, when you think about it, because the movie’s real villain is plucked straight out of the Christian Gehenna.

The crown of Sabbac is imbued with the power and attributes of six demons (the names of which we see very briefly flash on screen), and its wearer turns into a huge demonic entity. He sports horns, manipulates fire and even has a pentagram carved into his chest. The crown’s creator was “obsessed with black magic,” we learn, and his successor brings forth armies from literal hell (which look like skeletons with glowing innards).

One of the Justice Society’s heroes is a guy named Doctor Fate, who’s described as a wizard that wears a helmet several million years old. The helmet gives him the power (among other things) to see into the future, and he often references fate as if that force itself was a god—in control of all things. Doctor Fate acknowledges that the future can be changed. But he also suggests that the ability to see several futures has also made him something of a moral relativist. “You cease to believe in absolutes” he says.

We see a brief glimpse of an afterlife granted by (according to the one entering said afterlife) “the gods.” Teth-Adam says that he condemns people to “the eternal sleep of the damned.” We should note that a couple of the superheroes here have backstories that are explicitly spiritual (and pagan) in the comics that the movie doesn’t really get into.

Sexual & Romantic Content

Superhuman characters wear form-fitting garb, and a few men are seen shirtless.

Violent Content

Violence is Teth-Adam’s first and, in some ways, only response to any sort of stimuli. And he wastes little time before he starts killing people. He grabs someone by the neck, holds them Darth Vader style and watches as his victim essentially melts. Though that scene’s not bloody, we do see the victim essentially dissolve and skeletonize before the skeleton, too, turns to dust.

It’s the movie’s introduction to Teth-Adam’s violent excesses. Several other bad guys are killed before the antihero even leaves his prison chamber (most electrocuted, some thrown against rock walls). Outside, he obliterates a well-armed force—grabbing missiles in mid-air and sending them flying back to the trucks that sent them, ripping apart helicopters and even sticking a grenade in someone’s mouth. Explosions rip through the desert landscape. Corpses lie everywhere. Again, it’s not bloody, but the casualty count is significant.

Elsewhere, Teth-Adam drops people from dizzying heights or throws them across several zip codes. Some of these victims are saved—at least temporarily—by Hawkman. But clearly, Teth-Adam has little regard for the lives of those who oppose him. He talks about snapping someone’s neck 5,000 years ago, and in a flashback we see the cataclysmic blast that nearly wiped out the civilization that Teth-Adam was apart of. Hawkman bluntly tells him that he’s “murdering” people.

But, of course, when the Justice Society tries to take Teth-Adam into custody, they get swept into his mayhem anyway. Most of their battle takes place in the middle of a city. Cars are hurled and buildings are destroyed. And while we don’t see any casualties, we can guess that not everyone escaped injury.

Elsewhere, people are zapped into painful nothingness. Characters are sometimes skewered by various weapons (though the characters being mainly superheroes, some fare surprisingly well). We see several fights and beatdowns, and Adrianna’s son is nearly shot and killed. A boy is peppered with arrows and dies. Someone’s throat is apparently slit. A character is nearly beheaded before mysteriously vanishing. People dispatch hordes of skeleton-creatures rather handily. Teth-Adam is wounded by a bit of Eternium (a very powerful metal in the DC universe).

Crude or Profane Language

About five s-words and a clutch of other profanities, including “a–,” “d–n,” “h—,” “p-ss” and the British profanity “bloody.” God’s name is misused once.

Drug & Alcohol Content

Other noteworthy elements.

Amon, Adrianna’s son, can sometimes feel disrespectful. Characters lie.

While not explicitly negative, Black Adam does seem to nod at some subtle socio-political commentary. Intergang runs checkpoints that (especially given the movie’s Middle Eastern setting) call to mind Israeli checkpoints of Palestinian communities. Kahndaq’s fervent desire for self-determination might call to mind Palestine, as well—but also might remind people of the Arab Spring of 2010 or 2011. Kahndaq’s less-than-cordial welcome of the Justice Society (DC’s full title, the Justice Society of America, is never given here) might also point to American and allied operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And certainly, Teth-Adam reveals himself to be a champion against foreign intervention of any kind. “Not your country, not your choice,” he tells Hawkman at one point. Again, not necessarily negative, but whether it is or not might be dependent on what you think of a whole range of real-world issues.

The central question of Black Adam (of which the titular character, in the DC comics, has been Shazam’s prime villain for decades) is a simple one: What, exactly, makes a hero?

For Amon, Adrianna’s teen son, the answer is simple enough: power and cultural/national affinity. That’s the case for much of Kahndaq, as well, a people who nearly worship Teth-Adam as a savior, in spite of his excesses.

“The world doesn’t always need a white knight,” someone tells us. “Sometimes it needs something darker.”

But does it? It seems like an argument that Boramir might offer in The Fellowship of the Ring —an argument to use Sauron’s One Ring, this corruptive thing of evil, rather than destroy it.

Compromise very often leads to corruption. But in the guise of the ever-likable Dwayne Johnson, Black Adam makes its charismatic case that the world sometimes does need something darker. When Hawkman tries to take some bad guys in alive for questioning, Kahndaq’s residents boo. When Teth-Adam summarily murders them, they cheer. Hawkman can sometimes come across as a pharisaical goody-goody, unequipped to deal with life’s messier moments. “It’s [Black Adam’s] darkness that lets him do what heroes like you cannot,” he’s told.

“I guess we’ll see,” Hawkman says—alluding to a bevy of future DC movies where Black Adam may be a villain, or a hero, or both.

The film technically condemns Teth-Adam’s excesses while encouraging the audience to, at least in part, excuse (and maybe even applaud) them. It’s just one friction point in a movie full of them, both aesthetically and ethically.

Black Adam also feels both rushed and shallow—another DC attempt to wow us with action and bombast without ever grappling with the characters wearing the capes, the men and women under the masks. The content falls well in line with what we’ve come to expect from superhero fare; but its spirituality is dark and its morals seem conflicted.

“I’m no hero,” Teth-Adam tells us. And while I’d wholeheartedly agree, the movie itself doesn’t seem so sure.

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

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Black Adam Restores Faith In The DCEU

Black Adam is packed to the brim with action. It isn’t without it’s issues but The Rock was born to play this role, which helps it deliver.

Black Adam Movie Review

Black Adam will help DC fans restore their faith in the DCEU. With more misses than hits lately, it is nice to have a movie that really packs a punch join the ranks. The Rock was absolutely born to play the role of this anti-hero, which helps make this movie work as well as it does. There are certainly some issues, but overall this is an action packed superhero movie that sets up for some very cool things to happen in the future.

Black Adam deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible, so head to your local theater (IMAX if possible) for this one. 

What Works With Black Adam

The best thing about Black Adam is The Rock. It is widely known that he has wanted to play this character for a very long time, and because of his love for Black Adam, this movie really delivers. He puts his heart and soul into the role. Not only does he do an incredible job with the stunts, which is to be expected, he gives Black Adam heart, and that is why he becomes so likeable as the movie goes on. Without that connection from the audience, the climax would mean absolutely nothing.

And speaking of the climax, this movie is packed with action. When we say that, we mean it is pretty much non-stop action for the entire movie. Sure, there are some conversation scenes here and there, but for the most part Black Adam is all about massive, gigantic, and monumental fights. It is just one battle after the other, but we aren’t complaining.

As with any good fight scene, we also get a pretty fire soundtrack. Each song choice elevates the moment, and that, coupled with a hair-raising score, making the biggest scenes in Black Adam the best, even with their faults (more on that later).

Fans were thrilled when the Justice Society was announced as a part of Black Adam, and this excitement has not been in vain, because they are a great addition to the story. They compliment the main plot, which is the issues that Black Adam is dealing with, and a couple of DCEU cameos come along with them.

These four actors do a wonderful job bringing the characters to life, Pierce Brosnan (Dr. Fate) and Aldis Hodge (Hawkman) are the standouts. Dwayne Johnson and Aldis Hodge has phenomenal on screen chemistry, and are an absolute blast to watch together. Their relationship, coupled with Brosnan’s Dr. Fate, brings something truly special to the film. Adding in the Justice Society was a brilliant choice and really elevates the movie. Without them, we aren’t too sure the movie would have worked as well as it does.

The two younger heroes, Cyclone (played by Quintessa Swindell) and Atom Smasher (played by Noah Centineo) are an exciting addition to the cast. Hopefully we see them in the future because they have a lot of chemistry together and fans will be wanting to see where they go from here.

Something that needs to be done well in any superhero movie is the costumes, and boy was the wardrobe team on point with them for Black Adam. They resemble the comic book versions, but still bring something unique to the screen, which is always appreciated.

We can’t talk about the positive aspects of Black Adam without mentioning that mid-credit scene. Even though it is all over the internet, we refuse to address spoilers, but this is one that will have fans literally jumping out of their seats and screaming — or even just tearing up with excitement like we did. 

What Doesn’t Work With Black Adam 

With the good, however, comes the bad. Black Adam is all perfection, even though it has some great key moments. One of the biggest issues is something that the DCEU has unfortunately struggled with for some time, and that is the CGI and VFX, particularly during the action sequences. Because there is so much action in Black Adam, there are more of these flubs, and if seen on a giant screen as it should be seen, they are easier to point out. That isn’t to say it is all bad, because it isn’t, but there are some instances where you can see problems. 

Another things that happens during the action is a whole lot of slow motion. It is cool at first, and then again during certain important moments, but it is way too overused — to the point where it almost slows the pacing down. If it hadn’t been done to this extent, it would have worked much better. 

Black Adam is an anti-hero, and the Justice Society is in the movie, so there is no need for a villain, right? Yeah, that is what we thought too but there is one, and he is weak at best. The villain doesn’t do much of anything except provide us with a pretty cool battle, so we will take it — reluctantly. However he is a weak villain overall, and almost feels like an afterthought. There really was no point to him. We would have been fine with Black Adam being the “villain” of the story.

When it comes to the story, there is a twist towards the end. However, if you are paying attention at the beginning of the movie, you are going to pick up on it. This causes that big reveal to be a bit of a meh reveal when the time comes. A few other plot twist elements are predictable as well, but Black Adam is clearly here for the action and to set this character up for more appearances, so we can forgive that.

This movie is not a comedy, and unlike Marvel, it doesn’t try to squeeze a bunch of laughs in. That being said, Atom Smasher feels a bit too Ant-Man at times, complete with witty quips that unfortunately miss the mark. There are a couple that hit, and a few laugh out loud lines (mostly delivered by The Rock, though), however this is more of a dark story and luckily, there isn’t a whole lot of comedy packed in.

Overall Thoughts

Black Adam isn’t perfect, but it is an absolute blast. It is packed with some truly incredible action sequences, and The Rock delivers one of his best performances. He put his heart and soul in to this role and that is extremely obvious — and that is why this movie is so good. 

The performances besides his all bring something to the table, and not one feels over or under acted. It is impossible not to fall in love with Bodhi Sabongui who plays Amon, and is the main standout of the entire film besides The Rock. 

If it wasn’t for the overused slow motion, the weak villain, and the predictability, this could have been the best DCEU film to date. Still, it is leaps and bounds above a lot of the more recent ones. Black Adam restores hope that the DCEU is on a decent path and we cannot wait to see what comes next — especially after that mid-credit scene. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

NEXT: 5 Biggest Unanswered Questions Lingering After The Batman

About Black Adam

THE WORLD NEEDED A HERO… IT GOT BLACK ADAM.

In ancient Kahndaq, Teth Adam was bestowed the almighty powers of the gods. After using these powers for vengeance, he was imprisoned, becoming Black Adam. Nearly 5,000 years have passed and Black Adam has gone from man, to myth, to legend.

Now released, his unique form of justice, born out of rage, is challenged by modern day heroes who form the Justice Society: Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Atom Smasher and Cyclone.

Black Adam hits theaters everywhere on October 21st.

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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.

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Black adam - sparks of hope.

• Film Review , Sci Fi & Fantasy , Superhero
• 10/28/2022 11:36:00 AM
• View Count 1514

The latest offering from the DC comics movie universe explores the darkness that anyone can experience when facing betrayal, grief, anger or other anything else stemming from painful events or happenings in life. With the right people to help and an open heart, even those experiences can hold sparks of hope. Such is the story of Black Adam.

Let's be honest from the very start. Teth Adam (Dwayne Johnson), as he's called throughout the film, is not a hero, he's an anti-hero – with hero potential. He's portrayed, not as evil, but as super angry and the anger causes him to do some really bad things.

Welcome to Kahndaq, Black Adam's home. Imagine a Middle Eastern-like country that has been under oppression for centuries. And the suffering people have been in rebellion against their oppressors for just as long.

In the present day, the rebellion is led by Adrianna (Sarah Shahi), an Indiana Jones-type who wants to find the crown of Eternium, forged by an evil king in days past.  The crown and the right words – Shazam! – will call forth a long-banished Champion. What she gets is Teth Adam, full of anger at his 5,000-year exile who immediately starts killing everyone in sight with his lightning bolts of doom.

Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam in "Black Adam."  © 2022 DC Films/Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved. 

Enter the JSA, the Justice Society of America, whose mission it is to keep beings like Teth Adam in check. Dispatched to Kahndaq are Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), and Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan). Fate and Hawkman have been around for a while and are the best of friends. Cyclone and Atom Smasher are the new kids on the block. Atom Smasher is literally slipping into his superhero suit for the very first time. His bumbling attempts at herodom provide some light in the darkness.

For a believing audience, the ethics of this film present a quandry. Adrianna's son, Amon (Bodhi Sabongui), idolizes Adam. After all, he's supposed to be the champion the people have been waiting for. Meanwhile, Hawkman is trying to get it through Adam's thick skull that heroes don't kill people. Well, Adam is having none of that, seeking only to wreak havoc on the current tormentors of his homeland, Intergang and their leader Ishmael (Marwan Kenzari). But the JSA doesn't quit, aiding in the fight against Intergang but without the whole killing people thing.

Dwayne Johnson and Aldis Hodge in "Black Adam."  © 2022 DC Films/Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved. 

Casting someone as physically daunting as Dwaye "The Rock" Johnson in the role of Black Adam was a stroke of genius but the script gives him little to do but scowl and look menacing. Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate provides the best performance, looking debonaire and put together, even as he struggles to convince Adam that he can become the champion that his people need, that he can transform from seeking revenge to serving his people rather than himself.

Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate in "Black Adam."  © 2022 DC Films/Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved. 

Parents, be aware that this film is not for young ones. There's quite a body count while Black Adam tries to get his priorities straight and in the pre-historic preamble to the film a boy gets stabbed and thrown off a cliff. Not pretty. If you decide to let your older kids see the film, it provides a great opportunity to have a conversation about what it means to admire someone for their wrongdoing and what it is that can attract us to such characters or people. After all, none of us is totally void of wrongdoing in our lives.

We all have had experiences of anger, grief, betrayal stemming from painful events or happenings. What we do with those emotions is up to us. Just know that in the darkness there are always sparks of hope, people or thoughts we can hold onto to get us through the dark times. For us believers, the glimmers that keep us going are gifts from our loving God who always holds us in the palm of his hand, leading us from darkness into light.

About the Author

Sister Hosea Rupprecht is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, a religious community dedicated to evangelization with the media. She holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from the University of St. Michael’s College in Toronto and an MA in Media Literacy from Webster University in St. Louis. 

Sr. Hosea is director of the East Coast office of the Pauline Center for Media Studies, based in Staten Island, NY, and speaks on media literacy and faith to catechists, parents, youth, and young adults. Together with Father Chip Hines, she is the co-host of Searchlight, a Catholic movie review show on Catholic TV. Sr. Hosea is the author of  How to Watch Movies with Kids: A Values-Based Strategy,  released by Pauline Books & Media. 

For the past 15 years, she has facilitated various film dialogues for both children and adults, as well as given presentations on integrating culture, faith and media.

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4 Things Parents Should Know about Black Adam

• Michael Foust Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
• Updated Oct 24, 2022

Adrianna Tomaz is a brilliant and determined woman who left her well-paying professorship at the university in order to fight and save her people: the oppressed citizens of Kahndaq.

Some 5,000 years ago, Kahndaq was the worldwide center of power and enlightenment. It preceded Rome and even Egypt. It was Earth's first self-governing nation.

But then Kahndaq fell.

Today, Kahndaq is a shadow of its former self, occupied by foreign mercenaries who place severe restrictions on the citizens.

Adrianna, though, is on an Indiana Jones-like hunt for the "Crown of Sabbac," an ancient magical relic that is made of the mysterious mineral eternium and was used to enslave the people of Kahndaq. If Adrianna can find the crown – she believes – then her people can be free.

The new DC/Warner Bros. film Black Adam (PG-13) tells the story of Adrianna's quest to free her people and her accidental awakening of Kahndaq's supposed savior, Teth-Adam ("Black Adam"), who has God-like powers and is on a journey for revenge.

Dwayne Johnson stars in the lead role. Sarah Shahi portrays Adrianna.

Here are four things you should know:

1. It Is an 'Antihero' Movie

"I am not peaceful. Nor do I surrender," he says.

Black Adam is the 12th film in the so-called DC Extended Universe, which began with 2013's Man of Steel . (We see a well-known DC character in a mid-credit scene.)

2. It Introduces Other Superheroes, Too

Black Adam isn't the only superhero in the film. We're also introduced to a new slate of super-powered crusaders in the "Justice Society," a group of four superheroes whose mission is to protect global stability and restore peace. That puts them on a collision course with Black Adam, even though for much of the film they're fighting the same set of bad guys.

"Heroes don't kill people," says Hawkman, a Justice Society member.

"Well, I do," Black Adam responds.

Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) has super strength and can fly. The other Justice Society members are Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan), who has mental powers; Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), who has the ability to become Godzilla-sized; and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), who has the power to manipulate wind and form twisters.

3. It's about Justice, Revenge and Redemption

At the heart of Black Adam is the conflict between revenge (as represented by Dwayne Johnson's character) and justice (as represented by the Justice Society). Both oppose evil (at least, at times). Yet Teth-Adam/Black Adam is unable to control his superpowers. Instead of justice, he wants revenge.

Some 5,000 years ago, the "Council of Wizards" had placed Teth-Adam/Black Adam in prison because of his vengeful actions.

Adrianna, though, believes Teth-Adam/Black Adam can harness his powers to free her people.

"You are our only hope," her son, Amon, tells him.

Black Adam is a tale about the choice all of us face between good and evil. (Teth-Adam/Black Adam kills the bad guys but also saves Adrianna and her son.) It raises questions about power and temptation.

It's also a tale about redemption, but you have to sit through hundreds of explosions to get there.

4. It's Quite Violent

The violence in Black Adam  is similar to other superhero films, but the tone is not. It's a little darker and not as fun. It's heavy on action violence and a little light on plot. It's a film that deserves its PG-13 rating.

Black Adam is rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, intense action and some language. Language details: P-ss (2), b---rds (1), h-ll (3), s--t (5), a-- (3), d--n (1).

Entertainment rating : 3 out of 5 stars.

Family-friendly rating : 3 out of 5 stars.

Photo courtesy: ©Alon Amir

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

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Lots of bashing and smashing in disappointing DC movie.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Black Adam is a DC Extended Universe superhero movie, and a spin-off from Shazam! . Dwayne Johnson stars as the title character, who was originally a supervillain in DC comics. The movie has a diverse cast and asks interesting questions about heroes and villains, but it…

Why Age 12+?

High body count, and lots of guns and shooting. Characters get shot, and there a

Sporadic use of "s--t," "ass," "bastard," "piss," "damn," "hell."

Several posters and toys for various DC characters are seen in a boy's bedroom.

Any Positive Content?

The setting of Kahndaq is a fictional place, but it's populated by a diverse gro

The superheroes are all brave and try to do what they think is right, even thoug

The movie poses (but doesn't follow up on) interesting questions about good and

Violence & Scariness

High body count, and lots of guns and shooting. Characters get shot, and there are bloody wounds. Frequent fighting, punching, kicking, bashing against surfaces, hitting with blunt objects. Character grabbed by throat, electrocuted, turned into skeleton. Character sliced by blade. Child shot with arrow. Severed hand. Character stabbed and thrown over cliff, with blood trailing after him. A character thrown from a mountaintop lands with an icky thud. Cars and other vehicles crash. Zombies. Some symbology/imagery traditionally associated with satanism.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Several posters and toys for various DC characters are seen in a boy's bedroom. FedEx sign shown.

Diverse Representations

The setting of Kahndaq is a fictional place, but it's populated by a diverse group of actors/characters, including star Dwayne Johnson, co-stars Aldis Hodge and Sarah Shahi, and many more. Women characters have power and agency, especially Adrianna, who is a strong, brave leader. The main group of superheroes does include two White men. But the movie's story puts decisions in the hands of local people, rather than White interlopers. A heavyset character is portrayed as lovably comic/ridiculous.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Positive Role Models

The superheroes are all brave and try to do what they think is right, even though they sometimes make mistakes. And they all seem open to learning, even if things are sometimes ambiguous. Adrianna is central to the plot, both as a voice for moral inquiry about military occupation and political resistance and for family unity.

Positive Messages

The movie poses (but doesn't follow up on) interesting questions about good and evil, such as who decides what's good and what's evil, and is itOK to cross the line between the two if good comes out of it? Also: What if there's no such thing as absolutes?

Parents need to know that Black Adam is a DC Extended Universe superhero movie, and a spin-off from Shazam! . Dwayne Johnson stars as the title character, who was originally a supervillain in DC comics. The movie has a diverse cast and asks interesting questions about heroes and villains, but it ultimately becomes a dull smash-and-bash-fest without much time for character development or anything else. Expect large-scale action violence, with explosions/destruction, guns and shooting, and lots of fighting. Many characters (including women and children) are killed, sometimes in gruesome -- though bloodless -- ways: electrocution, stabbing, etc. Language includes occasional use of "s--t," "ass," "bastard," "piss," "damn," and "hell." There's a bit of flirting, and several posters and toys depicting other DC characters are shown in a boy's room. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (28)
• Kids say (37)

Based on 28 parent reviews

Have no part with the deeds of darkness.

Very good movie, what's the story.

BLACK ADAM begins 5,000 years ago, with the city of Kahndaq ruled by a tyrant who works to build a magical crown that will give him great powers. A boy sparks rebellion, and, just as the tyrant is about to don the special crown, the boy is given the powers of Shazam! to save the day. In the present day, the crown re-surfaces, and Teth-Adam ( Dwayne Johnson ) is summoned once again. But, rather than a hero, he appears to be a killer, dispatching everyone who tries to get in his way. The crown temporarily ends up in the hands of powerful resistance fighter Adrianna ( Sarah Shahi ), whose rebellious son, Amon (Bodhi Sabongui), believes that Teth-Adam can be the city's hero. Meanwhile, the Justice Society -- comprised of Hawkman ( Aldis Hodge ), Dr. Fate ( Pierce Brosnan ), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Atom Smasher ( Noah Centineo ) -- has been called in to deal with what they see as a threat. But something even worse is on the horizon.

Is It Any Good?

Occasionally exploring themes of what it means to be heroic or villainous, with shades of gray in between, this superhero movie collapses into a boring bash-fest with barely any time to breathe. Like many other villain-as-protagonist movies, ranging from Venom and Morbius to Maleficent and Cruella , Black Adam takes the opportunity to explore such questions as "Who decides who the 'good guy' is?" And "Is it OK to hurt people if some good comes out of it?" Unfortunately, once the movie asks those questions, it forgets all about them as the characters whiz around the screen, hammering away at one another, as well as any solid object that happens to be in the way. In this movie, bodies and debris soar far more frequently than viewers' spirits.

It's safe to say that the majority of Black Adam 's running time consists of fights, chases or battles, and sections of blocky exposition. Much is made of what's supposed to be a tender friendship between Hawkman and Dr. Fate, but we never feel this; it's only told to us through dialogue and goopy music in rare moments between punches. The same goes for a sweet friendship/romance between Cyclone and Atom Smasher; it's just too scarce and fragmented to amount to much. Even the human characters are cookie cutters, from the generic movie "kid" to the lovably comic uncle, rotund and ridiculous (though the actors playing both parts give them their all!). As far as Black Adam goes, those who enjoy The Rock's comedic chops and charismatic smirk may be surprised to encounter an antihero who's stoic in the face of loss and trauma. Unfortunately, though, viewers never really learn who he is or what he wants to be, and that question is ultimately less intriguing than it is uninteresting.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Black Adam 's violence . How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?

What's interesting, useful, or entertaining about a movie centered on a character who's usually depicted as a villain?

In your opinion, what does define "good" and "evil"? Where does Black Adam fall into this scale? Do violent means justify peaceful ends?

How does the representation in the cast of this movie compare to other superhero films you've seen? Why is positive representation important in the media?

What's the appeal of superhero movies? Are superheroes automatically role models ? Why, or why not?

Movie Details

• In theaters : October 21, 2022
• On DVD or streaming : December 5, 2022
• Cast : Dwayne Johnson , Sarah Shahi , Aldis Hodge
• Director : Jaume Collet-Serra
• Inclusion Information : Black actors, Polynesian/Pacific Islander actors, Female actors, Middle Eastern/North African actors, Middle Eastern/North African writers
• Studio : New Line Cinema
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Topics : Superheroes
• Run time : 124 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : sequences of strong violence, intense action and some language
• Last updated : July 9, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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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

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"Heroic Conflicts"

What You Need To Know:

Miscellaneous Immorality: Villain kidnaps boy and threatens to kill him if the boy’s mother doesn’t hand over a bejeweled crown with evil demonic powers.

More Detail:

BLACK ADAM stars Dwayne Johnson as a man with superpowers given to him by a council of wizards, who’s released after 5,000 years of being imprisoned in a fictional country, and who reluctantly joins a group of four superheroes from the Justice Society to stop a criminal from wielding a 5,000-year-old magical crown with demonic powers. BLACK ADAM has exciting action scenes, is filled with jeopardy and includes strong performances by Dwayne Johnson, Pierce Brosnan and Aldis Hodge, but a few of the supporting players and characters are lackluster, and the movie has mixed positive and negative worldview content, lots of action violence and about 15 “h” and “s” obscenities.

The movie opens 5,000 years ago in the fictional Middle Eastern kingdom of Kahndaq. The evil king has enslaved the people, making them mine for jewels of Eternium. The king wants to fashion a magical crown of such jewels to obtain the power of six demons. However, an ancient council of wizards grants a rebellious slave named Teth Adam the almighty powers of Shazam, the Wisdom of Solomon, the Strength of Hercules, the Stamina of Atlas, the Power of Zeus, the Courage of Achilles, and the Speed of the god Mercury. However, Adam used his powers for revenge, so the council imprisoned him in the “Rock of Eternity.”

Cut to 5,000 years later. Kahndaq is now ruled by a global criminal group called Intergang. They’re searching for the demonic crown, but a patriotic archeologist named Adriana thinks she’s found the key to the crown’s location. She wants to find the crown before Intergang does and hide it so no one can use it.

However, some Intergang mercenaries follow Adriana to the crown’s underground mountain location. Just when she and her friend, Ishmael, find the crown, the mercenaries attack them. Adriana is able to evade them for a minute or two, but they close in on her, and she reads an inscription on the floor that releases Teth Adam from his prison. The mercenaries start to fire on Adam, but he proceeds to smash them as well as a small Intergang army that shows up outside.

During the fight, however, a weapon made from Eternium knocks Teth Adam unconscious. The next thing he knows, he wakes up lying on a bed with Adriana’s son, Amon, staring at him. Smashing through the bedroom wall, Adam wants to know where he is. Adriana tells him and says he’s the hero their people have been wanting. “I’m no hero,” he replies.

Meanwhile, the world is awash with the news of Black Adam’s re-emergence. Carter Hall, aka Hawkman, summons three members of the Justice Society, Dr. Fate, Cyclone and Atom Smasher, to travel to Kahndaq and restore peace by capturing Adam. Adam refuses to surrender, however, and he has the support of Adriana and the people. The four superheroes decide to trick Adam into saying the magical word, “Shazam.” A fight ensues, but it attracts the attention of Intergang’s forces.

[SPOILERS FOLLOW] Eventually, Adriana’s friend, Ishmael, turns out to be a bad guy. He kidnaps her son, to force her to give him the evil crown with demonic superpowers. Black Adam joins the four Justice Society superheroes to help Adriana and stop Ishmael.

BLACK ADAM has lots of exciting action scenes and is filled with jeopardy. Dwayne Johnson delivers a strong performance as the title character. He’s strongly supported by Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Sarah Shahi as Adriana, and Bodhi Sabongui as her son. A few of the other characters and players, however, are not so strong.

BLACK ADAM has a mixed pagan worldview with mixed messages. This causes some confusion over the values and lessons the movie is promoting. For example, the movie has some false religion and occultism. Thus, there are several references to gods, some talk about Fate and references to magic. The character of Dr. Fate has mystical powers derived from a magical helmet. In the DC comic books, he’s similar to Marvel’s occult Dr. Strange character and can cast spells. However, the good news is his character casts no spells in this movie.

On the positive side, BLACK ADAM has some strong moral content. For example, the heroes team up to fight a villain who wants to use demonic powers. They never want to take the evil crown for their own use. Also, during the movie, Hawkman repeatedly tries to convince Black Adam not to kill the villain’s henchmen. Adam agrees – for a while. BLACK ADAM also has a strong theme promoting freedom. The people of Khandaq want freedom, and they think Black Adam can help them take back their freedom. Finally, there’s an overt theme of sacrifice in BLACK ADAM. In fact, the plot has two or three redemptive examples of sacrifice. This theme of sacrifice gives Black Adam and Hawkman a third way to look at what makes a hero.

In addition to its mixed philosophical, spiritual and moral content, BLACK ADAM has lots of intense action violence and about 20 obscenities. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises strong caution.

Looking at Film from Every Angle

Review: Black Adam (2022)

Wesley Lovell

Jaume Collet-Serra

Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani

Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Pierce Brosnan, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Quintessa Swindell, Marwan Kenzari, Bodhi Sabongui, Mohammed Amer, James Cusati-Moyer, Jalon Christian

MPAA Rating

Original preview.

It’s probably for the best that Warner Bros. is partially rebooting its DC Extended Universe and taking it in a more broadly appealing direction. Black Adam is the perfect example of how all their prior efforts have been for naught.

The plain simple truth of the DCEU is that its dark and gritty styles aren’t broadly appealing. Such designs might make the efforts feel realistic, but they are gloomy and that will sell to a certain demographic, but not to others. Warner Bros. has been trying to back off the darkness and grime that Zack Snyder has infused into the franchise for a few years now, but their inability to find a formula that works is more obvious in a film like Black Adam than it ever has been before. Played by Dwayne Johnson, Black Adam is an anti-hero locked away for centuries. In an effort to thwart the theft of a demonic crown, he is awakened and his thirst for vengeance isn’t easily slaked.

Meanwhile, a group known as the Justice Society is hired by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to bring this dangerous threat in and lock him away in her supervillain prison. While the theme of the film is to question what the definition of superhero should be if they aren’t going to thwart all villainy in the world, the producers have shoved the film so full of visual effects and one-liners that its noble intentions are largely crushed beneath the weight of pomp and circumstance.

One of the most notable issues with Johnson as an actor is his constant mugging for the camera. When he’s not sufficiently counterbalanced by better actors (such as in the Jumanji films), his performances tend to topple over the edge of tastefulness. That’s largely true of his performance here, which is notably lacking in charm and gravitas. Part of this is the writing, but much of it is his looming presence. He’s a “movie star” and the director isn’t able to rein that in sufficiently. Even with strong actors like Aldis Hodge and Pierce Brosnan in place, there’s little that they are able to do, yet they still come off as more conscionable and appealing heroes even if their concept of heroism is tempered by a need for propriety and societal balance.

What the exact fate of each DC character will be is not fully known. Though based on the mediocrity of this film, one might hazard a guess that Black Adam will be the end of Johnson’s DCEU line.

Review Written

April 5, 2023

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• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods--and imprisoned just as quickly--Black Adam is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique... Read all Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods--and imprisoned just as quickly--Black Adam is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world. Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods--and imprisoned just as quickly--Black Adam is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.

• Jaume Collet-Serra
• Adam Sztykiel
• Rory Haines
• Sohrab Noshirvani
• Dwayne Johnson
• Aldis Hodge
• Pierce Brosnan
• 1.8K User reviews
• 286 Critic reviews
• 41 Metascore
• 1 win & 13 nominations

Top cast 65

• Black Adam …

• Atom Smasher …

• Adrianna Tomaz

• Skinny Teth Adam

• The Champion

• Emilia Harcourt

• Mrs. Farmer
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Rock On: The Life and Times of Dwayne Johnson

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Did you know

• Trivia Jordan Peele was originally offered the chance to direct the film when it was first announced in 2017, but Peele declined, saying, "I'm not a fan of superhero movies and I'd hate to take that chance away from a director who is passionate about them."
• Goofs At one point, they state the crown weighs 23 pounds. However, in several places in the movie, people are carrying/lifting it like it weighs a few ounces.

Hawkman : In this world, there are heroes and there are villains. Heroes don't kill people!

Teth-Adam : Well, I do.

• Crazy credits SPOILER: The film title appears at the end of the film, following up on the final scene where Teth-Adam decides to rename himself for the new era.
• Connections Featured in The Observant Lineman: DC Fandome LIVE (2020)
• Soundtracks Bullet with Butterfly Wings Written by Billy Corgan (as William Corgan) Performed by The Smashing Pumpkins Courtesy of Virgin Records Under license from Universal Music Enteprises

User reviews 1.8K

• john_ting_li
• Oct 18, 2022
• How long is Black Adam? Powered by Alexa
• October 21, 2022 (United States)
• United States
• New Zealand
• Black Adam France
• Official Facebook
• Atlanta, Georgia, USA
• Warner Bros.
• New Line Cinema
• DC Entertainment
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $195,000,000 (estimated)
• $168,152,111
• $67,004,323
• Oct 23, 2022
• $393,452,111

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 5 minutes
• Dolby Digital
• Dolby Atmos
• IMAX 6-Track

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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

(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

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.

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Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

Movie Review – Black Adam (2022)

November 22, 2022 by Robert Kojder

Black Adam , 2022.

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. Starring Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Pierce Brosnan, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell, Bodhi Sabongui, Viola Davis, Jennifer Holland, Mo Amer, Odelya Halevi, Patrick Sabongui, Jalon Christian, and Henry Winkler.

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

Everyone knows The Rock, but let’s say someone doesn’t. If that person went into Black Adam and, upon exiting the theater, was told that Dwayne Johnson was once the most electrifying man in sports entertainment and one of the most charismatic human beings on this planet, they would assume you’re crazy. But that’s how it feels watching Dwayne Johnson in Black Adam , portraying popular DC Comics antihero Adam Teth, trying to subdue that natural charm and put on a quieter and more brooding performance.

The movie is not quiet, jampacked with nonstop action and mostly hideous special effects despite often feeling like a graphic novel come to life (a busy, overwhelming onslaught of colors and images operating under the stance that more is always better). It’s a cacophony of destruction that rarely allows room for the characters to breathe and interact naturally or do anything beyond smashing each other to pieces (the number of explosions here will have one wondering how there will be a city with citizens left for liberation and freedom) and spout exposition regarding magical crowns and invincibility.

However, whenever there is a small break in that mayhem, it’s usually for Adam to deliver a lame confrontational joke that will, once again, have people wondering how this hulking and smoldering behemoth was partially responsible for carrying WWE into the mainstream. None of this is helped by on-the-nose needle drops during these chaotic set-pieces, introducing the antihero’s superpowers with a sequence set to the Rolling Stones’ Paint it Black (it’s cheesy blaring over the TV spot, too, but straight-up cringe in the final version). At worst, Dwayne Johnson looks completely lost.

The same could also be said about director Jaume Collet-Serra (working from a script by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani based on characters created by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck), who has to take a sloppy narrative and weave it into something coherent with emotional stakes. He somewhat succeeds in the third act but is done no favors by an overcrowded cast of characters.

Black Adam isn’t content just introducing Adam Teth and exploring his unique moral code, also choosing to incorporate the Justice Society, which is comprised of Pierce Brosnan’s Doctor Fate (a sorcerer capable of seeing the future), Aldis Hodge’s Hawkman (a winged warrior), Noah Centineo’s Atom Smasher (able to adjust his height to gargantuan size, coming across as a bargain bin Ant-Man), and Quintessa Swindell’s Cyclone (her powers are fairly self-explanatory). I also couldn’t tell you a single thing about who these characters are beyond their abilities and fighting styles because they only exist as obstacles for Adam on his crash course to understanding what it means to be a hero while retaining his preferred violent brand of justice.

When the script occasionally leans into finding the humor there, such as an amusing moment that sees Adam learning proper interrogation tactics and sarcasm, the film briefly finds a pulse. The majority of Black Adam is an endless stream of battles that, while they are fine to boast considering the genre, continuously eliminate opportunities to explore this character and the fictional city of Kahndaq, he was once a slave under before fighting back against a tyrannical king, ending up entombed for thousands of years. Admittedly, some of this exposition comes back into play during the final stretch and is moderately engaging, but by that point, Black Adam has ignored anything potentially interesting about itself to bombard with lifeless extended CGI action bearing no meaning or consequences.

The urgency is supposed to come from Adam, tasked with rescuing Amon (Bodhi Sabongui), the son of resistance fighter Adrianna (Sarah Shahi), from the organized crime syndicate Intergang, who happens to be taking over the city and depleting it of its magical resources – Eternium crystals. She is aided by friends and family (one of which attempts to provide comedic relief), with Ishmael (Marwan Kenzari) undercover infiltrating their ranks to find the mystical crown infused with Eternium that grants invulnerability. What ensues is Adam and the Justice Society setting aside their differences for the greater good, although at the end of the day, Viola Davis’s Amanda Waller wants what is essentially another Superman detained.

Black Adam’s tortured past and antihero persona offer the potential for something refreshing, but the film only cares about the action beats. I’m also aware that this project has been 15 years in the making and personal for Dwayne Johnson, so it’s not exactly fun picking this apart, but I’m also doing so because I know there is a character worth exploring here. And I would say perhaps a sequel will get that job done, but DC apparently has something else in store that will please the fandom but could fail to expand on the antihero.

Black Adam is another classic case of DC skipping seven steps ahead of themselves like a Brahma bull in a china shop instead of organically building something exceptional from the ground up with care. 

Flickering Myth Rating  – Film: ★ ★  / Movie: ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check  here  for new reviews, follow my  Twitter  or  Letterboxd , or email me at [email protected]

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‘Black Adam’ Review: Heroism, but Paint It Black

Dwayne Johnson stars in this overstuffed superhero film about an ancient figure granted god powers.

• Share full article

By Maya Phillips

Behold: the proselytizing superhero film! Listen as it cautions against moral absolutism! It is not the hero movie we need but, thanks to what’s now a tradition of beloved comic book stories shazam-ed into empty Hollywood schlock, it is the hero movie we deserve.

Which brings us to “Black Adam,” a dull, listless superhero movie that hits all the expected touchstones of the genre under the guise of a transgressive new antihero story.

We begin with a briskly delivered tragic back story involving a magical demon crown, a gaggle of wizards and a people’s rebellion in an ancient land called Kahndaq. We then skip forward 5,000 years to modern-day Kahndaq, a poor yet futuristic country that, for generations, has been under siege by various mercenary groups. Adrianna (Sarah Shahi), an Indiana Jones-esque Kahndaqi professor turned artifact hunter, is searching for the aforementioned diadem of doom, with help from her bumbling brother, Karim (Mohammed Amer), and hero-obsessed son, Amon (Bodhi Sabongui).

Adrianna summons Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson), the champion of ancient Kahndaq who was granted god powers by the same sorcerer who — surprise! — transformed the teenage Billy Batson into the red-spandex-wearing capester Shazam (Zachary Levi) in that 2019 DC action-comedy .

But Black Adam has some rage issues and an inconvenient habit of zapping baddies to death with his lightning powers, so of course, according to the rules of superhero franchises, a superteam must unite to confront him: Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), a meek genius in colorful threads who can manipulate the wind; Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), a rookie hero who’s just trying his best; Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), a Doctor Strange type in a knight helmet; and Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), the leader of this so-called Justice Society of America (not to be confused with the Justice League of America).

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Official Discussion - Black Adam [SPOILERS]

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

Jaume Collet-Serra

Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani

Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam

Aldis Hodge as Hawkman

Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate

Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher

Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz

Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone

Marwan Kenzari as Ishmael

Bodhi Sbongui as Amon Tomaz

-- Rotten Tomatoes: 45%

Metacritic: 40

VOD: Theaters

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‘Black Adam’ Review: Dwayne Johnson Plays an All-Powerful DC Villain Who Can Be Talked Into Heroism

Set in the imaginary Middle East country of Kahndaq, this meaty, feature-length teaser reframes a fan-favorite 'Shazam!' baddie as an antihero, though his greatest battles are still to come.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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SPOILER ALERT: The following review contains mild spoilers for “ Black Adam .”

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After all, this summer’s “DC League of Super-Pets” wrapped with Krypto (Clark Kent’s companion, also voiced by Johnson) meeting Black Adam’s pet basenji, with whom he debates the meaning of “antihero”: “It’s basically exactly like a regular hero, except way cooler. You make up your own rules, and then you break them.” The prospect that the superegos attached to these two canines might one day collide transforms the spectacular (but otherwise pointless) one-off/origin story that is “Black Adam” into a feature-length tease. The payoff is still to come, but here, audiences are presented with the moral and emotional backstory for a future showdown.

“Black Adam” is built around the notion that Teth Adam, as he’s referred to for most of the movie, isn’t evil so much as really, really angry. The surprisingly serious-minded (but still plenty pulpy) project deprives Johnson of his greatest superpower — his sense of humor — while giving the now-straight-faced star a chance to play a character with some interesting contradictions. His instinct is to kill anyone who upsets him, and yet, he can still be reasoned with. This flexibility will prove crucial, since there’s a far more malevolent (if not especially memorable) character scheming to liberate Kahndaq, the fictional quasi-Egyptian country where the film takes place.

It’s an unusual move for DC to base an entire superhero feature in the Middle East — although it’s a homecoming of sorts for Johnson, whose film career kicked off playing the Scorpion King in “The Mummy Returns.” Doubly daring is the way “Black Adam” aligns our sympathies with the locals, who call upon an ancient hero to help overthrow the white mercenaries extracting precious Eternium from their land. In the film’s “300”-style prologue, the powerful mineral is responsible for transforming a lowly slave into a practically godlike figure — with the help of several wizards.

Flash forward to the present day. Tired of living in a state of oppression, a group of rebels led by tough gal Adrianna (Sarah Shahi) go looking for a legendary crown made of Eternium. Co-written by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, “Black Adam” features a lot more action than most DC movies, cramming the exposition into a series of supercharged set-pieces — including an early “Tomb Raider”-like sequence wherein Adrianna and three accomplices explore a cave, recovering the crown and unleashing Teth Adam from his millennia-long imprisonment.

Looking thoroughly annoyed, his neck thick as a banyan tree trunk, Johnson levitates into the first of many confrontations, blasting blue lightning from his fists. Bullets bounce off his bald dome; bazookas barely slow him down. Collet-Serra has studied everything from “The Matrix” to “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” basing his visual style on favorite tricks from more original films. Half the reason it’s so hard to take comic book movies seriously stems from lazy devices like Eternium and wizards, which “Black Adam” accepts without the slightest hesitation.

The movie is essentially “Shane” on steroids, set in the Middle East instead of the Old West, but still seen through the eyes of a young boy — Adrianna’s comic book-obsessed son Amon (Bodhi Sabongui), in this case — who idolizes a figure of questionable morality. As with “Shane,” sticking a kid in the middle of the story brings the entire project down to a middle-school-level intellect. And yet, except for the recent Batman movies, that’s how most of the DC films feel.

The most out-of-place characters here are the quartet representing the JSA. Adrianna rightly questions why Hawkman and friends should show up now, after a villainous organization called Intergang has been exploiting them for years. Black Adam may be billed as an antihero, but by the logic of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” he’s more helpful to these Kahndaq freedom fighters than the JSA. Fight scenes involving Hawkman, Atom Smasher and Cyclone pose strange challenges, considering their powers, while Doctor Fate at least gives the visual effects team some fun tricks to animate.

No one’s allowed to upstage Johnson, however — not even a bulging demon named Sabbac who appears near the end. Clearly, 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.

Reviewed at Dolby screening room, Burbank, Oct. 17, 2022. MPA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 125 MIN.

• Production: A Warner Bros. release of a New Line Cinema presentation of a Seven Bucks, Flynn Picture Co. production. Producers: Beau Flynn, Hiram Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia. Executive producers: Toby Emmerich, Richard Brener, Dave Neustadter, Chris Pan, Walter Hamada, Adam Schlagman, Geoff Johns, Eric McLeod, Scott Sheldon
• Crew: Director: Jaume Collet-Serra. Screenplay: Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines & Sohrab Noshirvani, based on characters from DC created by Bill Parker, C.C. Beck. Camera: Lawrence Sher. Editors: Mike Sale, John Lee.
• With: Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell, Mohammed Amer, Bodhi Sabongui, Pierce Brosnan.

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Black Adam (United States, 2022)

Black Adam embraces many of the worst elements and tropes of the superhero genre, resulting in a loud, discordant experience replete with fist-fights, pyrotechnics, and an overdose of CGI. While attempts are made to maintain a degree of faithfulness to the character’s comic book origins, the result is a half-formed world where voiceovers are necessary to deliver huge chunks of exposition. The plot is scattershot, seemingly without much of a direction until the narrative sharpens during the final 45 minutes. And, instead of allowing Dwayne Johnson’s natural charisma to come to the fore, the requirements of the script demand that he ape Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator character (from Terminator 2 ), right down to the young male sidekick.

Prior to making Black Adam , director Jaume Collet-Serra directed Johnson in Jungle Cruise . That came after spending the better part of a decade working with Liam Neeson on a quartet of mostly forgettable action films: Unknown , Non-Stop , Run All Night , and The Commuter . Although none of those rank among the worst Neeson has done, only Run All Night was worth the time spent sitting through it. The kind of mediocrity evident in those movies accurately sets expectations for Black Adam .

The story opens with a narrated prologue that attempts to encapsulate the origins of the title character with a disjointed series of scenes set in the ancient city of Khandaq. Teth Adam (Johnson) gains his powers as a result of a choice made by his son, the Champion of Khandaq, who is subsequently assassinated. Once he has defeated a king with godly aspirations, Adam vanishes for about 4600 years only to be resurrected in modern times by the efforts of Adrianna (Sarah Shahi) and her son, Amon (Bodhi Sabongui).

Eventually, when the screenwriters come to the realization that the movie needs something more than the JSA and Black Adam scowling at one another, they decide to add a third act development. Faster than you can say “Shazam!” (which Black Adam mustn’t say lest he lose his powers – PLOT POINT ALERT!), enter the demonic creature Sabbac (Marwan Kenzari). As the last survivor of the old line of Khandaq’s kings, he believes he deserves dominion over all and uses dark magic to get it.

The need to make Black Adam repressed and robotic neuters much of Johnson’s charisma. Pierce Brosnan appears to be enjoying himself, although it’s tough to say whether his smile is a performance or the result of his thinking about his paycheck. Pretty much everyone else is playing their expected roles – no more, no less – and it will be hard to remember any of the supporting actors a few days after seeing this movie, let alone when the seemingly inevitable sequel arrives.

Ultimately, Black Adam contains little that’s new, enervating, or interesting. It seems like it has been assembled out of the discarded bits and pieces of other superhero movies, with characters that are pale clones of their MCU counterparts. The jokey tone, which is intended to mimic the “lighter” approach favored by Marvel movies (in direct opposition to the doom-and-gloom darkness of the Snyderverse), feels forced and juvenile. As the intended start of a new franchise within DC’s Expanded Universe, this is a poor first step.

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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

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Adam holz, paul asay and johnathan mckee, movie review: beetlejuice beetlejuice.

This sequel to the macabre 1988 original, like its namesake demon, can be deceptively, and seriously, problematic.

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About Plugged In Entertainment Reviews

Plugged In is a Focus on the Family publication designed to shine a light on the world of popular entertainment while giving families the essential tools they need to understand, navigate and impact the culture in which they live. Through our reviews, articles and discussions, we hope to spark intellectual thought, spiritual growth and a desire to follow the command of Colossians 2:8: "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."

About Adam Holz, Paul Asay and Johnathan McKee

Adam Holz  After serving as an associate editor at NavPress' Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In's reviews along with hosting The Plugged In Show and the Plugged In Entertainment Review radio feature.   Paul Asay has been part of the  Plugged In  staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including  Time,   The Washington Post  and  Christianity Today . The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter  @AsayPaul . Jonathan McKee  is the author of over twenty books. He has over 20 years youth ministry experience and  speaks  to parents and leaders worldwide, He can be heard each week on the Plugged In Entertainment Review radio feature and The Plugged In Show. You can follow Jonathan on  his blog , getting a regular dose of youth culture and parenting help. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.

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