The power structure of the DC Universe may be poised to undergo a shift with the release of “Black Adam,” but Warner Bros.’ newest superhero feature has a relatively poor critical reputation in comparison to the studio’s other superhero offerings over the past ten years.
The reviews for the Dwayne Johnson “Black Adam” started rolling in this afternoon, and as of this writing, the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes lists the film as having a 32% approval rating from leading critics. It currently holds a 54% approval rating among the more extensive group of reviewed users on the website. It would mark the lowest such figure for a DC film since 2017’s “Justice League,” which received a 23% approval rating from top critics and was so reviled among fans that a reworked version was eventually ordered by Warner Bros., which will arrive in the form of “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” in 2021. Should the top critics number stand, it would mark the lowest such figure for a DC film since 2017’s “Justice League.”
The chief film critic for Variety, Peter Debruge, wrote in a review that was mostly positive that “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.” Debruge acknowledged that “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
The majority of other people have a more negative reaction to the backstory, however many people have praised Johnson’s acting as a vital asset to the film. The actor’s chiselled body and commercial supremacy would suggest that the role of the hero in a superhero movie was destined for him, but it wasn’t until “Black Adam” that he finally had the chance to play one.
According to Peter Bradshaw, writing for the Guardian, Johnson’s “huge bulk, planet-sized cranium, and sly flair for deadpan comedy all make him a superb superhero.” This was stated in a review that was only mildly complimentary.
A critic named John Defore wrote an article for The Hollywood Reporter in which he discussed the actor’s long-standing attachment to the role of “Black Adam.” Defore stated that the actor’s “passion project” was beneficial to the character because it “sets him up for adventures one hopes will be less predictable than this one.”
In his review for IGN, Joshua Yehl praised Dwayne Johnson for “making his Black Adam just as steely and imposing as he was in the comics.” Johnson received “high scores” for this performance. However, he had some criticisms to make about the movie, saying that it was “full of underdeveloped characters and an overwhelming number of repetitious action scenes,” to the point that the movie’s “half-baked debate on what it means to be a hero is lost in all of the commotion.”
David Fear, a senior editor at Rolling Stone and a film critic, stated that “not even the pleasure of watching Johnson enter into a blockbuster template he seemed destined to dominate can make up for how generic, flavourless, and incoherent this is.” Fear’s statement was included in the magazine’s review.
Alonso Duralde, writing for The Wrap, referred to the movie as “anti-entertaining” and referred to it as “one of the most visually confounding of the major-studio superhero sagas,” stating that “between CG that is assaultively unappealing and rapid-fire editing that sucks the exhilaration right out of every fight scene,” it is “one of the most visually confounding of the major-studio superhero sagas.”
The film was given a negative review by David Ehrlich, a critic for Indiewire. He began his review by asking, “What happens when Hollywood’s most risk-averse movie star collides with Hollywood’s most risk-averse movie genre?” Ehrlich was not impressed with the movie. His response was… “Precisely what one would anticipate. “Only even worse”
The film was judged “quite average” by the writer Matt Singer of ScreenCrush, who said that the movie “plays like a committee-made product designed to zhoosh up the sluggish DC Extended Universe with a major star and a handful of new heroes to spin out into future movies.” You are left with a clear path for DC’s cinematic future after two hours of tedious table setting, but a lot less enthusiasm in actually seeing it.
Johnson has hinted, in the course of marketing “Black Adam,” that the titular antihero would soon be facing more challenging conflicts in the future. Online discussion has also been sparked as a result of leaked films of the scenario that appears at the end of the movie. These videos provide a hint as to who Black Adam might face off against in the future.
In addition to his starring role, though, Johnson has mentioned that he would be interested in serving as a “advisor” for DC Films in the future. The upcoming slate of DC films has become a matter of careful strategy under the new leadership of CEO David Zaslav under Warner Bros. Discovery. Zaslav stated that the company is seeking out a leader akin to Marvel Studios’ head Kevin Feige to shepherd the next decade of the studio’s comic book content. Zaslav also stated that the company is seeking out a leader akin to Marvel Studios’ head Kevin Feige.
Photo Credits: https://www.indiewire.com/