The movie “Black Adam” is an exciting, comical, action-packed film that includes a mix of gods, superheroes and humans that all serve the same purpose of saving a city called Khandaq. The city’s residents lived under military occupation for 27 years by a gang called Intergang, against whom they continuously fought for freedom.
Black Adam, the main character played by Dwayne Johnson, was imprisoned for five thousand years and was finally released by a citizen of Khandaq in hopes that he would save them from the Intergang. Once released, the members of The Justice Society, a league of superheroes, arrive to protect the people from Black Adam. They believe that he would not be able to control his powers and would eventually destroy the city. As the story evolves, Black Adam and the Justice Society must learn to work together to protect Khandaq from its true enemies.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who also directed “Jungle Cruise,” “Orphan” and many others, said he was inspired to direct this movie because of his belief that people are all currently enslaved people in this world. “We are all still fighting to receive the justice we deserve,” Serra explained.
In an interview, he states that he became a fan of the character Black Adam because he likes characters who are in between doing the right thing and doing what needs to be done. This is true for Black Adam, who was considered a hero and a threat by others.
Johnson, who also starred in Serra’s Jungle Cruise, played the character of Black Adam. Noah Cinteneo played Adam Smasher, a hero reminiscent of Antman from the Marvel Universe films. He is silly by nature while possessing the power to grow extraordinarily large, which can be helpful but annoying, clumsy, and often in the way.
Pierce Brosnan, who starred as James Bond in such films as “Golden Eye” and “Tomorrow Never Dies,” plays Dr. Fate. He is a member of the Justice Society and has unique powers, including telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation, and various forms of spell casting. Aldis Hodge, from “Straight Out of Compton” and “Hidden Figures,” plays Hawkman. And Quintessa Swindell, who starred in HBO’s “Euphoria,” plays the role of Cyclone, a hero that can control the wind with her mind.
The film has many jaw-dropping special effects that keep you on the edge of your seat. Thanks to designer duo Kurt and Bart, who also worked on films such as “Deadpool 2” and “Hunger Games,” you’ll see great costume designs. The combination of highly creative costumes and effects resulted in beautiful scenery with so much detail it made a fictional location seem real.
While my eyes were in a happy place, my ears were also satisfied by the soundtrack, which Lorn Balfe scored. It included original music consisting of heavy strings, choirs, and dark classical music. Several songs played in the movie were not included in the soundtrack, including Kanye West’s “Power,” which played at the perfect time.
I could tell the actors enjoyed playing their roles in this film, making it much more enjoyable to watch. Noah Centineo actually dislocated his arm twice on set and continued to do a great job.
If you like films such as “300” or “Mad Max.” you will also enjoy this film. The director Jaume Collet-Serra compared Black Adam to “Dirty Harry,” a 1971 film starring Clint Eastwood. He said it was because of his similar methods of revenge. There are some similarities. I recommend you see this film and develop your own conclusion.