Movie Review: Black Adam (2022)

Black Adam (2022) directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

The country of Kahndaq in Northern Africa has a valuable resource, Eternium. In 2600 BC, King Ahk-Ton enslaves his people to mine for the element so he can create the Crown of Sabbac which will give him the power of several demons. One slave rises up and is taken by the Council of Wizards to an alternate dimension where they give him the powers of Shazam so he can be a hero for Kahndaq. The slave returns, kills the king, and is imprisoned by the Council for abusing his powers. Jumping ahead 4600 years, present-day Kahndaq is controlled by Intergang, a criminal organization using the Eternium to oppress the people and power their fantastic vehicles. Intergang also wants to recover the Crown of Sabbac. Local archeologist Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) is looking for the Crown too. When she and her group find the ruins of the ancient temple, she sees an inscription where the slave is buried. When Intergang's thugs show up, she recites the incantation and releases the slave. He puts the smack down on all the bad guys, then travels to the city only to discover that the Kahndaq he knows is long gone. The locals all hail him as a hero, especially Adrianna's son Amon (Bodhi Sabongui) who gives Teth Adam (the slave's original Kahndaq name) pointers about how to be a hero. Teth Adam (Dwayne Johnson) recognizes that he's no hero, a fact demonstrated by his brutality and disregard for human life. 

Meanwhile, the Justice Society sees the news of Teth Adam's return and springs into action to contain him. They have plenty of information about Teth Adam and why he was imprisoned. They don't want him causing trouble for everyone, so they go take him into custody. The team is led by Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), along with Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan) who does magic and can see the future, Atom Smasher (Noah Centino) who can alter his size and strength, and Cyclone ( Quintessa Swindell) who can control the wind. They are in for a hard fight since Teth Adam has the powers of several gods and the locals despise their interference.

The movie has a lot of action and excitement. The battle are impressive-looking and the uneven power balance makes the plight of the Justice Society interesting. Johnson gives a good performance is Teth Adam, embodying the merciless justice that makes him a hero only to people who agree with him, or at least think they do. Appeals to his better nature fall on deaf ears for most of the film. Sadly, the film is highly sympathetic with his attitude and actions. Sure, he's an exciting action guy but he is also morally very problematic. The isolationist attitudes of the Kahndaq people is understandable (where was the Justice Society all the while Intergang was oppressing the country?) but also ultimately questionable. Where Black Panther opened up Wakanda to its place on the world stage, Black Adam is happy to close off Kahndaq from outside involvement and threaten anyone who wants to do something with or for them. Not such a great message. 

Barely recommended--the action is fun but the attitude is terrible.