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‘Black Adam’ Review: Dwayne Johnson’s DC Superhero Movie Rides The Lightning, Fizzles Out

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‘Black Adam’ Review: Dwayne Johnson’s DC Superhero Movie Rides The Lightning, Fizzles Out

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The new hero Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) is a teenager who can harness the wind power of the Black Adam.
'Black Adam' Review: Dwayne Johnson's DC Superhero Movie Rides The Lightning, Fizzles Out

Dwayne Johnson 'The Rock' Reveals Life Lessons From Making Black Adam

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After all, The Rock stars in his own superhero movie; Dwayne Johnson carries Black Adam on his mighty shoulders, but the task is too big.

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serrate ("Jungle Cruise"), DC's latest movie is full of glamor and sharpness, but sadly lacks character; main role) the presented problem; Now in theaters) introduces all kinds of new characters. Johnson's Kid focuses on the complex hero who has championed him for years. She wins some fights and packs a punch, but she can't beat the familiar metaphors and flaws.

Tate Adam (Johnson) is a former slave with divine powers since ancient times who was imprisoned for 5,000 years. After his release, he discovers that his hometown of Kahndaq, a once fictional Middle Eastern country, is now ruled by the mercenary organization Intergang and is in dire need of a revolutionary boy. None of this satisfies this dark rascal, so he sets out to brutally eliminate the evil Adam.

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Enter the Justice Society of America, a group of heroes led by Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), a combination of Bruce Wayne and Professor X, who leads a super team in his high-tech mansion, and is responsible for this new global backlash. The threat team includes Doctor Faith (Pierce Brosnan), a human tornado (Quintessa Swindell) and young Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo). But they also fight together to compete with a demolition machine that catches lightning and doesn't dig when it gets in its way.

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Despite his morally questionable stance on killing people, Adam isn't the real big bad guy in his movie. An evil entity associated with the title character's tragic backstory emerges, and after a period of head-butting, JSA and Black Adam unite to solve a larger problem.

Happy 50th Anniversary, The Rock! Every Dwayne Johnson movie is definitely a rating

Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan, left) and Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) are old Black Adam characters. © Dr. Frank Massey Faith (Pierce Brosnan, left) and Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) are the long-lost heroes of Black Adam.

Yes, that's right from Comic Book Movie 101. Black Adam also takes a back seat in DC movies like Shazam. and The Suicide Squad, efforts that were related to the larger DC universe but had an interesting atmosphere and included mostly biopics. Building on the style on the work of Zack Snyder's former superhero, the new movie builds in many ways into a grand, two-hour finale that predicts what's to come. (This is very neat.)

Like many in the genre, Black Adam introduces far too many new characters without proper development. Hodge, and especially Brosnan, is most effective at providing audiences with compelling new characters, even if they don't get to know them well. Then there's Black Adam himself, who deserves at least one arc. Although the movie definitely targets the man with no name; Clint Eastwood is also shown on TV before Johnson's foes of champions explode, with mixed results.

Black Adam Why did Pierce Brosnan wear his wedding ring as Doctor Who?

The new hero Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) is a teenager who can harness the wind power of the Black Adam. © WARNER BROS. Pictures The new hero Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) is a teenager who can harness the power of the winds of the Black Adam.

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To his credit, Johnson willingly took on a role very different from his best known work (such as CIA, The Fast and the Furious, Jumanji) and used his physical presence and natural personality to gain attention. Black Adam isn't a good guy at first, and Johnson works overtime to make him a brilliant, stoic, and destructive agent, first on a quest for revenge and then on a journey to enlightenment (although Adam is a different person every five minutes). Reminding oneself "I'm not a hero" doesn't help.

Black Adam is good at building the world. Colette Serra's portrayal of the old prophet was great, although the slow-motion sequence throughout the film could have been toned down a lot. Interestingly, she goes where other similar films have not gone, delving into issues of imperialism and what makes heroes in the modern world.

If the suit fits, wear it and Black Adam will be perfect for Johnson's action figure. It simply deserves a better superhero outing before this trip.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY. Black Adam movie review. Dwayne Johnson's DC superhero movie turns lightning and failure

Movie Review |: Black Adam (Spoiler)

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