Black Adam arrived in theaters last week, and while fans clearly like it more than critics, it's still a movie that's split opinions. No matter whether you loved it, hated it, or fall somewhere in the middle, we're sure you'll agree that there were things about the latest DC Comics movie that did and didn't work.
You can read our review by clicking here, but we're now exploring the good and bad of this blockbuster in the making. Box office numbers have been good, and all signs point to Black Adam 2 happening somewhere down the line, but there's definitely room for improvement in this franchise's future.
From awful supporting characters to the moment and scenes that had us hollering with joy in the theater, expect to find points you'll agree and disagree with...and a couple that might surprise you.
Take a closer look at our Black Adam breakdown by clicking on the "Next" button below!
Didn't Work: The Insufferable Supporting Cast
No matter how you felt about Black Adam, we can surely all agree that the movie boasts one of the most all-time irritating comic book movie supporting casts.
Adrianna Tomaz isn't a love interest for Black Adam (which is fine), but doesn't really serve a purpose beyond wanting to hide the Crown of Sabbac. She and her son, Amon, are quite blatantly only here to "ground" Black Adam and serve as his entry point into the modern world, but that doesn't work overly well and they have far too much screentime.
Throw in Karim, Adrianna's dim-witted uncle, and this trio does the movie no favours. Remember how annoying Darcy was in the first two Thor movies? Multiply her by three and make her three times more annoying, and you have the Tomaz family.
It's a shame, but we have no idea why anyone thought Black Adam and some annoying skateboarding kid teaming up to brainstorm catchphrases was worth including.
Did Work: The Rock IS Black Adam
Some fans were unsure whether Dwayne Johnson was the right choice to play Black Adam in the DCEU, but we'd argue that the actor proves himself the perfect fit for this character here.
Formidable, badass, and full of attitude, Teth-Adam is one of the most fun new additions to this shared world in quite some time. It's hard to not get excited about him interacting with this world's heroes and villains, and Johnson makes it easy to buy into this character being someone who could fight the Justice League...and potentially win!
Black Adam's jokes rarely work, but The Rock delivers some big laughs when needed. Despite that, he never comprises the anti-hero and avoids turning him into the full-blown comedian that the MCU's Thor has become.
Say what you will about this movie...we can't find a bad word to say about Johnson's work in front of the camera, though.
Didn't Work: The Justice Society
We're sorry to have to say this, but the DCEU's Justice Society sucks.
Aldis Hodge is a decent Hawkman. Unfortunately, the hero is so serious and uncompromising, he's just no fun to spend time with. Carter Hall is also surprisingly ineffective and, bizarrely, doesn't win a single fight in Black Adam. Dr. Fate is better, though his powers are portrayed very closely to Doctor Strange and Pierce Brosnan appears to be here solely for the cash.
Cyclone's powers are nice to look, but we have nothing nice to say about Atom Smasher. He looks like Deadpool, sounds like Spider-Man, but has zero charisma and is a chore to spend time with.
This four-person team made up of two vets and two rookies who hang out in Hawkman's mansion and report to Amanda Waller were clearly shoehorned into the script to make it more exciting. Well, the fight scenes are good...that's about it.
Didn't Work: Too. Much. Slow-Mo.
Slow-motion can work really well in superhero movies, and there are times in Black Adam when it does enhance what we're watching play out on screen. At others, though, it's a major detriment.
Simply put, there's too much of it.
The movie's fight scenes all feel a little same-y, anyway, something that's evident from the fact that Black Adam's fight with Hawkman looks and feels no different to his battle with the Intergang goons. While throwing slow-mo into all of these battles leads to a few cool moments that would have otherwise flashed by in a blur of CG, it also makes them drag on and on and on...
Director Jaume Collet-Serra has a decent enough eye for action but feels out of his depth with Black Adam. Perhaps this was just done to appease the SnyderVerse bros?
Did Work: The Mid-Credits Scene...Mostly
We didn't love Black Adam as much as some of you, but we can agree that the mid-credits scene is pretty f***ing cool.
In that, Henry Cavill returns as Superman to confront Black Adam about the fear his presence has created. As Khandaq's new guardian, he could have a major impact on the world stage and is formidable enough that no mere man can stop him. We don't see what comes next, but the prospect of these two fighting each other or side by side is incredibly exciting.
The reason we say it "mostly" works is because it feels very strange that Superman would work with Amanda Waller. Yes, Black Adam may take place before Peacemaker, but even then, the Man of Steel being a thug for A.R.G.U.S. doesn't quite sit right.
There could be any number of explanations, in fairness, so we won't fret about that too much. It's just could to see Cavill back where he belongs in the DCEU.
Didn't Work: Everything About The Villain
Marwan Kenzari made for an underwhelming Jafar in the live-action Aladdin reboot, though he showed flashes of being a great villain. Still, we'd question why anyone thought it a good idea to tap him to play Black Adam's big bad.
Ishmael Gregor is as generic a baddie as they come. He's willing to hurt a child, wants an artefact to become even more powerful than he already is, and eventually transforms into a hilariously awful-looking VDX demon. Sabbac is hard to understand and even harder to look at.
Stomping around akin to a character pulled from a video game cutscene, the monster may be strikingly similar to his comic book counterpart, but never appears truly real.
Throw in the fact that Gregor wants to go from ruling over Khandaq as a mercenary to ruling over Khandaq with a bunch of phoney-looking CG skeletons, and we're not sure there's anything good to say about this guy.