Black Adam [Blu-ray]

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra Jaume Collet-Serra

Overview

Director Jaume Collet-Serra resurrects the DC Comics antihero Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson). The story follows the awakening of this significant character who was imprisoned for nearly five thousand years. He tries to exist in modern climes despite his brusque ways and ancient-trained means. The superhero members of the Justice Society of America try to befriend him, hopefully retraining him as well. They need to come together soon to fight a more powerful villain about to wreak havoc on the world. Co-starring Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, and Pierce Brosnan.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/03/2023
UPC:	0883929729357
Original Release:	2022
Source:	New Line Home Video
Language:	English
Sales rank:	41,144

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Dwayne Johnson	Black Adam/Teth Adam
Sarah Shahi	Adrianna
Viola Davis	Amanda Waller
Pierce Brosnan	Doctor Fate/Kent Nelson
Noah Centineo	Al Rothstein/Atom Smasher
Aldis Hodge	Carter Hall/Hawkman
Quintessa Swindell	Maxine Hunkel/Cyclone
Odelya Halevi	Shiruta
Angel Rosario Jr.	Mercenary
Joseph Gatt	Squad Leader
Natalie Burn	Revolutionary Mercenary #1
Marwan Kenzari	cast
Mohammed Amer	Karim
Uli Latukefu	Patrick Sabongui
Patrick Sabongui	Rami,Jalon Christian
James Cusati-Moyer	Derek Russo
Derek Russo	Russian Mercenary
Shiquita James	Ancient Worker
Jalon Christian	Hurut
Jermaine Rivers	Intergang Sniper
Christopher Matthew Cook	Merc
Chaim Jeraffi	Djau
Sean M. Sullivan	Intergang Market Mercenary,Intergang Market Mercenary
Donny Carrington	Checkpoint Mercenary #1
Tang Nguyen	Mercenary
Mike Senior	Intergang Pilot #4
Stephan Jones	Commander
Alex Parkinson	Chauffeur
Cameron Moir	Helicopter Pilot
Dennis Dawson	Intergang Pilot #3
Tre Ryan	Mercenary
Peter Nguyen	Mercenary
Rahiem Riley	Foreign Resident
Floyd Foster	Mecenary

Technical Credits

Adam Sztykiel

Sohrab Noshirvani

Rory Haines

Jaume Collet-Serra	Director
Richard Brener	Executive Producer
Walter Hamada	Executive Producer
Dwayne Johnson	Executive Producer,Producer
Eric McLeod	Executive Producer
Chris Pan	Executive Producer
Beau Flynn	Producer
Dany Garcia	Producer,Producer
Adam Sztykiel	Screenwriter
Sohrab Noshirvani	Screenwriter
Rory Haines	Screenwriter
Adam Schlagman	Executive Producer
Anthony delaCruz	Special Effects
Erick Ocampo	Sound/Sound Designer
Colleen Daniel	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

Jaume Collet-Serra (Jungle Cruise) directs Black Adam, featuring characters from the DC superhero universe. Unfortunately, writer Adam Sztykiel (Rampage) and the team of Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani (The Mauritanian) fall short of their duties. This, combined with uneven direction, makes for a decent but flawed film that is heavy on action but short on substance. In ancient Khandar, Teth Adam (Dwayne Johnson) was a savior of the people, wielding the power of the gods. Now revived in modern society by Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi), he is told that the people of Khandar are once again oppressed. But Adam is disinterested in helping them, even after numerous violent encounters with Intergang mercenaries. Meanwhile, news of his return causes Waller (Viola Davis) to dispatch the Justice Society: Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell). Their mission is to convince him to allow them to imprison him. But he, Tomaz, and the Justice Society are all at odds about his fate, even as an ancient relic of unfathomable power threatens the world. The script isn't bad, but it isn't great, either. The story is good, but too much is missing to make it well-rounded. Sztykiel, Haines, and Noshirvani rely too much on the audience already knowing the characters, loosely introduced as the Justice Society. Anyone watching the film that isn't familiar with them is likely to be lost. This two-dimensionality prevents the development of an emotional connection to any of them. Even Black Adam's history seems truncated, but at least by the end of the film, moviegoers know his origin and motivations. A mediocre script can lead to similarly mediocre direction, which unfortunately happens here. Collet-Serra concentrates more on action than characterization and story. Despite these factors, the actors do their best with what they have to work with, especially Brosnan and Hodge. Johnson works best when a little bit of humor is injected into the script, and the writers did try. But it comes across as forced rather than natural and would have, for the most part, been better left out - especially if they had used the time to develop other characters. The special effects help carry the film, becoming especially well-rendered in the final scenes. There is a lot of use of slow motion, though it only really works with Cyclone. As with many of today's films, the CGI is sometimes dizzying or overdone, creating moments of visual overstimulation. Fortunately, the soundtrack keeps everything on pace, so while some aspects of the script are lacking, the pacing doesn't get lost. Black Adam is enjoyable enough, but it isn't as much of a good time as other films in the superhero genre. As the first real introduction of the Justice Society, it lacks the color needed to make audiences care about their futures, which at this point seems dark.