TheBlack Adamred carpet premiere in New York lifted the veil on the first wave of critics and media voicing their opinion on the film, and while there’s some mixed reception, Dwayne Johnson and its action are getting plenty of praise.
The movie stands out as the sole Warner Bros. Discovery blockbuster not to be delayed recently, and with its relative distance from DC’s other films,Black Adamwas positioned as one of the studio’s most intriguing offerings. Fortunately, it looks like Johnson aced his superhero exam, with practically every reviewer commending his performance for a role he had spent quite a few years preparing for.
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Although the full review embargo is still up, social media takes are fair game, meaning Collider’sSteven Weintraubwas free to post his belief that The Rock “is fantastic as Black Adam […] Left the theater wanting to see the sequel immediately.” This is a feeling echoed by Variety’sCourtney Howard, who also noted how director Jaume Collet-Serra “lays out building blocks for a larger, grand universe” — so exactly what Warner is looking for on that level.Brandon Davisfrom ComicBook.com came out of the film wanting to see precisely this, saying, “the thought of him crossing over with other heroes and villains after this one is awesome.” Meanwhile,The Illuminerdicalls it some of the best action yet in the DCEU.
It’s not all positive though, as CNET’sSean Keencalled it outright bad, criticizingBlack Adamfor having “no emotional depth” and no sense of peril whatsoever, while also not being wowed by all the fancy CGI spectacle. Similarly, Vox’sAlex Abadsadmits Johnson and his co-starPierce Brosnan do great things for the movie, as does much of the cast, even if “the script’s inconsistent internal logic lets them down in a lot of spots." So, it’s fair to sayBlack Adamis far from perfect.
The general feeling seems to be thatBlack Adamis every bit the entertaining superheroflick it should be, with Johnson delivering all of his box office allure. Still, some reviewers likeRuss Milheimfeel “it’s forgettable” due to several issues. Under that scope,Black Adaminitially comes off as a certain “go out and see for yourself” in the eyes of many fans, both hardcore and casual, yet the promise of its action sequences and Teth-Adam’s characteristic brutality might provide some new flavors.
Johnson has carefully teased he’d like togo up against Henry Cavill’s Superman, as that is the entire point of bringing on such a powerful antihero likeBlack Adam, even uttering a “Welcome home” at the actor during the premiere. As the film’s official release gets closer, so might Black Adam’s inclusion inMultiVersusin order to seize the character’s momentum.
