Very disappointed in "Black Adam." Too many characters, too many cliches, too many macguffins, too much clunky, exposititory dialogue.
The JSA (Justice Society of America) feels underdeveloped and ultimately pointless. Hawkman is given some ridiculously corny lines, and lacks the savage intensity of his Geoff Johns-era comic book counterpart. And his entreaties for physical restraint feel hollow considering he's working with Amanda Waller. Poor Aldis Hodge.
It's very strange that the writers would include Dr. Fate and Hawkman - both contemporaries of Black Adam in ancient Egypt - and not mention or explore this connection at all. His general backstory in ancient Egypt is also neglected - we are told he was a slave who violently exacted revenge against his captors - but there isn't enough time spent in this era to make his vengeance shocking or interesting.
The villains also get little screen time or explanation. Who is Intergang? Who is in charge of the government? Why are Western troops in the country? We are told that things are oppressive but we never see much about what life in Khandaq is actually like.
The CGI action is unrelenting to the point of being boring. Because of Adam's near-invulnerability, the source of tension should be his human connections and his teetering sense of morality.
This is what made Adam's "52" and "World War III" comic book storylines so good. His rampage and fall feel genuinely tragic because he had established himself as a real, feeling, suffering human being with a family and a people that he loved.
It's the opposite in the film. His actions lack substance, his connections feel forced and arbitrary. And his ruthlessness lacks bite. Yes, he kills people. That in itself isn't interesting, it feels like 90's era edginess more than anything. I really wonder if Duane Johnson did some meddling with the script to make his character more heroic. Because this incarnation lacks the depth and subtlety of the comic book version, and that's a shame. This Adam claims to be morally gray. The Adam in the comics actually IS morally gray.
"Black Adam" is watchable, but it could have been so much more.
