Dwayne Johnson Plays a Villain Who Wants to Be a Hero — and Black Adam Cannot Do Both

Dwayne Johnson plays a villain who wants to be a hero, and the film spends nearly two hours proving he cannot do both. Black Adam opens with a promise: a man wronged by the world gets his revenge and tries to remake it. By the end, the promise is broken, and the film is left with a pile of wreckage.

Trailer, via DC.

Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam

Johnson plays Teth-Adam, a slave freed by the ancient Egyptian gods, who becomes a protector of justice. He returns to modern-day Kahndaq after being trapped in stone for five thousand years. The premise is bold. The execution is not.

The Problem With Black Adam

The film’s biggest flaw is pacing. It takes too long to get to the action, and once it arrives, the fights are overlong and repetitive. Johnson is clearly enjoying himself, but his performance is bigger than the script around him. The supporting cast, including Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz and Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, gets little room to breathe.

The Villains Fall Short

The villains are thin. Djimon Hounsou plays Ishmael, a corrupt politician, but his character is barely developed beyond a one-note tyrant. The film treats him as a foil for Black Adam without giving him the nuance the role demands.

The Flash Connection

The film is part of the DC Extended Universe, and it introduces the Flash, played by David Furlong. This is a clever hook, but it is underused. The two characters share a scene, but the potential for a deeper connection goes unexplored.

The Sound Design

The score is bombastic, and the sound design is loud. Both are meant to sell the spectacle, but they often drown out the dialogue. Scenes that should feel tense rely on volume instead of tension.

The Action Sequences

The action sequences are the film’s strongest element. Johnson moves with grace, and the fights are well-choreographed. But they are also too long. A sequence that could have lasted three minutes stretches past ten, losing energy along the way.

The Ending

The ending is rushed. The film sets up a conflict between Black Adam’s desire for vengeance and his duty to protect Kahndaq, but it resolves the issue in a single scene that feels abrupt. The film ends with a cliffhanger, but it leaves the audience with more questions than answers.

What Works

1. Dwayne Johnson’s physical presence carries the film when the writing fails
2. The action sequences are well-choreographed
3. The Flash cameo is a promising hook for future films

What Doesn’t Work

1. The pacing drags in the first half
2. The villains are underdeveloped
3. The dialogue is often drowned out by the score

Black Adam is a film with a great idea and a weak execution. It is watchable, but it is not memorable. It scores 4.1 out of 10.

action movie · Black Adam · DC Comics · Dwayne Johnson · movie review