Black Adam

Langreview Kurzkritik English Version Fakten + Credits

In 2019, SHAZAM! was one of the few films from the DC Extended Universe that not only set the box office ringing but also put a smile on fans’ faces. Although not everything was perfect, the work stands out positively from the recent past of film adaptations of the comic giant. Back in 2014, it was officially announced that Dwayne Johnson would play a role in the film, but without specifying what it would be. But plans were changed three years later and Warner Bros. announced that he would get a completely separate film as Black Adam. So he did not even get a guest appearance in David F. Sandberg’s film. After corresponding forced postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, action director Jaume Collet-Serra’s film is now generating a lot of hope among audiences.

Here’s what it’s about

5,000 years ago, a brave boy ensured the end of slavery in Kahndaq and brought freedom back to the people. He was able to do this through god-like abilities that gave him the power to push the power-obsessed king from his throne. Celebrated as a champion, his abilities were no longer needed and millennia passed in peace. In the present, however, mercenary troops are trying to reintroduce oppression and at the same time to recover the ancient crown of the former king, which is said to give the wearer a very special power. When the scientist Adrianna Tomaz comes across the artefact with the intention of finding and hiding it, she leads the mercenaries straight to their goal. Their only chance of salvation is a call for help to Teth-Adam, the former champion, to bring freedom back to Kahndaq.

Aus datenschutzrechtlichen Gründen benötigt YouTube Ihre Einwilligung um geladen zu werden. Mehr Informationen finden Sie unter Datenschutzerklärung.

Review

By now, the sheer most important question about a new DC movie seems to be: Are we going to get another tragedy of loveless characters wrapped up in a poor script? To get the cow off the ice straight away: BLACK ADAM disappoints on several levels, even if you go into the film without great expectations. To put this into perspective, it must be mentioned that we were shown the film in the German dubbed version. This should be taken into account in the following review, but since we have good dubbing studios in Germany, this does not save the once again far too flat dialogue, which often consists of witless oneliners. It really gives the impression that the characters want to take cover from their dialogue part by immediately playing the linguistic ball to another role again and again. But who expects profound or even meaningful conversations in such a work?

Instead of eloquent arguments, the new comic film prefers to shoot out of the barrel with film references. At this point, it must be questioned whether these are still references or whether they have just been blindly copied and we are being presented with a cinematic genre jumble. While the visual design is strongly reminiscent of Zack Snyder’s 300 (and also later works by the MAN OF STEEL director) and thus seemingly the only recipe for success that DC has been able to produce in the past ten years, BLACK ADAM looks like a poor black market copy of the Marvel films. BLACK PANTHER, CAPTAIN AMERICA and especially the X-MEN can be found in every other scene, not to mention that the characters seem like 1:1 transfers of Dr. Strange and Ant-Man.

Extra slow for even more boredom

Of course, the parallels also exist in the comic originals, which is why it is difficult to really criticise the realisation at this point. What is more than flawed, however, are the weak personalities of all the characters. We hardly learn anything about them, because the Justice Society in particular appears out of nowhere and nobody knows them, nobody knows what they do and nobody can identify with them. For mind you, such grave elements must not only pick up comic book readers, but also the consuming film audience. While Pierce Brosnan at least lends his portrayal as Doctor Fate a certain approachable characterisation through his engaging nature and is able to convey sympathy, almost all the other roles seem completely out of place. This even goes so far that Cyclone, played by Quintessa Swindell, is more associated with slow motion in her abilities than with her actual talent.

So that the mainstream blockbuster binge can of course be exploited to the full, countless hits from music history, which are played at the silliest moments to tease out yet another silly punchline, are of course not to be missed. From the Smashing Pumpkins to The Rolling Stones to Ennio Morricone’s “The Trio” from THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. Actually, the only way it can get any worse is with some subterranean CGI – and what can we say: we get that too. Even if we leave aside the many fights that are bursting with flashes of light, rolls of fire and swirls of air, since DC are by far not the only ones who have their problems with this, we are still left with an abstrusively skinny portrayal of the former professional wrestler, onto which his far too large head has simply been grafted. It is shocking that apparently no one in the creative process noticed this extremely strange digital creation or creature.

Children’s cinema has been better

If we now actually want to take a look at the plot, because decency demands it, it should be pointed out that there is no better word for BLACK ADAM. Countless story approaches are interspersed without any logic and thrown at the viewer’s feet on the “eat or die” principle. Explanations remain open, the antagonists are as boring as seldom before and also little remains of the actual anti-hero under the forced cut for a better age rating. Instead of continuing down the original thuggish, brutal and psychologically disturbing DC path, we prefer to get toned-down nonsense so that the target audience can be massively expanded once again. And of course, an unwritten law says that you don’t question where the other heroes of the same cinematic universe were at the time and why they didn’t intervene, but anyone who bumblingly tries to reference all these works as well simply has to put up with this criticism.

Conclusion

The comic giant’s latest attempt to finally produce a film for the fans that won’t be stampeded under a shitstorm thus fails once again and only scores points in the end credits scene. The tragedy is just as creative as the naming, which is explained to us in the film by saying that the protagonist, whose name is actually “Teth-Adam”, finally needs a new, fresh name and should therefore be called Black Adam in future. Apparently, they not only miscalculated by 400 years in storytelling, but also forgot in the equation that the same old same old has already met with resistance several times in the past. Instead of finally acknowledging Zack Snyder’s success and giving him a free hand to build his own universe, they prefer to imitate his style without realising that it requires a certain cinematic sensitivity. Some people just don’t want to learn.

How did you like the movie?
(3 Bewertungen, Durchschnitt: 5,33 von 10)