The DC Extended Universe continues. Since 2013 this shared universe has seen many heroes and villains emerge; from the Justice League to the Suicide Squad. Among these characters is none other than the magical champion Shazam (or sometimes known as Captain Marvel). Despite his influence on pop culture, this hero did not make his cinematic debut until 2019 in Shazam, and the movie was generally liked by moviegoers. This character is set to return in Shazam: Fury of the Gods which hits theaters next spring, but until then the DCEU focuses on a darker champion. With Shazam comes the notorious Black Adam, the character’s arch rival, who has played the role of both villain and anti-hero in the comics. The character was meant to debut in 2019 but fate had other plans for the supervillain and after many delays this fallen champion makes his cinematic debut in Black Adam.

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, the film centers Adam-Teth (Dwayne Johnson) who, after being released from his eternal prison, sets out on a path of destruction in order to free his homeland of Kahndaq from the villainous Intergang which leads Adam to cross paths with the Justice Society of America. The story of this film’s development is an interesting one. The Rock has been slated to play this role for over a decade, but the project was never able get off the ground until 2014. Now this idea has finally come to fruition and seeks to shake things up in the DCEU. Between featuring one of DC’s coolest villains and being an introduction to the JSA, this was a must see for me; and while I cannot say this film changes the hierarchy of the DCEU, Black Adam was still one heck of a ride.

Having a superhero movie focus on a supervillain can be tricky as the character has to walk a line that keeps things morally gray. For Black Adam, the movie was certainly a superhero tale with an edge. Thematically speaking the plot could have been deeper with its concepts, though the movie’s storytelling was still fitting for the title character. While it could be hard to get into and some points felt rushed, the plot remained engaging thanks to its sense of excitement. When it came to world building, the story utilized concepts seen in Shazam well while establishing new elements like Intergang and the JSA; though these aspects required some clarification in their roles. As stories go Black Adam could be too straightforward in its narrative, but the delivery made all the difference in the world for this superpowered tale.

Just like the story, having a supervillain as the main character of a movie can be difficult to pull off; especially when they do not have a hero to bounce off of. Thankfully this was not the case for Black Adam. When it came to the title character, Black Adam was definitely a force to be reckoned with. While it would have been nice to see darker motivation from Adam, the Man in Black was undoubtedly imposing, and the Rock was at his best by giving this anti-hero the proper presence and charisma. Yet as I said a villain needs a hero to bounce off of, and for Adam he had the original superhero team to work with. The Justice Society practically stole the show with their comradery and their individual strengths as Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) and Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan) were formidable leads while Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) were surprisingly engaging. Needless to say, this is a group that would love to see more of in future projects. As for the rest of the cast, the movie featured some decent players. Characters like Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) and her son Amon (Bodhi Sabongui) were decent in their roles but their presence was a little excessive. As for the villains, both Ishmael (Marwan Kenzari) and Intergang did not leave the greatest of impressions, but as foils for the heroes they were appropriate in their roles. The cast also included some of the DCEU alumni like Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) and the Wizard (Djimon Hounsou). While their time was limited, the presence of these characters was appreciated and only gave this superpowered cast an additional element.

Black Adam, above all else, was an action movie and to say it exceeded in this area would be an understatement. Practically non stop, the action was exhilarating and even brutal in places. The fight between Black Adam and the JSA was particularly good as it lived up to the expectations of a superhero fight. Along with the intense action was the movie’s sense of spectacle which was fairly impressive. While some of the film’s visuals were better than others, the film’s cinematography was surprisingly stellar as it featured an array of styles that worked well together. One moment featuring Doctor Fate was rather impressive thanks to the scene’s dynamic execution. Last and certainly not least was the music. While the soundtrack could be jarring in places, the score by Lorne Balfe on the other hand was as thematic as it was catchy. Between the themes of Black Adam and the Justice Society, the music was not only worthy of superhero films but blockbusters in general.

Black Adam is a superhero blockbuster through and through. While aspects like storytelling could be too simplistic, the movie made up for it with its solid cast and stellar presentation. Along with a vibrant score this movie was an action packed experience that kept things exciting from beginning to end. I cannot say that Black Adam is a game changer for the DCEU, or superhero movies in general, but it is indeed a worthy addition to the franchise and keeps true to the elements that have made the superhero genre so enjoyable.