First Take: Black Adam - tell them the man in black sent you

SYNOPSIS: Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods - and imprisoned just as quickly - Black Adam is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.

Just weeks before Marvel unleash Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on the world, DC wanted to get one last film in for this year following on from the release of The Batman back in March. And this one really is do or die - one of only two films Warner could afford to release in this quarter (Don’t Worry Darling being the other), Black Adam instantly had higher expectations in the eyes of executives, and it manages to hit them… just about.

Yes, it may be another formulaic superhero origin story, but what Jaume-Collet Serra has done is take a script from Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani (that is very much rooted in modern day events) and turn it in to e decently paced 2 hour 5 minute film that has enough character development to leave you wanting more. Some of the action setpieces and CG may feel a bit off, but considering how long this film has been in development I will let it slide (considering how this has been the passion project for a certain lead star). On the technical front, it is shot very well by Lawrence Sher, and Lorne Balfe continues his rise to the levels of his mentor (a certain Mr Zimmer) with another fantastic score.

As for the cast, Dwayne Johnson once again flexes his box office might, andd it is obvious that he wanted to get this film over the line - not just producing this film with his well-known Seven Bucks Productions, but also giving the fans what they want: a dark and brooding film that does edge close to the boundary of 12 and 15 at points. Rounding out the cast is Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Quintessa Swindell, Marwan Kenzani, and the film’s standout talent, Bodhi Sabongui. We also have a rare outing for Pierce Brosnan, who is mightily fine as Dr Fate - a character who has a unique talent for seeing into the future and telling people that maybe you shouldn’t be living here. Any excuse to break out that clip from Taffin is taken in these parts.

THE VERDICT

Black Adam is a ridiculously fun film to experience - while it may have its flaws, it does feel like a DC franchise that has a lot of promise, especially with the ramifications of *that* credits scene and the recent news that James Gunn will be heading up their film division going forward. It feels, finally, that we’re moving on from the Snyderverse. And that can only be a good thing.

RATING: 3.5/5