Movie · 2022 · Action, Adventure, Science Fiction · 2h 5m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 0.4/10 (836.4K ratings)
The hierarchy of power in the DC Universe is about to change.
Overview
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.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.4/10
IMDb: 6.1/10
Letterboxd: 2.22/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 39%
Metacritic: 41
TMDB: 6.8/10
Director
Jaume Collet-Serra
Production
New Line Cinema, Flynn Picture Company, DC Films, Seven Bucks Productions, Warner Bros. Pictures
Cast
Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Quintessa Swindell, Marwan Kenzari, Mo Amer, Bodhi Sabongui, Pierce Brosnan, James Cusati-Moyer, Jalon Christian, Benjamin Patterson, Odelya Halevi, Uli Latukefu, Jennifer Holland, Henry Winkler, Chaim Jeraffi, Sharon Gee, Stephan Jones, A. Manuel Miranda
Where to watch
TNT, TBS, tru TV, Max
Curator Review
Verdict
A loud, glossy superhero vehicle with some spectacle and a few charismatic supporting turns, but it’s weighed down by generic plotting, flat humor, and a lead performance that feels more branded than lived-in. If you want disposable comic-book action and don’t mind a very familiar origin-story template, it can pass the time; otherwise it’s an easy skip.
Best for
viewers who want uncomplicated CGI-heavy action
fans of Dwayne Johnson’s screen persona
people curious about DC’s more disposable mid-tier entries
audiences who enjoy occasional campy superhero side characters
Skip if
you want sharp writing or memorable character arcs
you’re tired of origin-story boilerplate
you prefer superhero films with strong emotional stakes
you dislike polished but impersonal studio spectacle
Overview
Black Adam is built like a franchise launch that never quite finds a reason to exist beyond the brand. It has the usual ingredients: ancient mythology, modern destruction, quippy side characters, and a parade of digital set pieces. The problem is that the movie keeps reaching for grandeur while feeling oddly airless, as if every scene were assembled to hit a checklist rather than build momentum.
Worth noting
There are flashes of fun in the supporting cast and in the film’s willingness to lean into brute-force spectacle, but the tone is inconsistent and the emotional beats are thin. Dwayne Johnson’s star image is the center of gravity, yet the character is written with so little texture that the performance mostly registers as posture. The result is a movie that looks expensive and moves fast, but rarely feels alive.
Bottom line
If you’re in the mood for a noisy comic-book diversion, it’s watchable in the way a lot of studio blockbusters are watchable: by force of volume. But as a standalone experience, it’s more forgettable than disastrous, and that may be the most damning thing of all.
Top Letterboxd reviews
demi adejuyigbe · 11082 likes
not so much a movie as it is a Black Adam (2022) - All Scenes | Movieclips YouTube compilation
Karsten · 4575 likes
noah centineo is gonna continue delivering the corniest performances imaginable and i’m gonna keep watching them
davidehrlich (1.5★) · 3540 likes
The question that “Black Adam” poses is a simple one: What happens when Hollywood’s most risk-averse movie star collides with Hollywood’s most risk-averse movie genre? The answer provided by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s depressingly inevitable (and inevitably depressing) foray into the superhero-industrial complex is, of course, even simpler: Exactly what you’d expect. Only worse.
All due respect to whatever unique and illustrious history Black Adam may have developed since his DC Comics debut in 1945, but the lifeless spectacle that… more
Alex IHE (2★) · 3354 likes
exactly what you’d expect from a Dwanye Johnson led superhero movie in 2022
Dakota Joaquin (2★) · 2793 likes
For the love of God can we please just stop pretending that Dwayne Johnson is a good actor it’s not funny anymore