Reviews are rolling in from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s highly anticipated film “Black Adam.”
Johnson’s entry into the DC Universe has been met with a lukewarm response from critics.
The film currently has a score of 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, which some are pointing out is one of the lowest scores for a movie in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). IMDb gave the film a 7.6 out of 10 and IGN gave it a 5 out of 10.
The Rotten Tomatoes score for “Black Adam” is higher than three other DCEU projects: 2017’s “Justice League, which scored a 39%, 2016’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” scored a 29% and 2016’s “Suicide Squad” which received a 26%.
While many point out Johnson’s charisma, when it comes to the storyline and the movie in general- it’s what we’ve all seen before.
IGN‘s Joshua Yehl’s review is that the film simply “strikes out.”
“The whole movie feels like it was made a few decades ago, before the golden age of superhero movies, and carries none of the wisdom Hollywood has learned from the likes of ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Iron Man’,” Yehl said. “Johnson gets top marks for making his Black Adam just as steely and imposing as in the comics.”
“Much like a McDonald’s hamburger is technically food, ‘Black Adam’ is technically a movie, and both can be intermittently enjoyable before you come around to ask ‘why am I consuming this?'” reviewed Jordan Hoffman of Vanity Fair. “There’s no point in denying the 270 lb. wrestler in the room: even within the realm of the superhero genre, this is an ephemeral motion picture, lacking depth, originality, or storytelling panache.”
“‘Black Adam’ isn’t bad, it’s just predictable and color-by-numbers, stealing from other films like an intellectual property super-villain. But Johnson is a natural in the title role, mixing might with humor and able to deliver those necessary wooden lines,” said the AP’s Mark Kennedy. “Why he hasn’t had a starring role in a DC or Marvel superhero flick until now is astonishing — c’mon, he’s built himself into a freaking superhero in street clothes already.”
Rolling Stone senior editor and film critic David Fear’s review read that “not even the pleasure of watching Johnson enter into a blockbuster template he seemed destined to dominate can make up for how generic, flavorless and incoherent this is.”
However, Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge reminded everyone- this is an origin story.
“The film’s whole purpose is to give Black Adam a suitably grand introduction on the assumption that he’ll be pitted against a more deserving adversary soon enough,” said Debruge.
The reviews come as Johnson took to Instagram earlier this week to express his history with the DCEU film, which started back in 2007.
“Holy shi– look at this press break from 15 years ago when it was first announced I was going to play Black Adam. 15 hard years of fighting to make this passion project a reality,” his caption read. “When I was a little boy, the one thing that drew me to Teth Adam when I saw my first ‘Black Adam’ comic- he was a hero of color. That mattered to me then as it matters to me now. Kids of ALL colors around the world will now be able to see themselves in Black Adam.”
While critics have weighed in, it remains to be seen how fans will feel once they see the film themselves.
“Black Adam” hits theaters on Oct. 21.
