News culture Black Adam: the first opinions are there… and they are not all good
Published on 19/10/2022 at 17:28
After months and months of teasing and then a few weeks of a well-supported marketing campaign, Black Adam is finally in our French cinemas. The opportunity to collect the first feedback from the press…
An advent all in muscle
In the DC Comics universe, Black Adam is one of the most powerful characters: he inherited his powers from six Egyptian Gods and has a strength equivalent to that of Superman, just that. Also and above all, he is not a superhero and he often oscillates between evil and good, with a very personal vision of justice: ambiguous behavior and above all not to be taken lightly.
To embody this fearsome character, Warner Bros. therefore opted for Dwayne Johnsona well-known Hollywood actor who sticks rather well to the brute force of Black Adam… and precisely, the film was released today in France. With a preview reserved for the press and other guests last night, the first returns are now available. Here they are.
A really mixed reception
For this first adaptation, we cannot say that the press was soft: on Metacritic, the film obtains, at the time of writing these lines, an average of 45% based on 27 reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the feature film is at 54% for 69 reviews. It’s not very good, no, and here are some excerpts.
No, Dwayne Johnson #BlackAdam will not change the hierarchy of power in the DCEU. It will have you believing, however, that even with a bona fide movie star on the bill, this expansive cinematic universe is truly a lost cause. – Rolling Stone
Dwayne Johnson’s superhero debut is another disaster for the DC Cinematic Universe. – IndieWire
The movie features flashes and explosions, and then you forget about it the next day. – The Telegraph
Big, silly, and above all fun, it’s a mix that doesn’t always find the right tone to marry action and charm, but Johnson’s aloof and ruthless superhero is a welcome change from the norm. ‘-The Guardian’
On the side of good reviews, you have to turn to a handful of other media:
Black Adam may seem a bit thin storyline-wise, but he delivers plenty of enjoyable moments and a solid ensemble to back Johnson up. But perhaps the most exciting aspect is how it might shake up the rest of the franchise going forward. – Consequence Film
Black Adam doesn’t completely set the tone for the DCEU, but it’s an encouraging new installment in that larger universe. Collet-Serra knows how to present this darkness and anti-hero in an effective way, while fleshing out one of the most promising additions to DC’s ever-expanding cast of characters. – Collider
We remind you that Black Adam has been present since today even in all the cinemas of France.
