Black Adam carves out an electrifying direction forward for the DC Universe as the Man in Black dares to go where heroes don’t and dispense his brand of justice, no matter what Society has to say about it.
With the film being primarily set in the fictional country of Kahndaq, both its present-day and historic past are shown to audiences as we witness Black Adam’s origin story as well as his adaptation to present times. And as a country in the Middle East, the filmmakers needed to decide about how much of real life to bring into the story. And that decision resulted in clear examples of modern militarized oppression, which set the stage for Black Adam to be the answer to the native people’s pleas for freedom.
It was great to see a mainstream film not depict global injustice, but also have its characters make a statement and act against it, and this includes characters without powers. By the time the Justice Society arrives to address the threat Black Adam poses to the world order, there’s a statement about why they choose now to intervene with matters in Kahndaq and not when the criminal organization Intergang began their oppressive rule.
Character-wise, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson absolutely kills it as Teth-Adam, making the long journey to this film’s development and release well worth the wait. Additionally, each member of the Justice Society demonstrates the new directions DC films can go, while collectively they establish just how powerful Black Adam is and the lengths needed to put up a fight against him.
By the film’s end, and I mean very end, it’s clear Black Adam is a sign that the DC Extended Universe is not afraid to bring back elements that resonate with fans while being bold enough to build anew with each film. With that being said, I can’t wait to see more of Black Adam and Kahndaq in future films.
