Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.5

Black Adam 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

I smell what The Rock is cookin', and it stinks.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III December 24, 2022

Jaume Collet-Serra's Black Adam might have fared better in the mid-1990s: it's got a skateboarding kid, a Smashing Pumpkins music cue and, most importantly, focuses on a brooding comic book anti-hero. But it could only have gained life in today's cinematic landscape where an endless wave of bloated Marvel and DC epics debut every month, allowing even some of the industry's lesser-known figures their time in the big-screen spotlight. Black Adam isn't necessarily a terrible movie because of its character: it's just an unfocused mess of a film whose tonal shifts prevent any kind of an emotional connection from being made. Its closest relative in the DC Universe might be 2019's Aquaman, which started off well enough but went overboard with detours, Pitbull, and epic battles before mercifully rolling the credits.

Here, we don't even get that strong of a prologue to set the stage: Black Adam opens with a taxing expositional dump about an ancient conflict in the land of Kahndaq: the Crown of Sabbac, a precious artifact made from the rare mineral Eternium, led to a revolt and the death of cruel King Ahk-Ton (Marwan Kenzari) by a slave boy granted the powers of Shazam by the Council of Wizards. It's a messy beginning that soon fast-forwards to present-day Kahndaq, where local archaeologist Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi), along with her brother Karim (Mohammed Amer) and associate Ishmael (Marwan Kenzari, again), searches for the crown's resting place while dodging the mercenary group "Intergang" with the help of her skateboarding son Amon (Bodhi Sabongui). After Adrianna finally secures the crown, those dastardly mercenaries -- with the help of Ishmael, dammit -- try to take it by force but she's able to awaken Teth-Adam (Dwayne Johnson) from his resting place in the cavern. A mythical figure with the statue to prove it, Teth-Adam swipes away opponents like a bored god and, at the urging of Amon, seems destined to reclaim his title as national hero.

It's a pretty convoluted opening, be sure -- enough that you may have just skimmed the last paragraph, and I wouldn't blame you -- but at least feels engaging enough in the moment. That balance is fleeting, though, as Black Adam is soon crowded with supporting characters including four members of the Justice Society: Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo). The latter two are especially out of place, like a Hail Mary attempt to appeal to the teenage demographic, and "skateboard kid" is perhaps even more unbearable -- he's basically a pale imitation of Eddie Furlong in Terminator 2. All the while, Teth-Adam ends up feeling like a supporting character in his own movie; this is partly due to Johnson's one-note performance, but mostly because there's just too much going on here. The non-stop, massive CGI-laden battles prove exhausting, while emotional beats fizzle due to clichéd dialogue and out-of-character decisions made to pad the running time. As a whole its story isn't as clearly bloated as, say, Aquaman or Wonder Woman, but at least those films had a more relatable human element at their core... or at least a little bit of self-awareness, which is something Black Adam completely lacks.

Aside from a few weak attempts at comedy along the way, Black Adam unavoidably maintains the ultra-serious and dark atmosphere that's bogged down the genre for more than a decade; he isn't exactly a heroic figure, after all. Yet the film's tonal inconsistencies prevent it from carving out any real identity for itself, and as a result Black Adam feels like yet another step in the wrong direction for DC. Luckily, its parent film Shazam dodged that bullet in 2019 with a well-balanced and much more effective approach that stayed mostly true to its title character, and I'm really hoping that its forthcoming sequel will mercifully help us begin to move past all these muted color costumes, boosted black levels, and chunks of first-draft dialogue delivered with a straight face. Spectacle aside, this one's a dud... and due to its lackluster box office sales, word's already out that there won't be a sequel so don't get your hopes up for that post-credits scene with Superman. For now, Black Adam's remaining fans will have to nurse their wounds with Warner Bros.' 4K and Blu-ray combo packs, which at least serve up a top-tier A/V presentation and a few basic extras.

Black Adam 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Well, at least it looks really good. Outstanding, even. Presented in its native 4K, Black Adam's 2160p, HDR10-enhanced transfer perfectly captures the film's rich image detail, textures, and occasionally intense color saturation -- even more so if you're set up for Dolby Vision. This is a routinely striking image, one that features a respectable amount of depth and dimensionality thanks to the deep black levels and intense whites supported by high dynamic range, from molten lava and fiery explosions (screenshot #5) to the smooth, neon-tinted lighting seen on board the Justice Society's ship (above). Detailed costume fabrics and rugged landscape elements look razor sharp, with the overall image reflecting a distinctly digital appearance that certainly isn't flat or waxy. Disc encoding is basically perfect on this dual-layered disc, with no visible signs of black crush, compression artifacts, macro blocking, or banding even on harsher gradients like flashlights cutting through the darkness. Overall, this is a top-tier transfer that will certainly please fans with larger displays, and may even be worth a second watch just for those striking visuals.

For my thoughts on the included Blu-ray's proportionately great 1080p transfer (which was the source of this review's screenshots), please see my separate review with 20 additional images.

Black Adam 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Dolby Atmos is almost as equally impressive, serving up a fairly massive atmosphere that, as always, unfolds to a robust Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Master Audio mix if your receiver doesn't support the newer format. The film's subject matter and heavy doses of action all but guarantee a crisp and immersive soundstage with no shortage of channel separation, and rear presence, not to mention regular use of the height channels when its any of its characters take to the air. Dialogue is crisp and easily understood, mixed well within background parameters and likewise reaching into the rears depending on volume and location. Overall, it's an enveloping effort that, save for a little underperformance in the LFE channel (at least to my ears), does a pretty respectable job of bringing the theatrical experience home.

Optional subtitles including English (SDH) are offered during the main feature and most extras, while portions of foreign dialogue appear with default English player-generated subtitles; these can likewise be removed.

Black Adam 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in a dual-hubbed keepcase with plain-wrap cover artwork and a Digital Copy redemption code. The included bonus features are all brief but well-rounded and are found on the Blu-ray disc only.

• The History of Black Adam (10:08) - Somewhat amusingly hosted by Sarah Shah (and aided by DC head archivist Benjamin Leclear), this featurette briefly overviews the title character's history in comics.

• Who is the Justice Society? (14:16) - Presented in a similar tone and execution, and with hosting duties by Aldis Hodge, this time our focus is turned to the Justice Society's printed roots.

• From Soul to Screen (6:09) - Producer Hiram Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, and other contributors -- some of whom briefly appeared during the previous two featurettes -- talk about brining the character to film.

• A Flawed Hero (5:09) - You ain't kidding, bub. But seriously, this brief series of cast and crew interviews summarizes the title character's strengths and weaknesses, both physical and emotional.

• New Tech in an Old World (4:49) - Hiram Garcia, set decorator Larry Dias, production designer Tom Meyer, and others talk about their contributions to the film's ambitious scope, locations, and overall design.

• Taking Flight (3:32) - Members of the cast and crew talk special effects of the aerial variety.

• Kahndaq: Designing a Nation (6:27) - Participants seen during the previous featurettes briefly detail the main city, both past and present, including its construction and importance to the main story.

• The ROCK of Eternity (5:42) - All about ancient languages and the Rock of Eternity, from its place in the character's comic history to its visual representation and brief appearance in the film.

• Costumes Make the Hero (8:25) - Not surprisingly, a look at the film's unique costume designs.

• A New Type of Action (6:38) - Key cast and crew members close out with a short but efficient overview of Black Adam's massive action scenes and the destruction created in their wake.

Black Adam 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Reportedly a passion project for Dwayne Johnson that he'd been trying to make for more than a decade, Jaume Collet-Serra's Black Adam is a bloated chore that mostly falls flat. It suffers from almost every weakness that's plagued comic book films for years now: too dark, too crowded, and too long, with odd tonal shifts and a glut of supporting characters (some of which prove to be more interesting than the main character) that all but sink the ship. It has a few fleeting bright spots and some of its visual effects and technical achievements are impressive, but that's basically damning with feint praise. Those who enjoyed the film, however, will appreciate Warner Bros.' 4K and Blu-ray editions, both of which offer suitably great A/V presentations and a collection of short but well-rounded bonus features.