I really wanted to like Black Adam but…

It really wasn’t that good.

There were good parts to this movie but…

So if you combined the movies Sahara, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and National Treasure, you have the opening 15 – 20 minutes of this movie. Then you transition to the A-team portion of the movie (or League of Extraordinary Gentlemen if you prefer) when the “superheroes” come together.

Then we get into the good guys battling the bad guys. Of course, we don’t know who is really good and who is really bad for some time.

The Justice League or Justice Gang or Justice Society (stupid name) are kinda a weak group of Superheroes. (I’m not sure exactly what DC comics were thinking.) Hawkman? Way too self-righteous. Cyclone, although beautiful, she is a really, really weak Storm from Marvel Comics. Finally, there is Atom Smasher whose name is better than his Ant-Man powers of growing big. What the heck? It is like all of the DC real superheroes were busy so let’s bring in the 3rd string. Pierce Brosnan and his acting talents are somewhat wasted as Dr. Fate. By the way, there is a 30 second cameo by Henley Winkler. That was fun. I have no idea why he is in the movie but we can go with it.

There are some funny parts and there was some outstanding action sequences.

Back to the meat of the story. There really is no story. There is this magic crown which smart lady, Adrianna (Sarah Shahi), translates the ancient language into something that makes absolutely no sense. Yet, in an awful plot twist, she was reading the ancient language upside down. This change the meaning of the message completely. I’m sorry, this makes no sense. It is like some awful game of pig-latin that we played as a child. Yet, as in many of the superhero movies, they asked us to suspend reality and our brains.

Oh and there is this substance that is powerful and indestructible – Eternium. (Every comic movie seems to have their own super substance. The Mandalorian has beskar. Wolverine has adamantium. Of course, the Black Panther and Wakanda have vibranium.) (Somehow you can mold it into anything that you want, even an airplane which gets destroyed later in the movie.) Yep, it doesn’t make any sense. That this super substance can be molded into anything you want but it is indestructible.

Dwayne Johnson continues to be an engaging movie star. He is simply fun to watch. He is massive. He is funny. He is serious, and, in parts, he is actually touching and emotional. Anyway, Black Adam is a fun movie. You do have to suspend reality. You have to overlook several major flaws in the script. If you are able to do all of that then you should enjoy this movie. Good Luck and tell them the Man in Black sent you. (too much?)