YMMV / Black Adam (2022)

• Awesome Music: A particularly memorable gag near the start of the film uses "The Trio" by Ennio Morricone as part of its homage to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
• Catharsis Factor:
  • The opening teaser for Black Adam has The Rock narrating that his patience is about to pay off.
  • A reason why the Superman cameo ended up being so popular was because it brought an end to speculation that Henry Cavill's Superman was going to be cut from the franchise. To the contrary, Cavill himself said on social media that his Superman cameo would be but a "very small taste of things to come" going forward.^note Unfortunately, this would end up being the last time he ever appeared as Superman, as a result of James Gunn taking over and opting for a reboot instead of continuing with what currently existed.
  • Teth-Adam ripping Ishmael/SABBAC in half is so satisfying, considering what an entitled, loathsome, and treacherous villain he was.
  • Before that, seeing Adam confront Ahk-Ton to kill him and turn the vicious and brutal despot into a powerless man desperately begging to be spared because at that point, with all the power and control he'd previously helmed being totally stripped away, he's ultimately an insignificant nothing on the verge of now being instantly destroyed and rightfully so.
• Complete Monster:
  • Ishmael Gregor is a mercenary, member of Intergang, and a descendant of King Ahk-Ton. Ishmael helped to throw Kahndaq into chaos, poverty, and oppression, even killing his own man for "beating" him too hard during an act. Ishmael, like his ancestor before him, intends to obtain the Crown of Sabbac to bring the armies of the Underworld onto the world, and he keeps people fearful, threatening acts of violence by Intergang. Once Ishmael manages to obtain the crown—through kidnapping and threatening Adrianna Tomaz's young son Amon—he becomes "SABBAC" and leads the army into Kahndaq with the desire to solidify his firm grasp over it, before turning the world into Hell on Earth.
  • The insatiably cruel Ahk-Ton himself ruled Kahndaq in ancient times with an iron fist while creating the Crown of Sabbac for ultimate power over the world. Having enslaved numerous natives of Kahndaq to build his empire and mine for the material Eternium, he regularly threatens and sacrifices the lives of dissenters, including executing the slaves as a "reward" for their work. When Teth-Adam's son Hurut becomes the champion for "Shazam", after Ahk-Ton tries to publicly execute him, and uses his powers to fight against him as Kahndaq's protector, Ahk-Ton has his mother Shiruta murdered, and Adam himself is gravely wounded in the process. When Adam is saved by Hurut transferring his powers to him, Hurut himself ends up being killed by Ahk-Ton's forces instead.
• Critical Dissonance: Reviewers were mixed, mostly for finding the script uneven and trying to do too much. Audience reaction was much more positive, particularly from those who preferred the darker tone Zack Snyder gave to the DCEU, and the film ended up the best selling DVD of 2023.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • Henry Cavill's much anticipated Role Reprise as Superman and the promise of what is to come in the future has become this as Cavill announced on December 2022 that he ultimately won't be returning as Superman, making this his final appearance.
  • At one point in the movie Dr. Fate looks into the future and sees nothing. As part of the new direction of the DCEU, not only is Henry Cavill out as Superman in favor of a younger version of the character, effectively ending The Rock's original plans for where to take Black Adam, but Patty Jenkins's script for Wonder Woman 3 was tossed out, leading to Jenkins and eventually Gal Gadot herself exiting the franchise. Then The Flash (2023) was released and (again as part of the new direction of the DCEU) instead of Michael Keaton's Batman and Sasha Calle's Supergirl joining Barry on the new Earth like they were supposed to, they are Killed Off for Real and erased from existence and George Clooney replaced Ben Affleck as Batman instead. It seems Dr. Fate was right, the DCEU as it was at the time has no future.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: The Rock promoted the movie with the phrase "The hierarchy of power in the DC Universe is about to change." at various points in the promotional cycle. Days after the film released, it was announced that James Gunn and Peter Safran would be taking over DC Studios after Walter Hamada exited his position, meaning the hierarchy really did change after all... especially as they promptly tossed over The Rock's idea of an eventual confrontation with Henry Cavill's Superman after they announced that they would reboot Superman.
• Hype Aversion: The Rock's hyping of the movie prior to release caused this for a number of DC fans going in, particularly those who got sick of him insisting the film would completely change the DC Universe. A lot of this stemmed from him ignoring Shazam to focus entirely on a proposed conflict between Black Adam and Superman (Shazam is Adam's actual rival traditionally), and the way he treated Adam like a massive game changer for DC, despite there being many other Flying Brick heroes and villains of a similar power level (especially as, given he plays said character, it comes across more as saying he is awesome rather than the character is). A big issue also is that the film hinged on the hook that Adam killed his enemies and wasn't as squeaky clean as superheroes are typically, despite the DCEU long being criticised for how its heroes didn't practice Thou Shalt Not Kill like the source material, so it's not nearly as unique as it thinks it is.
• It's the Same, Now It Sucks!:
  • "Black Adam kills his enemies" is a major part of the film's plot and premise; the JSA are opposed to Adam's actions because he's killing Intergang, and everyone alternates between considering Adam's willingness to kill either concerning or worth applauding. The thing is, this is hardly unique in the DCEU; in fact, the Justice League, who are meant to be the moral centre of the DC Universe, are all depicted as killing their enemies, sometimes even more brutally than some of Adam's kills. This has been something that has long been a sticking point to viewers, as it is a huge deviation from the norm, but the result is it makes Adam's anti-heroic qualities far less remarkable or concerning than the film treats them as. Black Adam's willingness to use lethal force and fascistic actions has long been part of his character in the comics (he is, after all, traditionally a supervillain), but since the more heroic non-killing heroes have been depicted as killers themselves here, it makes Adam far less special in this universe.
  • Another major criticism levied against the film was its bizarre amount of Mood Whiplash and numerous moments of humor—unintentional or otherwise—in what was advertised as a far more serious film. This was especially off-putting to viewers who had lost interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for its overabundance of comedy undercutting more serious moments, coming into Black Adam under the expectation that it would take itself more seriously than its rival, only to be met with more of the same jarring shifts in tone.
• Just Here for Godzilla:
  • Longtime DC Comics fans are interested in Black Adam due to it doubling as a Justice Society adaptation, with particular fan interest spiking for fan-favorites like Hawkman and Doctor Fate.
  • Henry Cavill's Superman making a cinematic return in The Stinger has caused people to express interest in seeing the movie just for it.
• Magnificent Bastard: Teth-Adam, the future Black Adam himself, was a slave under the cruel Kahndaq King Ahk-Ton and upon achieving the godly powers of "Shazam" when Ahk-Ton has both his wife and son murdered, Adam takes his rage-filled vengeance upon Ahk-Ton and his army before being sealed away for centuries—after he'd wiped out every great wizard except "Shazam" in the process. Freed from his imprisonment in present day, Adam learns about how customs have changed while also recklessly massacring as many of the Intergang mercenaries working under future Sabbac Ishmael Gregor as possible by means of using his surroundings or his powers; successfully overpowers the Justice Society of America with all his might while sparing them all and at one point, interrogates two soldiers for information who he then drops out of the sky knowing full well that Hawkman/Carter Hall will save them. Saving Kahndaq and praised as their champion and hero, Adam chooses not to be a ruler and instead continue to assure peace for the people by vowing to oppose and suppress any and all enemies that come to challenge it.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • It's common to say that Rock as Black Adam is "The most electrifying man" since Black Adam is associated with lightning and one of Rock's titles is "The most electrifying man in sports entertainment".
  • The hierarchy of power in the DC Universe is about to change.^ExplanationDwayne Johnson's Catchphrase to hype up the movie. Fans have frequently repeated the line whenever talking about the film. This would take on an ironic, and somewhat tragic, turn. As shortly after the film's release, James Gunn was appointed head of DC Films and largely canceled the existing DCEU to focus on a new slate of DC films. In a way, the hierarchy of Power at DC did indeed change.
  • Atom Smasher's costume has inspired many joking comparisons to Deadpool, particularly in their masks. There are also those who fear the two will be compared to each other once Atom Smasher starts joking in the film.
  • The most powerful force in the universe... Has been sitting on the sidelines for too long. ^ExplanationDwayne said this line in an interview teasing the future of the DCEU, clearly alluding to Superman. But many quickly took the chance to create joke characters he's discussing such as Plastic Man, Ambush Bug, Killer Moth, and so on.
  • The scene where Hawkman and Black Adam fight while Doctor Fate idles around on the sidelines has been recreated with plenty of pre-existing memes.
  • Marwan Kenzari playing a villain who is a treacherous power hungry Arab man that become a giant firey red skinned devil has lead to fans nicknaming the film "Return of Jafar" due to Kenzari's most other popular villain being Jafar who is essentially the same character archetype.
  • Flying Black Adam^ExplanationOne shot of Black Adam flying features a close-up shot of his face that makes his head look comically big compared to the rest of his body, which very quickly became rife for various meme edits. Even Multi Versus referenced the meme with a profile icon depicting its version of Black Adam in the same exact position◊ mere weeks later
  • Once it was announced that James Gunn would be recasting Superman for the upcoming new film, some fans began joking that the Rock's hyped up plan to bring back Henry Cavill as Superman had actually wound up costing him the role instead.^note The decision to recast Superman likely had nothing to do with Black Adam, as Henry Cavill's return happened under the brief interim regime that was running DC Films before James Gunn was even hired, with Gunn himself claiming that a new actor was needed due to the next film starring a younger version of the character. However, due to the timing of the announcement, it was easy for fans to claim (whether jokingly or seriously) that Black Adam's poor performance at the box office was the final straw that led to Cavill being fired as Superman.
• Moe: Just like with Deadpool, Atom Smasher's expressive mask does a good job at making him look adorable, especially when he's super-sized.
• Money-Making Shot:
  • Hawkman leaping at Black Adam.
  • Black Adam taking the throne of Kahndaq.
• Moral Event Horizon:
  • Ishmael crosses it when he bargains Amon's life for the crown of SABBAC, only to shoot at Amon anyway once he's handed the crown. Unlike most examples of this trope this isn't the peak of his villainy, but rather a precursor to further horrifying acts.
  • Ahk-Ton crossed it when he ordered the Champion's family executed to spite him for his defiance. This act of pettiness rightfully cost him his life.
• Narm: See here.
• One-Scene Wonder:
  • Amanda Waller only appears in two scenes (one near the start of the film and one in The Stinger), but in the process showcases that she's able to position herself as a power broker between multiple parties of metahumans.
  • Superman's return is only in the mid-credits scene, but the build-up to it, along with the subsequent pay-off, has left many saying that the cameo is a highlight of the film, even amongst its detractors.
• Questionable Casting: The character of Black Adam, originally Egyptian in the comics, is portrayed by an actor with no Middle Eastern heritage whatsoever. Moon Knight director Mohamed Diab even called this out, although he acknowledged that the character isn't Egyptian in the modern comics the film draws on ^note  the fictional country Black Adam is from is located where Egypt's Sinai penisula would be and heavily inspired by Egypt in design and culture. This film doesn’t officially map out where Kahndaq is located to avoid this . To make matters worse, Dutch-Tunisian actor Marwan Kenzari is cast as the villain SABBAC, who is Russian in the comics and not Middle Eastern, leaving some people seeing it as examples of Hollywood Anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia.
  • On another note, Black Adam in the Injustice games and Hawkman in one of the recent Justice League animated films have both been voiced by Middle Eastern American actors using middle eastern accents. But this film does away with either being portrayed by a Middle Easterner actor and they are Not Even Bothering with the Accent.
• Shocking Moments: Superman, as played by Henry Cavill after years of sitting out DCEU appearances, making a cameo at the end of the film. The moment caught opening weekend crowds by surprise as videos of cheers erupting from the audience of individual screenings made their way online.
• So Okay, It's Average: The more positive critical reviews leaned towards this, finding it not outright bad but needing more polish in many areas to truly stand out. Even among audiences, it's telling that the most memorable scene tends to be the now abortive Sequel Hook with Superman.
• Special Effect Failure:
  • SABBAC's design doesn't look as polished as the rest of the VFX, standing out all the more because since he's essentially a red man with horns, his design could have easily been created through practical effects. For comparison, both cinematic versions of Hellboy were just costumes despite having more elaborate details like an oversized hand and a tail.
  • The super-imposing of Dwayne Johnson’s head on a much less-toned body once he renounces his powers is also incredibly obvious, looking like an unpolished photoshop job.
• Spoiled by the Format: Once Teth-Adam kills Ishmael then voluntarily renounces his powers and the other heroes retrieve the crown, there's still half an hour of running time left. The climax hasn't started yet.
• Tainted by the Preview: The initial teasers were promising, particularly the one where Adam disintegrates a mercenary to dust with his lightning, much like Palpatine. However, the trailer proper showcased the classic MCU-style humour. As a result, fans were unsure who this film was made for.
• Take That, Scrappy!: Ishmael/SABBAC isn't the most compelling Big Bad the DCEU has come up with, but the sight of Black Adam splitting his head open followed with desecrating Ishmael's heritage by destroying the throne of Kahndaq feels very satisfying.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!:
  • One of the biggest criticisms of this movie is how the character of Black Adam is virtually nothing like his comic book counterpart. While both versions kill their enemies, the comics version was a villain and remained a questionable Anti-Hero.^note He did reform in recent comics however. This version has no past as a villain or a tyrant, only uses lethal-force on the bad guys, and despite the poster showing him taking the throne, he only sits on it for a few seconds, before deciding it feels "wrong" and destroys it. His Adaptational Heroism makes it even harder to justify any potential fight with Superman.
  • While this version of Cyclone is decently popular, many longtime Cyclone fans are disappointed that her Adaptational Seriousness means they won’t get to see her as a hilarious but multi-layered rare representation of a superhero with explicit mental disorders from the comics.
• Too Cool to Live: The film's version of Doctor Fate/Kent Nelson is beloved by many, especially for being portrayed by Pierce Brosnan. Unfortunately he sacrifices his life for Hawkman's.
• Trapped by Mountain Lions: The undead army that appears when SABBAC sits on his throne can seem like a late addition so that the non-super characters would have some enemies to fight.
• Visual Effects of Awesome: The Justice Society all have unique and very well rendered VFX applied to their powers. Hawkman has a retractable armour. Doctor Fate's magic causes prismatic ripples in reality and the golden parts of his armor look photorealistic, the magical helmet in particular. Cyclone flies in a corkscrew pattern while a bright green vapor trails around her and Atom Smasher's suit glows TRON-style. Additionally, Atom Smasher wearing a mask that obscures his eyes avoids the Unintentional Uncanny Valley that might arise from trying to recreate a human face on a gigantic scale.
• Woobie Family: Teth-Adam's family got this status just from the trailers. They lived under tyrannical rule and his son Hurut was slaughtered before his eyes.

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