Early Reactions To Black Adam Are Overwhelmingly Positive

The hierarchy of power in the DC Universe is going to finally change next week with the release of DC's "Black Adam" starring Dwayne Johnson. But for some people, it already has — and they're apparently loving what they're seeing.

Early reviews for the Warner Bros. flick have it pegged as an overwhelmingly brutal and honest take on the Black Adam character, who "literally kills anyone and everyone in his way," per Collider's Steven Weintraub. Weintraub wrote in his review: "[Johnson]'s fantastic as Black Adam ... and I loved that he didn't pull back on who Black Adam is."

For those who might not know, DC's "Black Adam" was pretty much destined to fail in many people's eyes with all the woes that Warner Bros. has experienced as of late. Back in March, the film was reportedly pushed back from a summer release to October 21, 2022, due to COVID-related production delays involving its visual effects (via Variety). Producer Hiram Garcia explained the situation to The Wrap, saying: "I think we're just in a world right now where there was a huge and understandable freeze-up when the pandemic hit and a lot of productions were put on hold. Now that the industry has really roared back, the pipeline for VFX is so jammed ... and we're just in a situation where the majority of the VFX houses are just completely swamped with work."

With this in mind, many people feared that "Black Adam" was doomed to fail in the eyes of critics and audiences. But if you look at the early reviews and what people are saying so far, that doesn't appear to be the case whatsoever.

According to people who got early screenings of "Black Adam," the DC film is unlike any comic book movie that's come before it — with one critic even describing it as a "300-style action spectacle." 

Critic Paul McGuire Grimes tweeted: "Epic on Every Level." Similarly, Screen Rant's Joe Deckelmeier tweeted: "#BlackAdam is a game-changer! [Dwayne Johnson] is electrifyingly brutal as Black Adam! ... The action in the film is non-stop & seeing the [Justice Society of America] on the big screen was a thrill!" 

While it definitely looks like there are a few things in the movie worth griping about, the overall consensus for "Black Adam" seems to be that it's a possible scale-tipper for DC's Extended Universe following Marvel's recent missteps with critically-lukewarm films like "Black Widow," "Eternals," "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," and "Thor: Love and Thunder." Some people have even wondered if fans are getting tired of Marvel movies now in wake of the decade-long Infinity Saga. If the early reviews of "Black Adam" are true, then it may not just be DC's hierarchy of power that's about to change. 

For many reviewers, DC's "Black Adam" isn't just a breath of fresh air for the Hollywood superhero genre, but all of the DCEU as a whole. Ben Rolph of DiscussingFilm  tweeted: "#BlackAdam is DC's most action-packed film to date. It's a non-stop thrill ride that is all about spectacle, and it knows it." He added, "[Dwayne Johnson] is a perfect Black Adam, plus Pierce Brosnan is a standout." 

Content creator and entertainment journalist Matt Ramos hasn't seen "Black Adam" yet, but he fully expects the film to help shift the tide for Warner Bros. and DC Films. On October 12, Ramos tweeted: "If #BlackAdam is as GREAT as the reviews say, DC might've slammed Marvel this year." In a separate tweet, which came later in the night as more and more reviews for "Black Adam" rolled in, Ramos declared: "DC is back." 

While the Marvel vs. DC rivalry may be fun for fans and critics, it's something that the movie stars themselves apparently don't pay much mind to — or at least that's how Dwayne Johnson sees it. In an October 12 interview at the New York City premiere of "Black Adam," he told the Associated Press: "Do I think we are going to take any kind of bite out of Marvel? That answer is unequivocally no. Because, to me, as we build out the DC universe — ushering in a new era of the DC Universe — that to me is not my lead foot." Johnson added, "We don't want to be Marvel. We want to be DC. And how we do things. So that's what I want. I don't want to take a bite of that apple. I want to grab a new apple. And I want to create from there."