Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam Has Screened, And The First Reactions Are Online

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Is the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe really about to change?

Dwayne Johnson has been waiting to make a Black Adam movie for a long, long time. He was first attached to a project playing the DC Comics anti-hero back in 2007, and it was all the way back in 2014 that the current version of the blockbuster started taking form. Finally, though, the movie is not only done and about to hit theaters, but it has screened and the very first reactions are now being posted online.

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Black Adams centers on the titular character as he is freed into the world after centuries of imprisonment. His presence being a potentially destabilizing force in the world, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) calls on the Justice Society – Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) – to try and neutralize him. The lates of the DC movies had its world premiere in New York this evening, and people who have screened the movie are taking to Twitter with their thoughts.

Germain Lussier from iO9 has shared that Black Adam has a tight plot and is fast paced, but he also calls it "messy" and says that the titular anti-hero isn't savior of the franchise that some may hope he is:

Far more effusive about Black Adam is Ben Rolph from The DC TV Show. The Tweet hypes the spectacle of the blockbuster, and deems Dwayne Johnson a perfect Black Adam while dubbing Pierce Brosnan a standout.

Erik Davis from Fandango is another voice pointing to a lot of positive things in Black Adam. He's a big fan of the characters and how quickly the audience gets invested in their story, and he immediately wants to see more of the Justice Society on the big screen:

The person behind the Illuminerdi Twitter account has also heaped praise upon the new DC film, saying that the movie features some of the "best action" that audiences have seen thus far in films part of the DC Extended Universe. Dwayne Johnson is dubbed "brutal in the best ways," and, unlike the earlier sentiment, the person thinks that the movie will usher in a new era for the franchise.

Far more negative than the other reactions is the one from CNET senior writer Sean Keane. He had trouble connecting with the characters, and didn't appreciate the stakes or use of visual effects in the blockbuster battles between Black Adam and the Justice Society:

Early reactions to Black Adam seem to be what one might call "mixed positive." The review embargo lifts early next week, and when it does we'll have a CinemaBlend review along with a round-up analyzing the critical response.

Black Adam arrives in theaters on October 21. To keep up to date with everything on the way to the big screen from the world of DC Comics, check out our Upcoming DC Movies feature. To plan out your trips to the theaters in the weeks and months ahead, our 2022 Movie Release Calendar is the resource you need, and if you're particularly hyped for everything Dwayne Johnson has going on, our feature about The Rock's upcoming movies has all the info you're looking for. 

Eric Eisenberg
Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.