X

'Black Adam' Social Media Reactions Praise Dwayne Johnson's Performance in Imperfect DC Film

The critics are talking (well, tweeting, and they're mostly onboard with 'Black Adam,' despite calling out its flaws.
by Danielle Turchiano — 
screen-shot-2022-10-12-at-10-46-12-am.png

Dwayne Johnson in 'Black Adam'

 Warner Bros. Pictures

The titular antihero in Black Adam has abilities that his anger over his son's death cultivated, and now there is a whole team dedicated to locking him up (if they can find a place that can hold him, of course) so that things don't get out of hand and innocent people hurt. That's bound to make him (played by Dwayne Johnson) even more angry (you might remember him saying he is not a peaceful person and he kneels "before no one" in the trailer), but it is making critics excited for Johnson to be back on the big screen.

"Dwayne Johnson finds a great balance in being menacing & badass, but also empathetic," wrote critic Erik Davis on Twitter, while critic Courtney Howard simply said, "@TheRock is terrific in #BlackAdam."

Even Grace Randolph, who was not impressed with the movie overall, couldn't help but call out Johnson's commitment: "The Rock puts 200% into... the wrong movie," she Tweeted. "Should've made #BlackAdam vs #Superman."

The DC Comics-inspired film is in theaters Oct. 21, but the social media embargo for those who saw early screenings has already lifted, with comic book fans and critics alike eagerly sharing what they thought of director Jaume Collet-Serra and screenwriters Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvan's takes on the character.

"#BlackAdam is a worthy new piece of the DC puzzle, but not the savior it promised," reporter Germain Lussier Tweeted, calling the film overall "messy in a watchable way."

Most of the reactions thus far have fallen in line with Lussier's, saying that the film is far from perfect on its own, let alone the best DC project to date, but that it's highly entertaining, "epic," and provides a lot of opportunities for future projects with such characters as Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) and Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan).

Read on for those additional social media reactions to Black Adam.