Los Angeles: The hierarchy of power in the DC Universe may be about to change with `Black Adam`, but the Dwayne Johnson star vehicle is landing low on the hierarchy of critical reputation among the decade`s superhero releases of Warner Bros., reports `Variety`.
`Black Adam`, as of Tuesday afternoon (U.S. Pacific Time), stands at a 32 per cent approval rating from the top critics on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Among the website`s broader group of approved critics, it is higher at 54 per cent.
Should the top critics number stand, according to `Variety`, it would mark the lowest such figure for a DC film since 2017`s `Justice League`, which netted a 23 per cent approval rating from top critics and was so reviled among fans that Warner Bros. had to order a reworked version, which arrived in the form of `Zack Snyder`s Justice League` in 2021.
In a somewhat favourable review for `Variety`, the publication`s chief film critic Peter Debruge conceded that “the film`s whole purpose is to give Black Adam a suitably grand introduction on the assumption that he`ll be pitted against a more deserving adversary soon enough.”
Most others have been less receptive to the origin story, though many have highlighted Johnson`s performance as a key strength. `Black Adam` marks the star`s first time anchoring a superhero film, a job that the actor`s chiseled physique and commercial dominance would suggest was inevitable.
In a slightly positive review, notes `Variety`, Peter Bradshaw of `The Guardian` said that Johnson`s “massive bulk, planet-sized head and sly gift for deadpan humour all make him a great superhero.”
Writing for `The Hollywood Reporter`, critic John Defore discussed the star`s long attachment to `Black Adam`, writing that “his passion project serves the character well, setting him up for adventures one hopes will be less predictable than this one.”
`Rolling Stone` senior editor and film critic David Fear emphasised that “not even the pleasure of watching Johnson enter into a blockbuster template he seemed destined to dominate can make up for how generic, flavourless and incoherent this is.”
