Black Adam
2022 · Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Woke Score
CriticCritic Score
Audience
Ultra Based
Critics rated this 29 points above its woke score. Among Ultra Based films, this critic score ranks #1320 of 1469.
Representation Casting
Score: 35/100
The film features a racially diverse cast including Black, Middle Eastern, and multiethnic actors in prominent roles. However, this diversity appears to reflect casting practices rather than narrative commentary on representation itself.
LGBTQ+ Themes
Score: 5/100
The cast likely includes LGBTQ+ actors, but the film does not foreground LGBTQ+ themes, relationships, or storylines in any meaningful way.
Feminist Agenda
Score: 0/100
The film contains no feminist messaging, gender-conscious narrative, or critique of patriarchal power structures. It is centered on a male protagonist's agency and power.
Racial Consciousness
Score: 15/100
While the film features diverse casting, it does not engage thematically with racial identity, systemic racism, or the social significance of its casting choices.
Climate Crusade
Score: 0/100
There is no climate messaging, environmental consciousness, or reference to ecological concerns in the film.
Eat the Rich
Score: 0/100
The film contains no critique of capitalism, wealth inequality, or corporate power. It is a product of major studio filmmaking without anti-establishment messaging.
Body Positivity
Score: 0/100
There is no body positivity messaging or representation of diverse body types. The film features conventionally attractive actors in typical action-hero roles.
Neurodivergence
Score: 0/100
The film contains no representation of neurodivergent characters or exploration of neurodiversity.
Revisionist History
Score: 0/100
The film does not engage in revisionist history or reinterpret historical events from a contemporary perspective.
Lecture Energy
Score: 0/100
The film does not feature dialogue, monologues, or scenes designed to educate the audience about social issues or progressive values.
Synopsis
Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods—and imprisoned just as quickly—Black Adam is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
Consciousness Assessment
Black Adam is a DC Comics superhero origin film starring Dwayne Johnson as an ancient anti-hero freed into the modern world. The production explicitly prioritized racial diversity in its casting, assembling an ensemble that includes Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Quintessa Swindell, and Marwan Kenzari alongside Pierce Brosnan. This casting strategy reflects contemporary Hollywood sensibilities regarding representation. However, the film remains a conventional action-adventure spectacle centered on delivering violence through a god-like protagonist, with narrative weight concentrated on his mythology rather than interrogating systemic power or exploring social structures.
The film does not engage with revisionist history, climate consciousness, feminist frameworks, or anti-capitalist critique. While the cast includes LGBTQ+ representation, this is not foregrounded thematically or given narrative significance. The diverse casting reflects modern hiring practices but does not constitute commentary on representation itself or the social realities those casting choices might represent. The film's conception of justice involves destruction and domination, which sits uneasily with progressive social frameworks.
A straightforward superhero blockbuster happens to employ diverse talent. Racial diversity in casting, divorced from thematic engagement with the social dimensions of that diversity, does not register as social consciousness in the contemporary sense. The film prioritizes spectacle and character mythology over any meaningful engagement with modern cultural questions. It is a product designed to entertain, not to educate or challenge.
Analysis generated by our Consciousness Algorithm
Critic Reviews
“Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, and featuring a remarkable lead performance by Dwayne Johnson, the spiky and majestic Black Adam is one of the best DC superhero films to date. ”
“Black Adam isn’t a full-on course correction for the DCEU, but it is an encouraging new installment in this larger universe. Collet-Serra knows how to present this darkness and antihero in a way that’s effective, while also fleshing out one of the most promising additions to DC’s ever-expanding cadre of characters.”
“On its own merits, Black Adam might feel a little thin in terms of story, but it does deliver plenty of enjoyable moments and a solid ensemble to back up Johnson. But perhaps the most exciting aspect of it is how it might shake up the rest of the franchise going forward.”
“Seriously, don’t see Black Adam. Don’t encourage this. I don’t even want to admit that it’s an actual movie, but assuming it is, it’s the worst of the year — and one of the worst I’ve ever seen.”
Consciousness Markers
The film features a racially diverse cast including Black, Middle Eastern, and multiethnic actors in prominent roles. However, this diversity appears to reflect casting practices rather than narrative commentary on representation itself.
The cast likely includes LGBTQ+ actors, but the film does not foreground LGBTQ+ themes, relationships, or storylines in any meaningful way.
The film contains no feminist messaging, gender-conscious narrative, or critique of patriarchal power structures. It is centered on a male protagonist's agency and power.
While the film features diverse casting, it does not engage thematically with racial identity, systemic racism, or the social significance of its casting choices.
There is no climate messaging, environmental consciousness, or reference to ecological concerns in the film.
The film contains no critique of capitalism, wealth inequality, or corporate power. It is a product of major studio filmmaking without anti-establishment messaging.
There is no body positivity messaging or representation of diverse body types. The film features conventionally attractive actors in typical action-hero roles.
The film contains no representation of neurodivergent characters or exploration of neurodiversity.
The film does not engage in revisionist history or reinterpret historical events from a contemporary perspective.
The film does not feature dialogue, monologues, or scenes designed to educate the audience about social issues or progressive values.