June 24, 2025

Movie Review: Black Adam 2 (2025)
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Dwayne Johnson returns with thunder in his fists and vengeance in his heart in Black Adam 2—a bigger, louder, and slightly messier sequel that doubles down on spectacle while trying (not always successfully) to deepen its mythos.

Set two years after the events of the first film, Black Adam 2 finds Teth-Adam attempting to rule Kahndaq not as a god—but as a protector. But peace doesn’t last. When an ancient interdimensional being known as Nekron emerges from the Shadow Realm, threatening to erase both life and afterlife, Adam must decide whether to ally with the Justice Society… or destroy them.

Johnson still commands the screen with physical dominance and gravitas, though this time around, his antihero leans more introspective. There’s genuine conflict brewing inside him: is he a savior or a destroyer? And should the world even be saved?

Aldis Hodge returns as Hawkman, now more battle-hardened and weary, leading a fractured Justice Society that includes Cyclone, Atom Smasher, and a surprise newcomer—Zatanna, played with cool mysticism by Sofia Boutella. Their uneasy alliance with Black Adam sparks some great tension and crowd-pleasing team-up moments (and more than one mid-air brawl that wrecks a mountain or two).

The action is explosive—literally. Director Jaume Collet-Serra goes full cosmic here, with city-leveling fights, slow-mo lighting storms, and a third-act sequence set in the River Styx that looks like Lord of the Rings on steroids. But the heart of the film remains Adam’s struggle with power, identity, and legacy.

That said, the film suffers from pacing issues and overstuffed lore dumps. The villain, Nekron, voiced by Keith David, looks terrifying but never quite lands as a three-dimensional threat. There’s also a subplot involving ancient prophecy and a cursed crown that feels like leftover scraps from Shazam!

Still, Black Adam 2 delivers where it counts: brutal battles, god-tier visual effects, and a Dwayne Johnson performance that somehow balances mythic fury with wounded humanity.

Verdict: Not quite heroic, not fully villainous—Black Adam 2 flies in its own stormy lane. Imperfect, but undeniably entertaining.