The hierarchy of energy within the DC universe could also be about to vary with "Black Adam," 

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however the brand new movie is shifting down a hierarchy of status important to Warner Bros.' superhero entries of the final decade.

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Hitting reviews for the Dwayne Johnson vehicle this afternoon, "Black Adam" currently stands at a 32% approval rating from top critics on the review-aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. 

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Among the wider group of approved critics' websites, it is at 54%.

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If the top critics' numbers stand, it would mark the lowest such figure for a DC film since 2017's "Justice League," which garnered a 23% approval rating from top critics 

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and was so reviled among fans that Warners eventually ordered a reworked version.

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Brothers, arriving in 2021 as "Zack Snyder's Justice League." In a somewhat favorable review for Variety, chief film critic Peter DeBrugge acknowledged that 

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"the entire purpose of the film is to give Black Adam a suitably grandiose introduction to the idea that he will soon be pitted against a more worthy adversary."

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Most others have been less receptive to the original story, though many have highlighted Johnson's performance as a key strength. 

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"Black Adam" marks the star's first time anchoring a superhero film — a job that the actor's chiseled physique and professional dominance suggest was inevitable. 

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In a mildly positive review, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian said that Johnson's "huge bulk, planet-sized head, and sly gift for deadpan humor all make him a great superhero."

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Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, critic John DeFore mentioned the star's lengthy involvement with "Black Adam," writing that "his ardor mission serves the character effectively, 

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setting him up for a journey that will hopefully be much less predictable."

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In his IGN review, Joshua Yehl gave Johnson "high marks" for "making his Black Adam as steely and effective as in the comics." But he criticized the film as 

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"filled with underdeveloped characters and an excessive number of repetitive action sequences, its half-baked debate about what it means to be a hero is lost in all the noise." 

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In The Wrap, Alonso Duralde called the film "anti-entertaining" and called it 

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"one of the most visually confusing CG of the major-studio superhero sagas, with aggressively awkward and rapid-fire editing that takes delight from every fight scene."  

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