Early Reactions to Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Black Adam’ Are In

After years of anticipation, DC’s Black Adam is imminent.

The Jaume Collet-Serra-directed film had its world premiere Wednesday night, and critics were quick to share their first thoughts. Starring Dwayne Johnson as the titular antihero, Black Adam tells the origin story of Teth-Adam—an ancient Egyptian slave who is bestowed with the powers of gods. The character initially uses his super strength to fight injustice, and the death of his family leads him down a road of vengeance. The Justice Society of America, a team of superheroes, set out on a mission to stop Black Adam’s rampage and bring him into the fold.

The film co-stars Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, and Aldis Hodge as Hawkman.

Johnson was reportedly in talks to star in Black Adam since 2007, but experienced multiple setbacks and delays. According to Screen Rant, the success of 2013’s Man of Steel is what revived the talks with the Rock, with the initial plan of him appearing in Shazam! It wasn’t until 2017 that the studio confirmed it was working on a standalone flick.

Black Adam has become one of the DCEU’s most-anticipated projects, with expectations set high. On Wednesday night, Twitter was flooded with mixed reactions describing the final product as everything from “epic” and “adrenaline fueled” to “messy” and just flat-out “bad.”

You can read some of the early reactions below. Black Adam will hit U.S. theaters on Oct. 21.