Black Adam

In cinemas now

Dwayne Johnson’s meteoric rise from eyebrow-raising wrestler to Hollywood megastar has been one of the most intriguing cinematic success stories of recent times. Successfully making the transition from the soap opera world of professional wrestling to the big screen is no easy feat, but there’s no denying that it’s one the man universally known as ‘The Rock’ has managed seamlessly.

It’s a shame, then, that his first foray into the ubiquitous superhero genre is as formulaic as Black Adam. Like much of the content served up by the DCEU to date, this is a risk-adverse, overly familiar slice of content with little to no distinguishing features.

Even the leading man himself appears to be going through the motions. Black Adam has been cited by Johnson as being a long-standing passion project and, while there’s no reason to dispute that, it doesn’t translate to the final product. The titular character is bereft of charm and does little more than smash a litany of CGI nemeses throughout the film’s two-hour runtime, making for a forgettable viewing experience.

There’s a supporting cast too – alas, they don’t offer much for debate. Pierce Brosnan seems to be having fun as Doctor Fate, but others (such as Marwan Kenzari’s antagonist) are almost completely forgettable. And while the mid-credits scene offers some titillation with regards to Black Adam’s future, one cannot help but hope that a second outing for the character is a darn sight more original than this.