Black Adam

2023 marks ten years since DC entered the ring to go and rival Marvel's own superheroes, and things got off ok with Man of Steel. The film had its moments but I still find it to be bogged down with mindless action set pieces where a headache quickly outweighs any sense of excitement from me, and much the same can be said of what followed until Warner Bros. and James Gunn decided it was time to hit the reset button on the misfired expanded universe. Right before that controversial decision came a film that hoped to reignite the franchise with Black Adam which was announced way back in 2007 with Dwayne Johnson but it wouldn't be until 2022 when it would hit cinemas. Could the anti-hero save DC? Well, sadly not but is it still worth a watch?

5000 years after Egyptian gods granted him special powers, Black Adam is awoken in his fictional country that has been taken over by a military force who are terrorising the locals so he gets to work killing anyone who stands in his way but this attracts the attention of the Justice Society. Consisting of Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Atom Smasher and Cyclone, the team are pitted against the all-powerful Black Adam. 

That is the best I can do summarising the story here which is thin at best but unfortunately very forgettable as the two opposing sides clash together. Johnson's physicality sells the role as the vengeful anti-hero and we get some charismatic turns from Aldis Hodge and Pierce Brosnan who make the best of a stiff script that struggles to find any momentum in the first two thirds before, once again, reducing to a mindless CGI smashathon in the third act with a random baddie pulled out of nowhere. Here we go again...

Visually this still looks nice with some good costumes etc and there were a few humourous moments that kept things going but for a film like this to just be ok is a shame given the years this had in development to be something special. Instead, it's an average venture for DC that fails to break new ground and is best reserved to hardcore fans or anyone who has enjoyed Johnson's recent films. For anyone else this is sadly bland, boring and unimaginative making the decision to reset the franchise all the more obvious.