Movie Review: Dwayne Johnson's superhero debut in 'Black Adam'

In all sincerity, I wasn't that enthusiastic when I first heard that a Black Adam movie starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson would drop in theatres some time this year.

This might be a biased opinion but I have never liked Johnson as an actor. Despite starring as the lead in a number of movies, which have enjoyed considerable success at the Box Office, I have always felt that his acting chops fall just short when compared to Hollywood's other leading men.

Before you judge me, hear me out for a second; Johnson is what I would describe as a stereotypical, man's man action movie star.

Whenever Johnson is on screen, he is either flexing his muscles, dodging bullets and explosions, involved in a high-speed car chase or 'rock-bottoming' an unfortunate henchman. (Only wrestling fans will see what I did there.)

His towering and hulking physique, I feel, has limited him to only taking up action movie roles, as such he is not as diversified an actor as he should be considering that he first appeared on the Big Screen in the 2001 film 'The Mummy Returns.'

After some convincing from my friend Shukri, I finally decided to watch the film and I can say beyond doubt that Johnson was cast perfectly to bring the Butcher of Bialya to life on the Silver Screen for the very first time.

As always, I will try not to divulge too much about the movie's plot but there will be a few spoilers here and there so you have been warned.

In a nutshell, Black Adam introduces its titular antihero Teth-Adam, explains how he got his powers, and then takes him to the present day.

It also brings in the superhero team, the Justice Society, whose members include former 007 actor Pierce Brosnan's Doctor Fate, Quintessa Swindell's Cyclone, Aldis Hodge's Hawkman and Noah Centineo's Atom Smasher.

The Justice Society is tasked by A.R.G.U.S boss Amanda Waller (played by Viola Davis) to reel in Teth-Adam after he is freed from his tomb 5,000 years after gaining his powers.

Teth runs amok in present day Kahndaq, the fictional kingdom where he hails from, drawing unwanted attention from Waller and the Justice Society.

The first half of the movie sees the Justice Society trying to capture Teth and it doesn't help that the anti-hero never backs down from a fight.

One line that stood out for me is Teth saying that "Violence is always necessary" and this pretty much sums up the mammoth task the Justice Society has before it in its attempts to capture the anti-hero.

The second half of the movie sets up the film's actual big bad, SABBAC, a demonic entity who is a physical match for Teth.

By saying the word SHAZAM, Teth gains the powers of six Egyptian deities. He is granted the stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Heru, the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti, the power of Aton and the courage of Mehen. (note, that when combined, the first letters of the gods' names spell out SHAZAM).

SABBAC on the other hand gets his powers from six demonic entities; Satan, Aym, Belial, Beelzebub, Asmodeus and Crateis, hence the acronym.

First of all, the film is a visual spectacle; the action scenes, CGI and costumes are superb unlike most Marvel films and series that have dropped this year. (I won't even say anything about She-Hulk).

Black Adam's score also does a solid job in giving the titular anti-hero an air of musical menace which is simultaneously heroic and awe-inspiring.

The film's plot is alright but it is nothing to write home about since it is more of an origin story but I expect this to change with future installments.

The first half of the movie was also kind of slow since the film was introducing major and supporting characters while traversing between the present and past timelines to tell Teth's origin story.

Before the introduction of SABBAC, the movie felt stale as if nothing was at stake since Teth was using his powers to ruthlessly kill a number of Intergang mercenaries who were only using guns to defend themselves against the nigh-indestructible Teth. (I personally think that Teth should be featured as a playable character in the next Mortal Kombat game because some of his on-screen kills would make for great Fatalities)

Moving on, I feel that the film's director should have taken more time to flesh out the characters of the Justice Society members.

Hawkman is just used as a flying punching bag while Atom Smasher is mostly on the team for comedic relief. Doctor Fate and Cyclone are also overlooked in terms of character development so much so that it seems there are just there for the ride.

The film also has its fair share of comedic scenes especially between Teth and Hurut (played by Jalon Christian), a young Kahndaqi boy who educates the anti-hero on the workings of the modern world when he escapes imprisonment.

Teth, Doctor Fate and Hawkman also feature in a number of scenes that will leave you smiling from ear to ear.

Overall, Black Adam is a welcome addition to DC's extended universe. If you want to see a demigod repeatedly punching and electrocuting some goons, endless meta-human action sequences and the Justice Society's first appearance on the Silver screen, then this is the film for you.

If you are however looking for a film that will elevate the superhero genre in any way then you will be disappointed. I will give the film a solid 6 out of 10 rating. (NB: Remember to stick around for the mid-credits scene)

Black Adam is currently showing in theatres near you.