Those insane fools have finally succeeded. The Rock was cast in a superhero film. Black Adam is a face-melting big-screen extravaganza that combines the biggest action star with the most over-the-top effects-driven genre.
This is the ultimate blockbuster, for better or worse.
Black Adam, which is now a box office blockbuster, is a ton of fun if you enjoy films of this genre. The film introduces a comically homicidal antihero who injects irreverence into the superhero concept, with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson playing a rare villain(ish) role and unleashing havoc with a knowing grin to the camera.
From the title character's skull-crushing introduction to a ludicrously violent parody of the X-super-speed Men's scenes, director Jaume Collet-Serra enjoys dishing out death and devastation (but in a humorous way). From beginning to end (including the inevitable post-credits sequence and fan-pleasing appearance), Black Adam is an entirely guiltless guilty delight.
Which makes the film's worst flaw, which is Black Adam, all the more heartbreaking. One of our most charismatic actors, Dwayne Johnson, or the Rock, portrays the character as a humorless, emotionless block. One may see the inspiration in this: Earlier in his career, the actor was frequently likened to Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the picture occasionally has a Terminator 2: Judgment Day atmosphere; a skateboarding youngster attempts to teach Adam catchphrases and how to act like a hero. Johnson, despite his restricted range, was never an uncomfortable actor like Schwarzenegger basketball stars. Even though his films often pale in contrast to Schwarzenegger's, he has always been a far more personable and emotive figure, and watching him perform stone-faced makes us feel deprived of something priceless. Only at the end of the film does our protagonist's face reveal a hint of recognition, as his grim inexpressiveness gives way to something closer to deadpan. It is appreciated, but it is too late.
Perhaps more crucially, Johnson's inability to act is exacerbated by his unpleasant stoniness. The occasionally evocative discourse regarding the status of his property begs for emotion, despite the fact that we know he is capable. ("Simply say'shazam,' and we're all sent home. "I have no place to live." "We are both aware you are not permitted to be here." You are not permitted to be here.) Imagine these words spoken with even a trace of bitterness, despondency, or boiling wrath, and you can begin to envision how much better and more pointed Black Adam could have been. There is, it turns out, a narrative explanation for the character's unwillingness to experience emotion. However, this is a lame excuse that feels like a cop-out. Worse, it undermines the picture: Johnson is so impassive for so much of the film that I would assume he wasn't present throughout filming and that they simply animated his parts using a photograph of his face.