In multiple interviews in the lead-up to this movie releasing, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson claimed repeatedly that it had taken fifteen years to bring the character to the screen. You'd think, if he were THAT dedicated, he'd have at least worn a wig to mimic the character's iconic look. But, then, this isn't REALLY a Black Adam movie at all. The origin of the character is altered and, inspired by a kid character in a storyline ripped straight out of "Terminator 2", he now throws one-liners at his enemies. If you liked the more regal and serious version found in the source material then tough luck.

That's not the only aspect copied from elsewhere and pasted into this movie. The movie almost entirely takes place in a Middle Eastern version of Wakanda; a fictional location under attack for its supernatural resources. Black Adam finds himself up against DC's version of Falcon, Doctor Strange, Storm and Ant Man who apparently live in Professor Xavier's school and fly around in his planes. Even the ending, which cuts quickly to credits before an expected phrase can be uttered, brings to mind the ending of 2015's "Fantastic Four".

If the derivative nature of the movie wasn't enough to damn "Black Adam", giving the entire venture a sense that you've already seen this done better elsewhere, the main character appears to have no sense of agency at all. He spends his time floating around until someone pokes him with a gun, and then he opens a can of whipass on them. He's the least pro-active super-character since Statue Man.

Dwayne Johnson stated that the DC universe would change forever with the arrival of Black Adam, and he was absolutely right. At the time of writing this, it appears that Black Adam did so badly at the Box Office that it effectively killed that version of the cinematic universe, and I'm not surprised. When the most exciting thing about your movie is the cameo of another super-character, who turns up in the end credits, then you know you've got a problem.