-
Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘BLACK ADAM’
It’s Electrifying Black Adam was supposed to change the hierarchy of the DC Universe. Instead, it tanked with critics and couldn’t conjure enough magic at the box office to earn a sequel. Thus, it appears the Rock’s long awaited appearance as the anti-hero is a one and done. Frankly, that kind of sucks because Black Adam is an entertaining movie. It’s a flawed one, to be sure, but watching the titular hero mow down bad guys is a hell of a lot of fun. Throw in an exceptional Pierce Brosnan portrayal of Dr. Fate, as well as a more than capable Hawkman adaptation (played by Aldis Hodge), and the groundwork for a bigger,…
-
Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘THE RUNDOWN’
The Rock and Walk Connection The Rundown is a legitimately good action movie. Directed by Peter Berg, in what was his second feature film, it showcases the Rock’s size and athletic abilities—while also utilizing his expansive charm. It was an indicator for how well rounded he could be as a leading man. One of the movie’s tests of that is its pairing of him with Seann Williams Scott and Christopher Walken. The former is his comedic foil; the latter is the film’s villain. Scott has rarely been less funny, leaving much of the burden on the Rock to carry their interactions. Walken, on the other hand, is incredible as Hatcher, an…
-
Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘WALKING TALL’
Swing and a Miss Walking Tall is a remake of 1973 film starring Joe Don Baker. It’s also “inspired” by a real-life sheriff, Buford Pusser, who patrolled the crime-laden streets of McNairy County, Tennessee, with a crudely fashioned cudgel. That’s essentially the movie. The Rock walks softly and carries a big stick. As a conceit, that sounds like it could be pretty badass. Walking Tall is just executed poorly. It’s hokey and feels far more like straight-to-DVD fare than an action showcase for its star. Worse, the fisticuffs and fireworks just can’t sustain the silly plot that surround them. There’s an entire shootout where the Rock’s paramour just wears her bra because ……
-
Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘DOOM’
Dull, Dark, and Dumb Doom carries on the proud tradition of terrible video game movies. It’s bad, folks. Real bad. Most offensive, it basically does nothing to harness the insanity of the property that inspired it. This is a Doom movie in name only. Sure, the BFG is in it, sort of; and there are hellacious creatures. They are just mostly uninspired fare. Well, maybe they’re inspired, but you can’t see them because the whole film is so dark. Outside of the first-person shooter scene, which channels the spirit of the game excellently, this thing is as boring as they come. With a poor script, trope-tastic characters, and aimless direction, Doom opened the portal to…
-
Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘BAYWATCH’
We’re Oceanic Baywatch is a bad movie. Sorry, Rock, but it’s true. And it’s frankly one of the worst movies based on a TV show. To be fair, that’s a crowded field. Many of them are awful. This just sort of treads water among the filth. That’s due in large part to the fact that it is rarely funny. It wants so desperately to be 21 Jump Street. That approach makes sense. Jump Street was able to capitalize on its premise, while also satirizing its absurdity. Baywatch—despite the wealth to be mined from the show’s preposterousness—can’t seem to muster the energy to maintain a 15-minute sketch about lifeguards going far beyond their actual job…
Your source for DC, Marvel, Star Wars, Valiant, and more!
