This weekend, Warner Bros. will release “Black Adam,” the studio’s latest attempt at revamping the DC Extended Universe. Dwayne Johnson stars as the titular hero, a role all too familiar for fans of the Rock. While audiences can always rely on Johnson to play a charismatic hero — and Hollywood’s strongest man –—Adam’s persona slightly deviates from the Rock’s overly confident and charming roles, with a no-nonsense, down-to-business mentality.

Despite serving as the film’s protagonist, Black Adam stands out as one of DC’s more naive and stoic heroes, significantly less bombastic than Johnson’s Luke Hobbes in the “Fast and Furious” franchise, and not as silly and ironic as his role as Dr. Smolder Bravestone in “Jumanji.” For the amount of screen time he gets, Black Adam does not deliver much of the film’s dialogue, which doesn’t take away from the film.

The movie follows the perspective of  Sarah Shahi’s Adrianna Tomaz and Bodhi Sabongui’s Amon Tomaz, both fugitive rebels in the fictional country of Kahndaq. When crime syndicate Intergang takes over the country, Adrianna summons Adam — who had been put to sleep for 5,000 years — in order to achieve freedom and prosperity for her nation.

Adam — or “Teth Adam,” throughout most of the film — reveals his history as Kahndaq’s hero in flashbacks. His controversial past leads to Suicide Squad’s Amanda Waller, played by Viola Davis, assembling the Justice Sociey to prevent Adam from wreaking havoc on Kahndaq.

The Justice Society adds an interesting wrinkle to the film as it blurs the line between good and evil before the true villain emerges. This ensemble of obvious Marvel counterparts led by Aldis Hodge’s Hawkman, brings humor to the film and acts as the catalyst for revelations about Adam’s past. Pierce Brosnan plays knock-off Doctor Strange: Doctor Fate. Noah Centineo plays Atom Smasher — the world’s worst superhero — whose powers are similar to Ant-Man. He and Quintessa Swindell’s Cyclone have a golden dynamic, and the fact that it never materializes into anything makes it even funnier. 

Cyclone’s rainbow haze powers show one of the many visual treats provided by the film. The developers meticulously illustrated Kahndaq’s prehistoric and modern-day designs. The film also utilizes slow motion in many of its action scenes — such as Black Adam fighting off a group of Intergang mercenaries — to show Black Adam’s speed and agility compared to everyone else.  Adam catches a rocket to save the lives of Adrianna, Amon and Karim, Adrianna’s brother. Another fantastic addition to the film, Karim shines as the most amusing character.

While much of the humor is written well, the film features too much meta commentary and appears overly derivative of the superhero movies from the last decade. Amon continues to insist that Adam has a punchline, similar to his favorite heroes, Superman and Batman. While visually stunning with decent writing, the film struggles to distinguish itself from other DC and Dwayne Johnson films. In addition, the film’s intriguing dynamics between the Justice Society, Black Adam, Kahndaq and Intergang become simplified by the third act, which causes the rest of the film to lose complexity and dimension. Lastly, many of the characters represent clear counterparts to Marvel heroes, which makes it hard to take them seriously in their own right. 

Despite its flaws, Black Adam makes for an enjoyable watch on its own. Audiences should make sure to stick around for the uninventive but highly entertaining post-credits scene.

3000 years of sleep out of 5000