The newest entry in the DC Extended Universe, “Black Adam,” starring Dwayne Johnson, has been hyped as a “new phase” and a “change in the hierarchy” for the embattled comic book franchise, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t also been cause for concern. The trailers have looked ponderous and gray, and though the film is directed by the auteur of many lively Liam Neeson actioners, Jaume Collet-Serra, his prior outing with Johnson, “Jungle Cruise,” left his signature verve behind. But, it seems Collet-Serra has got his groove back for “Black Adam,” or perhaps he was saving up said groove for this film, as it’s far more entertaining than it has any right to be.
It helps that “Black Adam” has a distinct and dynamic visual style and tone that distinguishes itself against the “Marvel House Style” we’ve become accustomed to over many, many phases of superhero flicks, which have devolved into a depressing digital sludge offset by an onslaught of cutesy, quippy dialogue. In “Black Adam,” the setting is a bustling Middle Eastern city, the cinematography and digital effects crisp and saturated, the action brutal and bruising enough to test that PG-13 rating, and the quips judiciously are metered out.
Johnson plays an ancient champion from the kingdom of Kahndaq, who received his powers from the Council of Wizards (you might remember them from the DCEU movie “Shazam”). Kahndaq is now a bustling, crime-ridden metropolis, occupied by an organized crime outfit known as “Intergang.” Adrianna (Sarah Shahi), who has been searching for a cursed crown made of “eternium,” awakens Teth-Adam (Johnson) from a 5,000 year slumber while escaping an Intergang faction. The all-powerful champion is essentially a “Dark Superman” — he flies, he has super strength, lightning shoots out of his hands, etc. After a violent clash in the desert, this supercharged Encino Man becomes the protector of Adrianna and her plucky son, Amon (Bodhi Sabongui, who steals the whole movie).
