The country of Kahndaq is being oppressed by the forces of the criminal Intergang organization for several years now. University professor Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) was being hunted down by the enemy for her work in the resistance movement. She was looking for a legendary crown of pure evil made of eternium, a rare mineral for which a cruel king in the past oppressed and killed his countrymen in order to find.

Along with her brother Karim (Mohammad Amer) and her colleague Ishmael (Marwan Kenzari), she was able to find the crown inside a temple hidden underground. However, they were ambushed by Intergang henchmen who wanted to get the crown for themselves. When Adrianna was cornered, she uttered an ancient incantation which caused a long-buried powerful Teth-Adam (Dwayne Johnson) to emerge from the stone floor.

There is something about Dwayne Johnson that makes his character Teth-Adam come across as noble and heroic, even if he was driven by vengeful rage and had no regard for the loss of human life. His likable portrayal of this anti-hero makes us root for him despite his ultra-violent methods of killing his enemies. The scenes showcasing Teth-Adam's powerful mix of fighting styles looked better because it was Johnson doing the stunts.

Hawkman a.k.a. Carter Hall (Aldis Hodge) finally comes to life on the big screen with his metallic armor wings. Watching Hodge directly fighting Johnson can actually made Hawkman look bad at first, until you realize and comprehend the strict principles he stood for.

Pierce Brosnan was dashing and respectable as ever as Kent Nelson, and when he donned his golden helmet and turned into Doctor Fate, his CG-aided action scenes were breathtaking.

There were two neophyte superheroes joining their first Justice Society mission. Maxine Hunkel (Quintessa Swindell) is the sweet yet no-nonsense Cyclops, who has the power to manipulate wind. In contrast, Al Rothstein (Noah Centineo) is good-natured but bumbling and foolish, even in his hero persona Atom Smasher, who had the power to manipulate his body size, still causing much collateral damage in his awkwardness.

The relationship of Adrianna and her skateboard-riding, superhero-worshiping teenage son Amon (Bodhi Sabongui) was the emotional core of the present-day situation, as it was the relationship between Teth-Adam and the brave spirited boy Hurut (Jalon Christian) in the historical flashbacks. Putting family first and selfless sacrifice were always the central themes of these stories, which makes them easily relatable for all audiences.

Even if I grew up on DC Comics, I confess to have limited knowledge about Black Adam. However, as the film gradually unfolded his backstory that spanned 5000 years, I now know why Johnson fought hard to have this film made.

The storytelling by director Jaume Collet-Serra was very engaging, with some serious geopolitical issues and a healthy sense of humor. That superstar cameo surprise in the mid-credit scene adds one more point!

This review was originally published in the author's blog, "Fred Said."