Shazam!

Starring: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody, Djimon Hounsou, Faithe Herman, Meagan Good
Directed by: David F. Sandberg
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
2019

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A 14-year old (Asher Angel) is granted the power to transform into a superhero when he utters the word, "Shazam!"

Review:

Tim: Although I'm unapologetically a huge Marvel fan, I'm not one of those people that needs to put DC down. I certainly always hope they make good movies- I'm not interested in wasting my time watching bad films. While the DCEU has been hit-or-miss thus far (and in my opinion, hasn't created an actual great movie yet), I still have hopes. Wonder Woman was a big step in the right direction, Justice League was good yet disappointing, and Aquaman felt vastly overrated to me. Thankfully, DC takes another solid step forward with Shazam!. While this isn't a great movie, I would put it #3 in the DCEU behind Man of Steel and Wonder Woman. For a little-known character like Shazam, you have to consider this a pretty big win.

I think it's fair to say that Shazam! is the most Marvel-like DCEU movie. It doesn't quite nail the humor and lightheartedness that the MCU has perfected, but it's a solid, entertaining, occasionally funny movie. I'm not suggesting DC needs to emulate Marvel to be successful, but this movie shows that the formula can work. The reason this movie succeeds isn't just the tone- you have to get the right cast, have a solid story, leverage visual effects, and put together some exciting action sequences. For the most part, director David F. Sandberg achieves this. I thought he did a good job with the surprising Lights Out and he delivers an even better movie this time around.

It felt like a highly comedic tone was absolutely necessary for this film. Shazam is a bit of a goofy character and the movie needed to embrace this silliness to work. It helps that the movie is really about a fourteen year old boy who can transform into an adult superhero. This isn't something we've seen before and it's genuinely fun to imagine what a young teenager would do if he was granted immense powers. The film takes a lighthearted approach to all of this, which results in an enjoyable, fun viewing experience. The movie does feature some decent action scenes, but it's the comedy and the awe of superpowers that really sets this movie apart. Those have mostly been missing from the DCEU and it was refreshing to see it here.

The cast was a big reason this movie succeeded. Billy Batson was such a critical character to get right and Asher Angel was an excellent choice. He's cool, a bit aloof, yet is able to show a vulnerable side as well. His performance wasn't always perfect, but he generally hit the right notes with this character. I don't think I can say enough about Zachary Levi as Shazam. He had the most challenging role in the film- he had to play Angel's Batson, an adult who was really a boy. Levi is incredible in the film. He brings so much glee and joy to the role that you utterly believe his performance. He looks incredible as Shazam and his energy is palpable. It's great fun watching him in this role. Jack Dylan Grazer was excellent, too. Freddy emerges as one of the most likeable characters in the film, chiefly due to Grazer's performance. It was great seeing Adam Brody in his small role, too.

I have to say that I was somewhat torn with Mark Strong. He gives a good performance- he's played the villain so many times that it's nearly effortless. I have no complaints about his performance. It just feels like he's been so overused as the antagonist in movies. It was a little like Christoph Waltz a few years ago. When you see the same guy routinely playing villains, it gets a little old. Strong is good, but he's shown he can do a lot more than this (look at the Kingsman movies). It felt like the casting was a bit too expected, but he did good work. I always enjoy seeing Djimon Hounsou and he gives a good performance as well.

Generally, this is an enjoyable movie. It was a lot of fun getting to know these characters and to see the transformation of Billy from a selfish loner to an actual hero. That process was enjoyable. The movie throws a lot of the mythology at us, which was a little hard to follow since I'm not well versed in Shazam's character or history. It did enough world-building that it's exciting to think about further exploring it in a sequel. The movie is clearly geared towards that and the post-credits scene sets up the next movie. I do wish a bit more focus was spent on the action scenes. I thought they were fine, but there's really no standout sequence. The climax in the amusement park is decent, but certainly doesn't compare to some of the better action scenes we've gotten in similar movies over the years. The sequel will need to address this while not losing focus on character development.

Shazam! has its flaws, but most movies do. This is still a huge win for DC- it take a second-tier superhero like Shazam and turn him into an audience favorite is massive. Marvel has done this numerous times in the last decade, so it's so exciting to see DC able to pull this off. I had a lot of fun with this movie and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, Justice League