Shazam! (Review)
Shazam! Proves to Be Everything We Want in a Superhero Movie
Until recently, the competition between the Marvel cinematic universe and the DC cinematic universe has been a little onesided. Recently, movies like Wonder Woman and Aquaman showed that the studio still had some fight in it, but it’s their most recent superhero movie, Shazam!, that shows that the DCEU has finally taken the kid’s gloves off. The bottom line is that Shazam! is just good old fashioned fun with a great sense of humor and a ton of heart.
Since the launch of the DCU fanboys (and girls) have been complaining about the dark and dreary tone of the films. Well, there’s no need to worry about that with Shazam!. The film is uproariously funny thanks to the very core of who the superhero is. Comic aficionados will remember that Shazam once went by the moniker Captain Marvel (not to be confused with Captain Marvel), and is actually a teenage boy named Billy Batson (Asher Angel) who gains the ability to transform into a full grown adult (Zachary Levi) with powers comparable to Superman (speed, strength, flight, etc). This is all thanks to an elderly wizard (Djimon Hounsou) who chooses him a new champion for humanity.
The key to Shazam!’s success is the fact that it fully embraces who this superhero is, which is a child in the body of a god. Billy is a foster kid who has always been a loner believing that he didn’t need anyone else to watch out for him. In other words, he’s not exactly the most altruistic hero at first. He mostly uses his newfound ability much in the same way Tom Hanks handled his transformation in Big. Billy buys beer, stops by a strip club, and even tries to make a bit of money showing off his awesome powers. It could be said that these little endeavors prove that he’s hardly a hero worthy of the power given to him. Luckily, writers Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke understand that heroes are made and not born, and this means that Billy has one hell of a heroes journey ahead of him. It’s because of this, Shazam! proves to be one of the best superhero origin stories I’ve seen on the big screen in years.
Like I said earlier, this is a movie with plenty of heart, which is mostly thanks to the incredible performances from the cast. Levi proves to be the perfect choice to play a child in a man’s body. He brings a tremendous amount of energy to the role as he slowly tries to get the hang of this whole hero thing and even when he’s being a bit of a scumbag it’s hard not to absolutely adore him. Strangely enough, this isn’t Levi’s first appearance in a superhero movie (he had a minor role in the first two Thor films). Now, it’s not uncommon for actors to play multiple comic book characters, but it’s odd to see several actors in a film that have. He’s joined by Hounsou and Mark Strong, both of whom bring their experience playing larger than life comic characters to their roles. As good as they are though, it’s Jack Dylan Grazer who steals the show as Billy’s foster brother and amateur superhero expert who helps guide the hero on his journey. His wide-eyed sense of wonder and excitement proves to be infectious and pretty soon I felt the same way his character did watching Levi become the hero he was meant to be.
Of course, Shazam! is filled with plenty of jaw-dropping effects, including an epic final clash between the hero and his villain. It’s so much more than just eye candy though. Billy is a character that is lost and broken when we first meet him. He doesn’t trust anyone and sees family as something that will only hold you back and make you weak. Even when he finally gets a foster family of his own, he does his best to remain detached from them. He’s a character who has plenty of fight in him but is fighting with one arm tied behind his back. His journey is about finding something he cares about enough to protect with everything he’s got. Over the course of the film, he slowly discovers this when the family that actually wants him finds themselves in the crosshairs. As great as the special effects are in this movie it’s the humor and heart that won me over in the end.
There’s plenty of minor issues with Shazam!. For one thing, it suffers from the age-old problem most comic movies suffer from where the villain is pretty much just the opposite version of the hero. For another, it tries to cover a lot from the comics, maybe even too much by the end. However, it’s so entertaining and fun that I honestly didn’t care about the issues it faced. Instead, I was able to just sit back and truly enjoy myself. Director David F. Sandberg has made one of the best superhero movies I’ve seen in a long time and one that proves DC has finally figured out how to do their characters justice. I wholeheartedly suggest you take the time to see Shazam!. I know I’m definitely going to be seeing it again in theaters!
