Since 1992
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Shazam!
(Warner Bros. Pictures/New Line Cinema/DC)
By Lucas Allen
Every comic book fan knows him as the other Captain Marvel, but film fans will be introduced to the fantastical world of DC’s Shazam in this new entry of the recently soft-rebooted extended universe.
It’s the lightest of their movies after all the serious drama and extended violence of earlier entries that has divided fans and critics alike. But while Marvel’s “Captain Marvel” was a wonderfully refreshing origin film, this one takes the usual tropes of a superhero movie and give it a hilariously fun spin.
15-year old Billy Batson (Asher Angel) has been orphaned since his mother abandoned him at a young age, going from foster home to foster home. He’s eventually placed under the care of a kind couple in a house with other orphans. One of them, a disabled kid named Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) is a fan of superheroes and tries to befriend his new brother by sharing his knowledge of Batman and Superman. After saving Freddy from bullies, Billy escapes through the subway before finding himself in a mysterious lair. It’s there where he meets an old wizard named Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) and gave him the powers of six demigods before dying of old age. Now whenever Billy says the wizard’s name, he transforms into his older superhero form (Zachary Levi) now carrying that name.
With the help of Freddy, Billy has to learn how to be a superhero while discovering what kind of powers he possesses. However, Billy’s playfulness captures the attention of both the local media and the mysterious Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong). The evil doctor has been on a desperate quest for most of his life to obtain those powers, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get them off Billy. Now Billy has to learn what it really means to be a hero especially when it comes to family.
You can sense the filmmakers were making a superhero equivalent of one of those 80s body-switching comedies like the Oscar-nominated “Big.” Yet, the way the movie sets it up feels more believable than any of those movies. Considering it’s a comic book universe, it makes it more engaging when you see the main character flip flop between the two personas. But there’s also a problem with tonal shift that brings it down a notch. It tends to go from hilarious comedy to heavy drama and scary horror at the drop of a hat. You’ll be belly laughing one moment and then the next minute, you’re on an emotional rollercoaster that not even Superman can save you from it.
Fortunately, there’s enough great action moments combined with the humor to be both thrilling and entertaining. The special effects look astounding especially the evil monsters the hero fights at the end looking really creepy. There are also some surprises that’ll surely get people to want to see more of the character.
Levi is a perfect fit for the role, delivering some great one-liners and performing some neat physical pratfalls. Strong is basically playing another villain role, but does a good job portraying a bad guy with a purpose. Angel has some fine moments, but some of his line readings feel flat and unconvincing. Grazer on the other hand is a bouncing ball of energy that is delightful. DC fans will very likely enjoy “Shazam” as the “happy-time, feel-good” entry in the DCEU. Plus, it makes for a fun time for audiences before they have to experience the events unfolding in the highly anticipated “Avengers: Endgame.” Then again, it would be fun to see both Shazam and Captain Marvel cross over to their respective universes.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence, language, and suggestive material)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.25 Stars (Out of Four)
