Shazam!: DC Does It Again

Many people have panned Warner Brothers in their attempt to step on Marvel’s toes. In many cases, they have tripped over their own feet. After a hit and miss start to the DCEU, it should be noted that the success stories are becoming the new normal for WB.

Wonder Woman was a great origin story on par with what Marvel has to offer. Aquaman was great fun but maybe a little superficial. And now Shazam has raised the bar. No need to do any more comparisons to Marvel. DC can now stand on its own merits.

Shazam starts off with a 90’s superhero movie feel(not good) but within minutes, you’ll realize that this movie is something special. This movie has something you don’t usually see much of in the comic book genre, heart.

This is a captivating story of a boy, Billy Batson(Asher Angel, a spattering of Disney Channel and indie movies to his credits) that’s been dealt a raw deal in life. He isn’t a perfect kid. He gets into trouble and has been bounced around the system before getting perhaps his last chance when he’s placed into the hands of Victor(Cooper Andrews, Jerry from The Walking Dead) and Rosa(Marta Milans, a small slate of B movies in her history) Sanchez, as well as the children in their care. They contribute a positive presentation of a foster family, a rarity in Hollywood. The beginning of a friendship between Billy and Freddy Freeman(Jack Dylan Grazer, Eddie Kaspbrak, Stephen King’s It), his new foster brother, develops despite personality differences. The truth of the matter is, this could be a captivating story without it being a superhero film.

The action begins when Billy stands up to some bullies attacking Freddy and a chase ensues. Billy takes refuge in a subway car but soon finds himself transported to another realm, where he meets Shazam, an ancient wizard who is out of options after a conflict with the character that ends up becoming the villain of this feature. Upon transferring his powers, young Billy transforms into an older version of himself(Zachary Levi, Chuck, Heroes Reborn, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, as well as several other movies and Broadway shows to his credits). New Billy, aka Shazam, aka Captain Marvel(long story for non-comic book fans), now has powers roughly equivalent to Superman but with the mind of an understandably immature 14-year-old. This is where the fun ensues as Shazam and Freddy learn his repertoire of abilities.

It should be noted that there is a dark side to this movie. Not Zack Snyder Batman v Superman dark but potentially scary for smaller children. There are murderous monsters that empower our villain, Doctor Sivana(Mark Strong, the Kingsman movies and also the villain in Green Lantern but don’t let that scare you away). As the film continues, Doctor Sivana becomes aware that Shazam is a threat to his evil plans and takes steps to make sure that doesn’t happen. This sets up the second half of the adventure and we’ll leave the rest of it spoiler-free.

Shazam overall hits the right notes at the right time. I’m tempted to say that this movie is the best offering from the DCEU even though it’s predicted to have the lowest opening gross dollars of any DCEU movie to date. I am confident that an excellent story and word of mouth will give this film legs. This movie has depth rarely seen in the superhero genre and deserves a solid 4 stars.

Review submitted by guest contributor Tom Mears.