"Shazam!" Review by Liam Scanlan

    “Shazam!” Review 4/12/19

    The DC Comics film universe, or the “Worlds of DC”, as it is officially called, started off rough. With lackluster films like “Man of Steel”, “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice”, “Suicide Squad”, and even “Justice League”, fans have wondered if DC would ever catch up to rival comic book publisher Marvel, which obviously has a film universe of their own, in terms of high-quality film adaptations. Fortunately, that was when films like “Wonder Woman”, “Aquaman”, and “Shazam!” came into play. Despite “Justice League” being released between the first two, these three films, especially “Shazam!”, which is what this review is of, could be a step into the right direction for the “Worlds of DC”.

    “Shazam!”, based on the comic book formerly known as “Captain Marvel” (The name got changed due to obvious legal reasons), centers around a 13-year-old named Billy Batson, who is searching for his mother, fruitlessly, and is thus sent to multiple foster homes. In his most recent foster home, he befriends Freddie, a kid who constantly gets bullied over a crutch he uses. After Billy meets an dying wizard, played by Djimon Honsou, and after he is transformed into an adult superhero, played by Zachary Levi when he shouts his name, Shazam, he, with Freddie’s help, demonstrates his superpowers, which include electricity manipulation, flight, super-strength, and super-speed, of all things, and runs afoul of an evil supervillain, who is after his newfound abilities, in the process.

    The story, which is summed up above, is told in a very entertaining, and very heartwarming fashion. For example, there are cute flashbacks of Billy, when he was a toddler, and his mother. Not to mention all camaraderie between all the foster kids, including Billy and Freddie. It can also be very shocking too, as tensions between the two arise later in the film. Heck, even when the supervillain appears, moments between him and his abusive dad and brother can get very scary most of the time.

    Its cast of characters includes only a minimal amount of bad people, like the supervillain and his abusive dad and brother, and some very kindly characters. This includes Billy’s foster parents, the wizard named Shazam, the foster kids, including Freddie and even Billy’s emotionally-abused mom. They act so kindly to Billy that they add to the heartwarming portion of the film’s tone. They also do not heavy any annoying flaws at all. Just sweetness.

    The acting is so good that it makes even the clunkiest of its dialogue feel authentic. Even the sad conversation between Billy and his mom feels authentic, thanks to some good scriptwriting. Either that or some really good directing or maybe both. Humor-wise, this film is so amusing that even the most over-the-top of its jokes are entertaining. For example, a recurring joke involving Freddie being unable to make up his mind on a potential superhero name for Billy, hence the “Captain Sparklefingers” bit, gets me every time. It’s funny because it indicates neither Billy nor Freddie are the brightest stars in the sky.

    Not to mention Zachary Levi’s performance as Shazam is SUPERB, as it is so silly that it is hard to take seriously, which is very effective, as the film’s tone is meant to be comedic.

    Visually, this film is so good that its VFX make even the most fantastical of its plot elements look authentic onscreen. They also can be very scary, too, as the Seven Deadly Sins, who become the supervillain’s literal inner demons, are so scary that they are enough to let a little kid’s SKIN crawl!

    My only problem with this film overall is its editing. For example, the climax, which pits Billy, who, at this point, officially assumes the name of “Shazam”, and the foster kids, against the evil supervillain, and the Seven Deadly Sins, is so incredibly long that it drags the film to a total runtime of TWO HOURS AND TWELVE MINUTES! Ain’t that something?

    Overall, editing aside, I really enjoyed “Shazam!”. This movie has got everything, from heartwarming moments, to good guys who are kindly most of the time, to authentic acting, to silly jokes, to scary VFX. This may not come as a surprise to anyone, but I think “Shazam!” is the best DC film since “Wonder Woman”. Here’s hoping that they keep up the good work!

    In conclusion, I give this film a 9.5/10. I would utter “Shazam!” at this point, but since I am likely to get sued, is it worth it?

The End.