Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is a product of foster care system and that’s made him very comfortable in fending for himself and not allowing anyone to get close to him. Billy finds himself in a new home with other displaced kids and a couple that only wants to nurture him. While Billy appears to be a loner, he holds out hope that one day he’ll be reunited with the family he lost long ago. As fate would would have it, a loving family is right in front of him if only he would choose to see it.
Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) and Billy develop sort of a friendship, which intensifies when Billy is given a gift that defies explanation…by a wizard of all things! By uttering a single word, “Shazam!“, the teen is transformed into a muscular adult male (Zachary Levi) with untapped super potential locked inside. As Freddy attempts to help his new super friend, there is an unknown threat looming in the not-so-far distance as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) looks to get sinfully sadistic on mankind. Will a capable hero rise to thwart archenemy number one and save the world in the process?
Asher Angel and Zachary Levi are an excellent pairing in Shazam! as they split time on the screen sharing the same character (even though Levi) does all of the heavy lifting. Jack Dylan Grazer is real smart-mouthed sidekick that brings a lot of humor and knowledge of how these superhero things work to the screen. Mark Strong is the obvious villain and plays his role to the max. He seems to really embrace his darker side. Djimon Hounsou is around to provide wisdom and direction. Others that round out this fun cast are Marta Milans, Cooper Andrews, Grace Fulton and others. There are a couple more names that could be thrown out there but I’ll just save those for the movie.
Shazam!, simply put, is a fun superhero movie that appears to put the DC Extended Universe in a fun, favorable light that most can agree is refreshing and should give fans more hope for the franchise’s future. Aquaman (2018) was a profitable cinematic juggernaut which undoubtedly made the folks over at Warner Bros. very happy. Even so, with its mostly positive reviews, there are those that didn’t completely fall in love (with me being one of them) and were hoping for something even better.
Director David F. Sandberg is lights out in his ability to make Shazam! appealing to just about everyone; young/old, male/female, hardcore fan/newbie. This truly feels like an origin story with a very open-ended and bright future. Casting Zachary Levi in the lead role is complete perfection and Sandberg did not waste the tools in which he was gifted. Channeling his time as a bumbling comedic, yet capable agent in NBC’s Chuck, Levi returns to what made him so entertaining back then. For the slightly older potential viewers, The Greatest American Hero is another television show (and character) that runs parallels here. The point is that this should be enjoyable in a way that has eluded DCEU offerings for the most part.
The blatant AND CONTINUOUS cross-marketing of DC Comics properties becomes a bit wearisome by the time you reach the halfway point. And that’s another thing, Shazam! is a hefty 132 minutes long. That’s a long time for younger audiences to sit still. Maybe this is a good time to mention that some of the content matter may be a tough for little ones to endure. There are more than a few intense in-your-face moments that could startle younger moviegoers. Just because this is a movie that focuses on children in various age ranges, it doesn’t mean that all children should see this. It’s PG-13, and not one that barely makes that rating. Drag Me to Hell (2009) was one of the most unsettling PG-13 movies that I recall ever seeing. I know several adults that were disturbed by what they experienced to this day. Language, adult content and frightening images should give you pause. Just proceed with caution is all I’m saying.
Shazam! is a DC Comics movie that I feel very comfortable in recommending. It has all of the key elements and it could have a very positive future ahead of it. Feel like a kid again and embrace the fun super story being told. Be sure to stay for the full two hours and 12 minutes so you can take in as much as you can. Check it out in theaters right now.
