Shazam! is a fun and enjoyable superhero movie that stands out among DC's offerings. Directed by Lights Out helmer David F. Sandberg, the movie offers a light-hearted and playful take on the classic Big story. The cast, led by Zachary Levi as the adult version of the titular hero, deliver strong performances and the relationship between Billy and his foster family is heartwarming. The jokes and gags come fast and hit the mark, and there's a refreshing self-awareness that helps the movie stand out. While the CGI is not always convincing and the villain's backstory could have been developed more, Shazam! is a crowd-pleaser that will bring out the kid in you and make you root for the team.
¡Shazam! es una película de superhéroes divertida y agradable que se destaca entre las ofertas de DC. Dirigida por el director de Lights Out, David F. Sandberg, la película ofrece una versión alegre y divertida de la clásica gran historia. El elenco, encabezado por Zachary Levi como la versión adulta del héroe principal, ofrece actuaciones sólidas y la relación entre Billy y su familia adoptiva es conmovedora. Los chistes y las bromas llegan rápido y dan en el blanco, y hay una autoconciencia refrescante que ayuda a que la película se destaque. Si bien el CGI no siempre es convincente y la historia de fondo del villano podría haberse desarrollado más, ¡Shazam! es un placer para la multitud que sacará al niño que hay en ti y te hará animar al equipo.
[7.9/10] It’s no coincidence that the two best movies in the D.C. Extended Universe -- Shazam! and Birds of Prey are the ones that could be labeled as comedies. With Zack Snyder as the originator of the uber-franchise, the DCEU has a reputation for dour, grayscale drudgery through its superheroic meditations. But by breaking out of that mold and into humor, the two more colorful corners of this cinematic universe carry far more charm than all their sister films put together.
Which is to say that Shazam! is nothing short of delightful. It doesn’t offer particularly deep ruminations on the moral weight of being a hero or grappling with human prejudice in the face of demigods. Instead, it leans into the goofy glee of what it would be like for a fourteen-year-old to gain superpowers and the ridiculousness that would ensue. It tells the tale of Billy Batson, an orphan and perpetual runaway who finds himself tapped as the much-ballyhooed “champion” of a dying wizard, becoming a grown-up hero in the process.
In some ways, for all its bright and silly trappings, this is most realistic movie in the D.C. pantheon, for the way it acknowledges that a kid gaining superhuman abilities would probably goof around and fumble the hero ball a lot as he started to figure out what they should really be used for. The scenes where Billy and his best friend/foster brother Freddy test out those powers, with mixed and often comical results, are an absolute highlight.
What makes Shazam! so refreshing in the DCEU is that it doesn’t take this superhero stuff seriously. There’s a Guardians of the Galaxy-like quality to it where any time it seems like the movie might devolve into scowling superheroic severity, the script undercuts the heaviness of the moment with a joke, often one that pokes fun at the conventions of the genre. Villain monologues go unheard across long distances. Bearded mentors shouting instructions to chosen ones receive chuckles. And attempts to leap tall buildings in a single bound end in a splat.
And yet, despite the air of cartooniness about the whole thing, and its general bent toward humor, there’s some real sadness and heart at the core of the film. (As my wife observed, the movie feels strangely of a piece with Lilo and Stitch in that regard.) Billy rejects the warm loving group home he’s been placed in, and the adoptive family who’ve welcomed him, in favor of tracking down his biological mother. Finding her is supposed to make his life whole again, to fix whatever went wrong.
Instead, when he does find her (with the help of his foster siblings, no less), he discovers that the mom he thought he lost abandoned him, because she was a seventeen-year-old kid barely older than he is now who couldn’t take care of him then and is no more equipped to now. In different hands, this could be one of those stark but affecting indie dramas, about an orphan who’s held a place in their heart for a missing parent who finds the reality doesn’t match their fantasy.
Shazam! isn’t subtle about any of this, but the emotional adjustment in these scenes feel real. You’re apt to roll your eyes when Billy utters stock pre-epiphany aphorisms like that “family is for people who can’t look out for themselves.” But there’s meaning when Billy decides that even though he’s not related to them by blood, the smiling faces and supportive siblings he finds in his group home make it his real home, make them his real family, and the thing he was truly looking for even if he didn’t realize it. There’s some cheesiness and simplicity to the delivery, but the moral is a wholesome and, more to the point, effective one, which comes through in the lived-in relationships and dynamics we see between Billy and the people in his orbit.
Much of that owes to the great performances in the movie. Zachary Levi does great work as the titular hero, channeling the “kid in a grown up’s body” vibe necessary to make the boyish fantasy work. Levi remains charming and funny throughout, capturing a fourteen-year-old’s wide-eyed wonder and sheer excitement at being able to be powerful and self-directed after so long being the little guy.
Mark Strong all but saves the antagonist chunks of the film as Dr. Sivana, a magic-eyed baddie out to steal Shazam’s powers. There’s some meat to Sivana in the script. He’s a negative image of Billy, resenting his family rather than yearning for one, and motivated by proving himself to a bad dad who told him he was never good enough or man enough rather than an absent mom who wasn’t there to tell Billy anything. But after the first act or so, Sivana becomes a pretty generic bad guy who’s only elevated (no pun intended), by Strong’s presence and commitment to the character and his longstanding resentments.
But Jack Dylan Grazer steals the show as Freddy, Billy’s best friend, hero coach, and conscience. Billy’s emotional journey rises and falls based on how he treats Freddy, and theirs is the strongest relationship in the film. In that, Freddy is not just the heart and soul of the film, but its most charming performer. He not only wins over the viewer with his motor-mouthed takes on history and family and most importantly superherodom, but he is, beneath his jibes and spunk, an earnest but wounded kid, who looks up to superheroes in part because they represent the opposite of his social perception. Grazer channels all of those complicated layers into one endearing package, no small feat for a child actor.
Eventually, the affection Freddy stirs and the epiphany he provokes in his foster brother is returned, as Billy defeats the bad guys not just through a show of force, but by sharing his powers with his new family. It’s a delightful twist, one that gets lost in a characteristically overextended and occasionally exhausting series of third act action sequences, a pathology even the light-hearted Shazam! cannot fully escape.
Even there, the film succeeds with levity, charm, and earnestness. Life is not all grim reflections and brooding shades of gray. Sometimes it’s poppy and colorful, with lots of laughs and irreverent slip-ups, while still reflecting the real pain and hardships that we all experience alongside those more joyous occasions. In that, Shazam! and Birds of Prey feel unexpectedly more mature than their sturm und drang counterparts, and despite their amusing exaggerations and winks to the audience, that much more real.
Zachary Levi returns In this trite yet entertaining sequel
Shazam 2 is visually appealing and entertaining sequel but is also a convoluted mess at many places. Peppered with some great action set pieces, adequate humour elements and amazing VFX, Shazam is a good if not a brilliant film. The storyline could have been a bit more engaging in order to give us a highlight of the future of DC universe but it doesn't so. Zachary Levi is exceptional and suits the character with his witty humoir and sharp style. Overall, a film you shouldn't take seriously and enjoy while it lasts.
What's Good?
Zachary Levi is in top form as Shazam, delivers a solid naive superhero character.
CGI and VFX Work Exceptional.
Comedy is Brilliant and keeps you chuckling from time to time.
Emotional Scenes work efficiently
What's Bad?
Suffers the Typical Sequel syndrome, couldn't elevate the experience to better standards
Storyline isn't effective , drags at times and doesnt tease us the DCU's future except the mid credits scene
Why should you stream?
If you aren't yet exhausted with the superhero stuff, or you are comic nerd who likes Shazam's Character and wants to follow the DCU closely then go stream Shazam 2 in theatres. Its a good entertainer.
Depending on your viewpoint they will definitely be parts of Shazam that will annoy you. I have to be honest I find the whole premise of superhero movies a bit silly and I never showed an interest in any of the comics from a young age until an adult. My boat was never afloat. I will watch them on film and I have viewed all of interminable Marvel Universe series, with the explosions, and so forth, but in general I like these type of films with a light touch, so Spiderman, Guardians of the Galaxy, Deadpool, oh I know they have a serious side but the touch is light, now we can add Shazam!
I would say this film is a great big smile of a movie, it is clearly made to be enjoyed, to be entertained. With the casting of Zachary Levi the makers got the perfect focal point. He exudes the joy of being a boy in a grown-up superhero body with the fun and underlying seriousness this brings. So far so Big, so far so daft.
The rather bland peril given to Billy, his alter ego and his best friend are very ‘comic-book baddy’ boilerplate and although they are given to the very capable and charismatic Mark Strong the whole story was much less interesting or important to me than the dilemma that being Shazam brings up for Billy and his best friend and indeed surrogate family. It is much more compelling.
Therein lies problems for Shazam!, it’s great and it’s fun but it can’t escape it’s superhero restrictions. Boring pointless baddies whose motive and plans seem ludicrous and ill-thought-out. Although this does give the film and most joyous and fun ending.
The special effects, set pieces and overall look of the film are good, A super impossible situation mixed into a blandly normal world is tried for in many superhero films and with Shazam! this attempt is definitely more hit than miss. The direction and editing move the story on at a good whip and the film never sags which in these types of films can definitely be a problem.
Overall Shazam! is a bright, joyful, fun-filled film and with the genius casting of Zachary Levi in a role, he was seemingly born to play you have a film with way more summits than troughs and you should get just over two hours of entertainment.
You cannot really ask for much more can you?
Me a few years ago: "Hey DC, are you trying to f**k this up on purpose? Seriously! What the hell is going on over there."
DC: OK Matt
Me after Shazam: Well, that's more like it.
I've been harsh at DC for awhile now, but for good reasons. I don't want them to fail, it's just that they keep missing the point. However they are listening and improving. If this is the direction DC is taking, then I think it will exciting and ambitious, if done properly.
'Shazam!' is the true hero DC needs right now, right behind 'Wonder Women' for this rocky cinematic universe. It’s fun, light-hearted, funny and embraces the corniness. Although don’t let that trick you into thinking it doesn’t have any serious moments, because when it gets dark, it’s absolutely terrifying and no surprise the director’s previous work are horror movies. Throughout the movie, I would occasionally have flashbacks to Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy.
Not to say it’s a great or perfect movie, as it’s got problems. The visual effects looked pretty good (for the most part), however the other times it either looks out of place or unfinished, like needed more time to polish up. It takes a while for things to get moving in the first act, and not to say it’s dull, just padding along. And that’s really it for issues.
Zachary Levi is an absolute joy to watch as Shazam and the older version of Billy. Levi oozes with charisma and a clear indication from his introduction he was born to play this role. I can’t imagine any other actor in the role than him. There was never a scene where I didn’t buy him as a kid in a man’s body. Asher Angel as Billy Batson also did a great job, especially during the more dramatic scenes, which I thought he performed beautifully. Levi had the comedic elements, while Asher had the emotional elements.
Jack Dylan Grazer is great once again and a promising young star. He can express some much emotion through his face and eyes, despite looking like he’s up to something. The chemistry between him and Levi (and Asher) are dynamic.
Mark Strong plays the main villain Dr. Sivana, which Strong best describes him as “an evil son of a b**ch”. While not the best or the most compelling villain of all time, but at least his motivations are clear and you understand what he’s been through. Heck, the film starts with a young Sivana experiencing a traumatic event that shaped him to be what he is. I can tell Mark Strong was having a blast and he was menacing enough to be a threat.
The other child actors were also pretty good, although some of them took a while to fully grow on me. Once they did, it was good and dandy. Also the foster parents are the sweetest people in the world.
Another thing to mention is how genuinely well written it is. The humor and the punchline to every joke was surprisingly funny, which I didn’t expect judging by how cringe the trailers falsely advert it. I find it compelling that we see Billy learning how to use his given powers step by step, even the end climax he’s still learning. David Sandberg manages to juggle some many themes and tones, but impressively never came off as “too much” or a train wreck that any new director with a background in small budget movies would struggle at.
Still, I can’t believe a movie like “Shazam!” exist in the same universe as the bleak ‘Batman V Superman’ and the third worst thing to happen to America “Suicide Squad”. Even a familiar f̶a̶c̶e̶ shows up at the end.
Overall rating: Just say the name
Review by DeletedBlockedParent2019-04-16T11:50:04Z
This is by far my favourite DC universe movie. Shazam! showcases the sort of quirky and exiting content that could only come out of an expanded universe in the same way Guardians of the Galaxy did. David F. Sandberg appears to have taken ques from other superhero directors, namely James Gunn and Mathew Vaughn, and made something fun, heartwarming and altogether a blast to watch.
Zachary Levi is pitch perfect in the role of Shazam, in every scene he is believable as a kid in an adults body. The psychical humour and sharp dialogue work perfectly but don’t take away from the real character moments. At no point did it feel as though there was a disconnect between Asher Angel and Zachary Levi’s performances which is insanely impressive.
My one flaw comes with the villain played by Mark Strong. Although the set up is good the conflict with his character doesn’t really start until the end of the second act and so his character sort of disappears for a long time. When he does show up again it feels as though it kills the momentum of the film but this is made up for with a fantastic finale.
The real joy of this film comes from the fact that DC have realised that realism doesn’t have to mean dark and brooding. All of the kids at Billy’s foster home feel real and fleshed out and the character’s struggle is believable. This manages to have realistic characters and yet still feels fun which is a crucial element that has been missing from this franchise for a long time.
Overall Shazam! is a wholesome, fun movie that is absolutely worth checking out. I can see this becoming many children’s favourite film in the next few years but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something for everyone to enjoy.