Directed by David F. Sandberg (DC / Warner Bros.)
Seeing a trailer for this film several months ago, it looked like DC was steering abruptly into Marvel territory, overcompensating for their dark and dreary tones in favor of something extremely light-hearted. I was certain this film would fall flat on it's ass, focusing on trying to be as funny as possible, while forgetting to make a good story with good characters, simply for the sake of a course correction. Shazam himself is a superhero comparable to, and as old as, DC’s blue boy scout, but with a vastly different origins story and identity. Shazam! Turns out to be a pretty good movie, especially compared to the other DCEU films, evoking a more innocent and fun-loving era of super hero movies, but ultimately leaves some room for improvement to be a legitimately great film.
Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is a 14 year old living on the streets after running away from one foster family after another. He is searching for his biological mother, but can’t seem to find her, desperate to reunite after being separated at a carnival approximately 10 years earlier. After the Zach Snyder era of the DCEU, the series has begun to re-identify itself, beginning with Aquaman, and now the equally goofy Shazam!
One day Billy is transported to a dimension where a wizard named Shazam offers him his power, as long as Billy is truly pure of heart and strong in spirit. The wizard is the last of a council of seven, who defended the world from the Seven Deadly Sins, represented by awesome looking gargoyle statures who taunt candidates into offering their lustful and destructive powers instead. Of course, Billy is worthy, after some skepticism and sarcasm, inherits the abilities of the wizard. This part of the film is what reminded me the most of a 80′s kids adventure film, wherein the young hero goes to another world to gain unique powers and knowledge, to then fight bullies and conquer fears in the real world. But what wasn’t fleshed out enough for me was what the criteria is for the wizard choosing candidates, and if all it took was for a kid to ask for the powers of the tempting Seven Deadly Sins, did every single candidate attempt to gain the powers of the Seven Deadly Sins, only to be stopped by the wizard, and sent back to the real world?
With that topic, herein lies the opening scene of the movie, of which I predicted immediately was the origins story of not the hero, but the villain named Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong). Also as a child, Thaddeus was also a candidate for the powers of Shazam. He failed like everyone else, as he almost accepted the powers of the Seven Deadly Sins instead. Because Thaddeus was rejected by the wizard, and because he has a father and brother who treat him poorly in the real world, Thaddeus spins into a lifelong obsession and career dedicated to finding a way back into the wizard’s realm. Everyone has been saying how much they like Thaddeus as a villain, but I found his motivation incredibly underwhelming and one-dimensional.
I didn’t buy thus aspect of the character’s life, nor did we ever know what Thaddeus would do if he gained the powers of Shazam or the Seven Deadly Sins. Does he want to conquer the world? When he accepts the powers of the Seven Deadly Sins, is he just a vessel for the Sins to wreak havoc? What is the goal of the Sins? How much control does Thaddeus have? What I liked about the movie was the Sins themselves; at first represented by gargoyle statues with glowing red eyes, and once absorbed by Thaddeus, gray demon-like creatures who can teleport via smoke and like to bite people’s heads off. It reminded me of Gargoyles (1994) from my childhood, and made me hope that Jordan Peele’s live action film treatment ever gets off the ground.
What is the most commendable about this film are the lead actors Zacary Levi as the superhero form of Billy when he says the word “Shazam,” and Jack Dylan Grazer as Billy’s best friend and foster brother Freddy. Levi does an amazing job acting like a child in an adult body, and not just a child, but matching Asher Angel’s mannerisms incredibly well. Its this film’s biggest success that Billy seems like one cohesive character, despite being played by two very different people simultaneously. Grazer brings his A-game as well, reminding me of his character from It (2017), and still being a hilarious, neurotic, but genuine best friend who has a good heart (in fact, why wasn’t Freddy a Shazam candidate?). Their chemistry and antics when Billy first gains his powers are the best moments of the movie. While not every joke landed, I still found their shenanigans entertaining, amusing, and relatable.
I also love the twists on the final fight between Billy and Thaddeus. The climax is less punchy punchy, and more so 14 year old messing with the bad guy, outsmarting him in a way a street kid from Philadelphia could actually do. The foster family Billy finds in the second act of the film are also played by charming actors, and while they aren’t all truly three dimensional characters, their performances were also adorable and charming. I like that a film involving foster life and a foster family doesn’t simply paint them as horrible people (looking at you, Harry Potter, and every foster movie from the 90′s and backwards). The film does go through a predictable lull halfway through, where the good guys have a misunderstanding and temporarily “break up,” just before shit hits the fan and the protagonist has to learn the responsibility of his powers. It’s part of why I feel like this movie is a little too formulaic and familiar at times.
Shazam! is a fresh take on deconstructing the superhero genre. Not every film in the genre has to be realistic and gritty, and in fact, in a wave of such films, Shazam! feels welcome and unique. This film has its heart in the right place, and the relationship between Billy and his foster family is some of the best meat of the movie. I can’t say how impressed I was with Zachary Levi either, literally playing a man-child in the best possible sense. It makes you wonder what it would be like to be obsessed with superheros, and suddenly gaining the powers of one. But the film does suffer with its long length, and not every joke or comedic bit was funny to me. The villain also fell flat and, while having cool powers and the command of the Seven Deadly Sins, I thought Thaddeus Sivana lacked depth and originality. Shazam! is recommended for families, and fans of slightly edgier kids adventure movies that we don’t get to see often enough these days. The best DCEU film to date? Probably. But not overall completely satisfying for myself.
