Shazam! is the latest comic-book adaptation in the DC Films universe from Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema. The film stars Zachary Levi as the titular superhero, Asher Angel as his teenage alter ego Billy Batson, Mark Strong as the villainous Dr. Sivana, Jack Dylan Grazer as Billy’s foster brother Freddy Freeman, and Djimon Hounsou as the wizard Shazam who grants Billy his powers. David F. Sandberg (Lights Out, Annabelle: Creation) directs from a script by Henry Gayden and a story by Gayden and Darren Lemke.
Billy Batson is a ne’er-do-well orphan who has moved from foster home to foster home. He is finally taken in by Rosa and Victor Vasquez (Marta Milans and Cooper Andrews) and their family. After defending his foster brother Freddy from bullies, Batson escapes and is chosen by the ancient wizard to receive his powers. Now, Batson must learn how to become a superhero, with the comedic assistance of Freddy, to stop the dark magic of Dr. Sivana before it’s too late.
Shazam! has an infectious ebullience thanks to its three leads, Angel, Grazer, and of course, Levi. They form the emotional core of the movie, two kids who become family while trying to make sense of Billy’s new magical powers. The film doesn’t pretend that childhood is always saintly or sweet, and the rambunctious energy of Angel and Grazer/Levi and Grazer goes a long way in allowing the audience to have fun with superhero powers in the way kids actually would. There are stakes, consequences and lessons learned, with a whole lot of fun in between. The movie has a concrete old-fashioned sense of morality without preachiness or cloying sentiment.
What’s most remarkable about Shazam! is how in tune it is with a younger audience. Sure, it carries a PG-13 rating and has moments of intense flat-out horror, but it’s also unafraid of being silly or goofy or kiddy. It manages to be adventurous in the same vein of the 80’s Amblin movies, without being condescending or talking down to kids, and completely self-aware. The film acts as a response not just to the moroseness of Man of Steel or Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but also the grim-and-gritty aesthetic that has infested comic book culture since the release of Alan Moore’s Watchmen and Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns.
The character of Dr. Sivana, portrayed by Mark Strong, represents that same grimdark grit as a jilted would-be champion of the wizard, whose anger and resentment festers into supervillainy. Regrettably, Strong doesn’t get to do much besides twirl a metaphorical mustache, and much of the pathos that could have been mined out of the character simply isn’t. DC Comics are known for the strength of their rogues’ gallery, but in this case Shazam! is closer to the Marvel Studios films in that the villain is a secondary or almost tertiary concern (as in, for example, Thor: The Dark World or Guardians of the Galaxy). As such, Strong’s Dr. Sivana is a missed opportunity.
After the philosophical murkiness of Man of Steel and Dawn of Justice, the DC Films have slowly charted a course back to the classicism of their comics’ earlier days. Though this process hasn’t always been smooth (as evident in the Frankensteinian Justice League), films like Wonder Woman and Aquaman have unashamedly adapted the primary colors and pulpy sensibilities of their namesake publications. It is refreshing to see Shazam! continue in this path and one-upping the other recent DC Films by directly evoking childhood wonder. Having a superhero is who literally a child at heart serves as a compass for the filmmakers; indeed, a compass plays a critical part in the story and for the character Billy Batson.
The comic book Shazam! and its main character have an interesting history, first appearing as Captain Marvel in its Fawcett Comics days before being bought out by DC. Through trademark battles and several relaunches, both the character and book were eventually renamed Shazam. The character’s roots however are still connected to a youth readership, and that has remained consistent throughout the ages.
Because of this, Shazam! is the perfect reset button for DC Films, serving as a reconnection to youth and mirroring the comics’ current rebirth of its Silver Age spirit on the big screen. It remembers the original kid audience for these tales while speaking to the kid in all of us. It takes the wish fulfillment and power fantasy of comic books and points it back in the right direction, recalling the high adventure and zany antics that kids could only find on comic pages or in their own wild imaginations. It’s very fitting that after the hard-edged desaturated origins of DC Films, their cinematic universe rediscovers itself as family entertainment with a superhero whose number-one power is family.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
ABOUT SHAZAM!
David F. Sandberg (“Annabelle: Creation”) directs New Line Cinema’s “Shazam!,” the origin story that stars Zachary Levi (TV’s “Chuck”) as the titular DC Super Hero, along with Mark Strong (the “Kingsman” movies) in the role of Super-Villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, and Asher Angel (TV’s “Andi Mack”) as Billy Batson. Peter Safran (“Aquaman,” “The Conjuring” and “Annabelle” films) serves as the film’s producer.
We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he’ll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong).
“Shazam!” also stars Jack Dylan Grazer (“IT”) as Billy’s best friend and ultimate superhero enthusiast, Freddy, and Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou (“Blood Diamond”) as the Wizard. The cast also includes Faithe Herman (TV’s “This is Us”), Grace Fulton (“Annabelle: Creation”), Ian Chen (TV’s “Fresh Off the Boat”), Jovan Armand (TV’s “Hawaii Five-0”), Marta Milans (TV’s “Killer Women”) and Cooper Andrews (TV’s “The Walking Dead”).
Firmly set in the DC universe but with his own distinctly fun, family-centric tone, the screenplay is by Henry Gayden, story by Gayden and Darren Lemke, based on characters from DC. Shazam was created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck. Jeffrey Chernov, Christopher Godsick, Geoff Johns, Walter Hamada, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Richard Brener and Dave Neustadter serve as executive producers.
Shazam! is released in Real D 3D, Dolby Cinema and IMAX theaters across the U.S. on April 5, 2019, with a run-time of 132 minutes and is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action, language, and suggestive material.
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