Shazam! is a 2019 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Produced by New Line Cinema and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the seventh installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Directed by David F. Sandberg from a screenplay by Henry Gayden, and a story by Gayden and Darren Lemke, the film stars Asher Angel as Billy Batson, a teenage boy who can transform into an adult superhero, played by Zachary Levi. Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Djimon Hounsou also star. It is the first live-action film version of the character since the 1941 serial Adventures of Captain Marvel(the character's original name).
Cast:
Asher Angel and Zachary Levi as William "Billy" Batson / Shazam
David Kohlsmith plays a four-year-old William "Billy" Batson.
Mark Strong as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana
Jack Dylan Grazer and Adam Brody as Frederick "Freddy" Freeman
Djimon Hounsou as Shazam
Mark Strong as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana
Jack Dylan Grazer and Adam Brody as Frederick "Freddy" Freeman
Djimon Hounsou as Shazam
Hounsou previously portrayed Ricou, the King of the Fishermen, in Aquaman.
Grace Fulton and Michelle Borth as Mary Bromfield
Ian Chen and Ross Butler as Eugene Choi
Jovan Armand and D.J. Cotrona as Pedro Peña
Faithe Herman and Meagan Good as Darla Dudley
Cooper Andrews as Victor Vasquez
Marta Milans as Rosa Vasquez
The film also features Andi Osho as social worker Mrs. Glover, and John Glover as the estranged father of Thaddeus, the head of Sivana Industries, while Natalia Safran was cast as Mrs. Sivana, Doctor Sivana's mother. Safran previously portrayed Rina, the Queen of the Fishermen Kingdom of Atlantis in Aquaman. Additionally, Bill Dean voices a toy version of Batman, while Lotta Losten reprised her character Esther Crosby from Sandberg's film Lights Out, in an Easter egg appearance.
Additionally, the Seven Deadly Sins – a supernatural team of villains consisting of the demons Pride, Envy, Greed, Lust, Wrath, Gluttony, and Sloth – appear in the film. They are initially trapped in statues guarded by the wizard Shazam, but escape and align themselves with Sivana. The characters were portrayed by stunt doubles in motion capture suits on-set during filming and depicted as CGI characters.
In 1974 Upstate New York, while playing with his Magic 8-Ball, a young Thaddeus Sivana is magically transported to the Rock of Eternity, where he meets the wizard Shazam, who introduces him to the mystical statues containing the spirits of the Seven Deadly Sins: Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth. The last of a council of seven, Shazam spent centuries searching for a new champion. Put to a test to see if he is pure of heart, Sivana attempts to touch the Eye of Envy, failing the test. When he is transported back to the car, he causes a scene when he tries to go back, causing his father to be injured.
In present-day Philadelphia, Billy Batson is arrested by child services after he lures and traps police officers to assist in his search for his mother. He is adopted by the Vasquez's, and he shares a room with Freddie Freeman, a paraplegic. Meanwhile, using testimonies by those rejected by Shazam, Sivana returns to the Rock of Eternity and frees the Sins, allowing them to use his body as a vessel to escape. With his power, he kills his father and brother for the abuse he suffered as a child.
While at school, Freddie is bullied by a group of kids. Billy intervenes and flees onto the subway, where he is summoned by Shazam, who tells him of one who used his powers for evil. Billy promises he uses his powers for good, and Shazam has Billy grab his staff and say, "Shazam!", which transforms Billy into an adult with multiple superpowers. With Freddie's help, Billy begins to learn the full extent of those powers. Freddie posts videos of Shazam’s powers, which go viral. However, after Freddie claims to know Shazam at school, he and Billy get into an argument at the dinner table over Freddie using Billy for his newfound powers. Billy begins to skip school to enjoy being Shazam, humiliating Freddie. Shazam accidentally causes a bus to fall off a bridge before saving it, causing Freddie to promptly reprimand him for abusing his powers. Upon seeing Shazam on the news, Sivana attacks him. Shazam is easily defeated, but he transforms back into Billy to blend into the fleeing crowd. However, Sivana captures Freddie, who was looking for Billy.
Billy's siblings realize that he is Shazam, and they reveal that they found his mother. Billy runs from home and meets his mother, who reveals she abandoned him because she could not take care of him as well as the police could. As he's leaving, Billy receives a call from Sivana, who has arrived at the Vasquez's home to find him. Upon Shazam returning home, Sivana threatens Billy's siblings for Shazam's powers. When Shazam agrees, Sivana takes them to the Rock of Eternity. During the ceremony, Freddie bruises Sivana, giving Shazam time to escape and causing them to realize that without the Sins, Sivana is a normal man.
Sivana corners the family at a carnival, where the Sins threaten to kill Billy's siblings if Shazam doesn't give his powers. However, Shazam uses the staff to give power to his siblings, causing them to also become adult superheroes with powers. Shazam manages to defeat Sivana by taunting the final Sin, Envy, to leave Sivana before saving him. Using Sivana, Shazam takes control of the Eye of Envy, enabling him to contain the spirits. The group is considered as superheroes in the city, and Billy accepts the Vasquez's as his family. Billy shows up at school as Shazam to endorse Freddie before revealing that he brought a friend: Superman.
In a mid-credits scene, Sivana, in his jail cell drawing multiple symbols across its walls, is interrupted by Mister Mind, who tells him of the pillars of evil that will come together. In a post-credits scene, Freddie tests whether Billy can talk to fish, only for Billy to dismiss the power as stupid.
I lucked out and managed to snag some tickets for Fandango's 2-week advanced screenings over the weekend of the 22nd, so I was glad I didn't have to wait until April to see this. Regardless, I saw it best to sit on my review for this film until after the formal release on April 5th.
Polygon did a great article recently discussing the history between both Marvel Comics and DC Comics both having a character named Captain Marvel in their publication history.
Two totally unrelated films by two different comic book properties drop within months apart from each other and it was pretty cool to see both Zachary Levi and Brie Larson support each others theatrical debuts, especially with Levi supporting Larson during Captain Marvel's alleged "feminist agenda" controversy.
You can look at the current scope of comics today from both the Marvel Comics and DC Comics end of the spectrum and tell that these two characters are NOTHING alike and that's a great thing. We don't need another Deathstroke/Deadpool thing going on when there's already Darkseid/Thanos comparisons and God knows how many others from Jack Kirby and other various artists and writers hopping between both companies from the Golden and Silver Age of comics.
No one really stands out here in terms of performances, even though Zachary Levi does his best Big impression for a superhero film. His performance results in a lot of hilarious moments in this film, whether it's meant to be taken serious or not.
I can't help but laugh at Mark Strong as Dr. Sivana when the last time I saw him he was singing John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" as he met his demise on Kingsmen: The Golden Circle. The first portion of the film I kept asking myself, "Is that fucking Merlin from Kingsmen up in here as a damn supervillain in a DC film?" To his credit, he was fine in the role, especially for a non-mainstream comic book character. Much like the rest of these characters that originated from Fawcett Comics prior to DC Comics buying the rights to them, I thought all of the actors here did their best to make these characters their own.
I've lost track what was first, but we just saw (or rather heard) Djimon Hounsou in Aquaman at the end of 2018 and roughly four months later, he's in this film as the old wizard Shazam. Don't forget that he was in Marvel Studios' Captain Marvel film as well as a member of the Kree Starforce group.
Grace Fulton and Michelle Borth as Mary Bromfield
Ian Chen and Ross Butler as Eugene Choi
Jovan Armand and D.J. Cotrona as Pedro Peña
Faithe Herman and Meagan Good as Darla Dudley
Cooper Andrews as Victor Vasquez
Marta Milans as Rosa Vasquez
The film also features Andi Osho as social worker Mrs. Glover, and John Glover as the estranged father of Thaddeus, the head of Sivana Industries, while Natalia Safran was cast as Mrs. Sivana, Doctor Sivana's mother. Safran previously portrayed Rina, the Queen of the Fishermen Kingdom of Atlantis in Aquaman. Additionally, Bill Dean voices a toy version of Batman, while Lotta Losten reprised her character Esther Crosby from Sandberg's film Lights Out, in an Easter egg appearance.
Additionally, the Seven Deadly Sins – a supernatural team of villains consisting of the demons Pride, Envy, Greed, Lust, Wrath, Gluttony, and Sloth – appear in the film. They are initially trapped in statues guarded by the wizard Shazam, but escape and align themselves with Sivana. The characters were portrayed by stunt doubles in motion capture suits on-set during filming and depicted as CGI characters.
Plot: (Spoilers!!)
In 1974 Upstate New York, while playing with his Magic 8-Ball, a young Thaddeus Sivana is magically transported to the Rock of Eternity, where he meets the wizard Shazam, who introduces him to the mystical statues containing the spirits of the Seven Deadly Sins: Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth. The last of a council of seven, Shazam spent centuries searching for a new champion. Put to a test to see if he is pure of heart, Sivana attempts to touch the Eye of Envy, failing the test. When he is transported back to the car, he causes a scene when he tries to go back, causing his father to be injured.
In present-day Philadelphia, Billy Batson is arrested by child services after he lures and traps police officers to assist in his search for his mother. He is adopted by the Vasquez's, and he shares a room with Freddie Freeman, a paraplegic. Meanwhile, using testimonies by those rejected by Shazam, Sivana returns to the Rock of Eternity and frees the Sins, allowing them to use his body as a vessel to escape. With his power, he kills his father and brother for the abuse he suffered as a child.
While at school, Freddie is bullied by a group of kids. Billy intervenes and flees onto the subway, where he is summoned by Shazam, who tells him of one who used his powers for evil. Billy promises he uses his powers for good, and Shazam has Billy grab his staff and say, "Shazam!", which transforms Billy into an adult with multiple superpowers. With Freddie's help, Billy begins to learn the full extent of those powers. Freddie posts videos of Shazam’s powers, which go viral. However, after Freddie claims to know Shazam at school, he and Billy get into an argument at the dinner table over Freddie using Billy for his newfound powers. Billy begins to skip school to enjoy being Shazam, humiliating Freddie. Shazam accidentally causes a bus to fall off a bridge before saving it, causing Freddie to promptly reprimand him for abusing his powers. Upon seeing Shazam on the news, Sivana attacks him. Shazam is easily defeated, but he transforms back into Billy to blend into the fleeing crowd. However, Sivana captures Freddie, who was looking for Billy.
Billy's siblings realize that he is Shazam, and they reveal that they found his mother. Billy runs from home and meets his mother, who reveals she abandoned him because she could not take care of him as well as the police could. As he's leaving, Billy receives a call from Sivana, who has arrived at the Vasquez's home to find him. Upon Shazam returning home, Sivana threatens Billy's siblings for Shazam's powers. When Shazam agrees, Sivana takes them to the Rock of Eternity. During the ceremony, Freddie bruises Sivana, giving Shazam time to escape and causing them to realize that without the Sins, Sivana is a normal man.
Sivana corners the family at a carnival, where the Sins threaten to kill Billy's siblings if Shazam doesn't give his powers. However, Shazam uses the staff to give power to his siblings, causing them to also become adult superheroes with powers. Shazam manages to defeat Sivana by taunting the final Sin, Envy, to leave Sivana before saving him. Using Sivana, Shazam takes control of the Eye of Envy, enabling him to contain the spirits. The group is considered as superheroes in the city, and Billy accepts the Vasquez's as his family. Billy shows up at school as Shazam to endorse Freddie before revealing that he brought a friend: Superman.
In a mid-credits scene, Sivana, in his jail cell drawing multiple symbols across its walls, is interrupted by Mister Mind, who tells him of the pillars of evil that will come together. In a post-credits scene, Freddie tests whether Billy can talk to fish, only for Billy to dismiss the power as stupid.
The Verdict:
I lucked out and managed to snag some tickets for Fandango's 2-week advanced screenings over the weekend of the 22nd, so I was glad I didn't have to wait until April to see this. Regardless, I saw it best to sit on my review for this film until after the formal release on April 5th.
The Tale of Two Captain Marvels
Polygon did a great article recently discussing the history between both Marvel Comics and DC Comics both having a character named Captain Marvel in their publication history.
Two totally unrelated films by two different comic book properties drop within months apart from each other and it was pretty cool to see both Zachary Levi and Brie Larson support each others theatrical debuts, especially with Levi supporting Larson during Captain Marvel's alleged "feminist agenda" controversy.
 |
| There's nothing wrong with having two heroes of the same name being successful in this superhero genre and live-action film landscape. |
You can look at the current scope of comics today from both the Marvel Comics and DC Comics end of the spectrum and tell that these two characters are NOTHING alike and that's a great thing. We don't need another Deathstroke/Deadpool thing going on when there's already Darkseid/Thanos comparisons and God knows how many others from Jack Kirby and other various artists and writers hopping between both companies from the Golden and Silver Age of comics.
Cast
No one really stands out here in terms of performances, even though Zachary Levi does his best Big impression for a superhero film. His performance results in a lot of hilarious moments in this film, whether it's meant to be taken serious or not.
I can't help but laugh at Mark Strong as Dr. Sivana when the last time I saw him he was singing John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" as he met his demise on Kingsmen: The Golden Circle. The first portion of the film I kept asking myself, "Is that fucking Merlin from Kingsmen up in here as a damn supervillain in a DC film?" To his credit, he was fine in the role, especially for a non-mainstream comic book character. Much like the rest of these characters that originated from Fawcett Comics prior to DC Comics buying the rights to them, I thought all of the actors here did their best to make these characters their own.
I've lost track what was first, but we just saw (or rather heard) Djimon Hounsou in Aquaman at the end of 2018 and roughly four months later, he's in this film as the old wizard Shazam. Don't forget that he was in Marvel Studios' Captain Marvel film as well as a member of the Kree Starforce group.
In terms of the Billy and the foster kids that make up the entire Marvel family, my biggest concern is that all of them are going to age out of the roles before DC or Warner Bros. do anything else significant with these characters again. Asher Angel is already 16 upon the debut of this film and he will be probably 18-20 by the time they film a Shazam 2. Zachary Levi ain't getting any younger either - he's already 38. I'm just sayin'. To the child and teenage actors portraying the Vasquez family members, I thought they were all likable in their given roles. By the end, I wanted to hug all of those goddamn kids. I'm anxious to see what DC and Warner Bros. does with them all collectively with Shazam in a sequel.
I think the thing that enjoyed the most out of this film over everything else is that isn't not your cliche/redundant story of "kid loses their parents and is predestined to be a superhero" narratives. Billy Batson's mother is a piece of shit - 'Nuff said. By the way, Billy giving her the compass back was a nice jab/slice of shade there too. Billy's been on a quest to find her again all of his life, even resorting to doing some not so favorable things on that quest. I love that both Sivana and Billy Batson are searching for something that they desperately believe that will make them complete, better people once they obtain it. The difference being that once Billy finds that one thing that he was searching all of his life for, it doesn't turn him into a monster like Sivana. He realizes that he's better off without it. The path that his life has taken him had already given him the family he always wanted and place where he belonged. He was able to finally be able to see that right in front of him instead of being blinded by his obsession that led Sivana down the dark path that transformed him into the villain of this film.
Some people might feel that the film trails a bit too long onto Billy and Freddie's relationship and their antics exploring what Billy is capable of as Shazam, but I thought it was a great deterrent from what we have come to see as the norm in all of these modern superhero films. This is the first time that we have seen teenagers obtain powers like this (at least from the scope of Marvel/DC's mainstream audience on the big screen) and the fun of being able to exploit said powers like this just adds to the comedic charm of this film. After the massive flops of both Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, I feel that the DC Extended Universe desperately needed this light-hearted film to paint some color to their dark universe. Shazam lights up their cinematic universe in a way that only "Sparkle Fingers" could.
There's one part that comes off really stupid in terms of transitions though. After the foster kids give Billy the file on his real mother's whereabouts, Billy bursts out of the house on foot mind you to runaway to reunite with her. His foster parents race out behind him and get into their van, only for Billy to STILL lose track of them on foot. I get it though - Billy could've ducked into an alleyway and transformed to lose them that way off-screen but damn, that came off making the foster parents look stupid when they piled into their minivan only to lose Billy while he was still on foot not even a few feet away.
I thought the reveal that the other foster kids were going to get powers too was a bit too obvious towards the film's climax, especially when Sivana kept playing the numbers game and Billy kept doubting how "good" he was but was blessed to have a genuinely good set of foster brothers and sisters to share life's ups and downs with. I can't speak for everyone else but I was glad to see the entire Marvel family debut here, especially for Shazam's first theatrical outing.
I think this is going to be over most casual fans' heads but I thought it was really smart to not say "Captain Marvel" at all during this entire film. Billy Batson's superhero persona is never given a "proper" name/superhero moniker by the public/mass media. (Laughs) If J.K. Simmons wasn't caught up playing Commissioner Gordon in the DCEU, I'm sure he would have been on the ball on cooking up a name for him if he was still playing J. Jonah Jameson for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In long term planning, that was a good thing that they never did established what his name was in this continuity. It gives both Marvel and DC wiggle room on how they are going to tackle this - hopefully in a civilized manner without anymore legal disputes.
Shazam! captured what I wanted to see in a film like this. The age progression/adult power fantasy is a niche in the superhero genre that isn't explored enough or as frequently in modern times as it was when I was growing up with the likes of heroes, such as He-Man, She-Ra (She-Ra: Princess of Power), Mightor (a Hanna-Barbara creation along with Birdman, Space Ghost, the Galaxy Trio, and the Herculoids to name a few), or even Lion-O (Thundercats) where children would find themselves gifted with incredible power and would have to learn to cope with the responsibilities that come with them. Ultraverse's Prime is similar to Shazam/Captain Marvel in a sense, but nowhere as entertaining. The 2002-2003 reboot to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe did a similar take too, where a teenage Prince Adam would transform into the adult warrior, He-Man, to battle evil. The anime, Yu-Gi-OH!, dealt with young Yugi Muto transforming into the King of Games himself, a pharoah named Yami, to combat evil while simultaneously mastering the card game known as Duel Monsters. That was received to mixed results as Yugi and Yami were two separate entities. Another anime that comes to mind with a similar niche is the adult-themed, Tenjho Tenge. One of the main characters in that story, Maka Natsume, reverts to a child-like form to save her ki, but as the anime goes on, it seems to imply that she prefers that form to represent the innocence she lost in her childhood.
With all of these examples, I just want to convey that a child's innocent world view isn't a bad thing at all. Sometimes when we are lost in our adult life woes and worries, the best thing to do is to look at the world with a youthful outlook. In all of our years of wisdom, there's lessons to be learned from children as well. I think Peter Pan's story told it best, there's nothing wrong with never wanting to grow up. I'm sure most nerds like myself can relate in a sense of "never growing up" mentally when it comes to appreciating this comic book-related stuff.
I always thought this was a great niche in superhero mythos to explore, but no one never seemed too keen on exploring it in a mainstream environment. Finally with DC's Shazam! we finally got that and I thought it turned out a lot better than I was expecting going in. A kid gifted with all of this power is going to make mistakes, they are going to fuck up, and exploit these powers at times and let that power rush go to their heads. Like what kid wouldn't? It's something that everyone can identify with in terms ideologies , regardless of gender, sexuality, or race, so they don't have to worry about to catering to every audience's preferences.
DC Comics stuff is best when it stops being overly dark and moody and shows us the best of these characters in a real life setting/scenario. Shazam! is a perfect example of that. The DC Extended Universe has been in the dark for so long that I'm firmly behind more films in this universe with a light-hearted tone as this. That was the reason why a lot of people loved a lot of the CW-based DC television series, they know when to make fun of themselves and not take said medium too seriously. Shazam provides a lot of laughs while simultaneously presenting a relate-able, yet genuine story that fans of all ages can get behind.
Narrative
I think the thing that enjoyed the most out of this film over everything else is that isn't not your cliche/redundant story of "kid loses their parents and is predestined to be a superhero" narratives. Billy Batson's mother is a piece of shit - 'Nuff said. By the way, Billy giving her the compass back was a nice jab/slice of shade there too. Billy's been on a quest to find her again all of his life, even resorting to doing some not so favorable things on that quest. I love that both Sivana and Billy Batson are searching for something that they desperately believe that will make them complete, better people once they obtain it. The difference being that once Billy finds that one thing that he was searching all of his life for, it doesn't turn him into a monster like Sivana. He realizes that he's better off without it. The path that his life has taken him had already given him the family he always wanted and place where he belonged. He was able to finally be able to see that right in front of him instead of being blinded by his obsession that led Sivana down the dark path that transformed him into the villain of this film.
Some people might feel that the film trails a bit too long onto Billy and Freddie's relationship and their antics exploring what Billy is capable of as Shazam, but I thought it was a great deterrent from what we have come to see as the norm in all of these modern superhero films. This is the first time that we have seen teenagers obtain powers like this (at least from the scope of Marvel/DC's mainstream audience on the big screen) and the fun of being able to exploit said powers like this just adds to the comedic charm of this film. After the massive flops of both Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, I feel that the DC Extended Universe desperately needed this light-hearted film to paint some color to their dark universe. Shazam lights up their cinematic universe in a way that only "Sparkle Fingers" could.
There's one part that comes off really stupid in terms of transitions though. After the foster kids give Billy the file on his real mother's whereabouts, Billy bursts out of the house on foot mind you to runaway to reunite with her. His foster parents race out behind him and get into their van, only for Billy to STILL lose track of them on foot. I get it though - Billy could've ducked into an alleyway and transformed to lose them that way off-screen but damn, that came off making the foster parents look stupid when they piled into their minivan only to lose Billy while he was still on foot not even a few feet away.
I thought the reveal that the other foster kids were going to get powers too was a bit too obvious towards the film's climax, especially when Sivana kept playing the numbers game and Billy kept doubting how "good" he was but was blessed to have a genuinely good set of foster brothers and sisters to share life's ups and downs with. I can't speak for everyone else but I was glad to see the entire Marvel family debut here, especially for Shazam's first theatrical outing.
I think this is going to be over most casual fans' heads but I thought it was really smart to not say "Captain Marvel" at all during this entire film. Billy Batson's superhero persona is never given a "proper" name/superhero moniker by the public/mass media. (Laughs) If J.K. Simmons wasn't caught up playing Commissioner Gordon in the DCEU, I'm sure he would have been on the ball on cooking up a name for him if he was still playing J. Jonah Jameson for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In long term planning, that was a good thing that they never did established what his name was in this continuity. It gives both Marvel and DC wiggle room on how they are going to tackle this - hopefully in a civilized manner without anymore legal disputes.
Closing Thoughts
 |
| Definitely one of my favorite scenes of the entire film right here. |
Shazam! captured what I wanted to see in a film like this. The age progression/adult power fantasy is a niche in the superhero genre that isn't explored enough or as frequently in modern times as it was when I was growing up with the likes of heroes, such as He-Man, She-Ra (She-Ra: Princess of Power), Mightor (a Hanna-Barbara creation along with Birdman, Space Ghost, the Galaxy Trio, and the Herculoids to name a few), or even Lion-O (Thundercats) where children would find themselves gifted with incredible power and would have to learn to cope with the responsibilities that come with them. Ultraverse's Prime is similar to Shazam/Captain Marvel in a sense, but nowhere as entertaining. The 2002-2003 reboot to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe did a similar take too, where a teenage Prince Adam would transform into the adult warrior, He-Man, to battle evil. The anime, Yu-Gi-OH!, dealt with young Yugi Muto transforming into the King of Games himself, a pharoah named Yami, to combat evil while simultaneously mastering the card game known as Duel Monsters. That was received to mixed results as Yugi and Yami were two separate entities. Another anime that comes to mind with a similar niche is the adult-themed, Tenjho Tenge. One of the main characters in that story, Maka Natsume, reverts to a child-like form to save her ki, but as the anime goes on, it seems to imply that she prefers that form to represent the innocence she lost in her childhood.
With all of these examples, I just want to convey that a child's innocent world view isn't a bad thing at all. Sometimes when we are lost in our adult life woes and worries, the best thing to do is to look at the world with a youthful outlook. In all of our years of wisdom, there's lessons to be learned from children as well. I think Peter Pan's story told it best, there's nothing wrong with never wanting to grow up. I'm sure most nerds like myself can relate in a sense of "never growing up" mentally when it comes to appreciating this comic book-related stuff.
I always thought this was a great niche in superhero mythos to explore, but no one never seemed too keen on exploring it in a mainstream environment. Finally with DC's Shazam! we finally got that and I thought it turned out a lot better than I was expecting going in. A kid gifted with all of this power is going to make mistakes, they are going to fuck up, and exploit these powers at times and let that power rush go to their heads. Like what kid wouldn't? It's something that everyone can identify with in terms ideologies , regardless of gender, sexuality, or race, so they don't have to worry about to catering to every audience's preferences.
Watch It or Don't Bother?
 |
| We hear you both loud and clear. Go see this movie. |
DC Comics stuff is best when it stops being overly dark and moody and shows us the best of these characters in a real life setting/scenario. Shazam! is a perfect example of that. The DC Extended Universe has been in the dark for so long that I'm firmly behind more films in this universe with a light-hearted tone as this. That was the reason why a lot of people loved a lot of the CW-based DC television series, they know when to make fun of themselves and not take said medium too seriously. Shazam provides a lot of laughs while simultaneously presenting a relate-able, yet genuine story that fans of all ages can get behind.
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