By Ben Davis
Shazam tells the story of a young Billy Batson who’s a foster kid that has never really had much go his way until he has an encounter with an ancient wizard who gives him many incredible abilities when he says “Shazam”. This is the latest film in the DC universe, a universe that has had a shaky start to say the least. Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Justice League were all met with divisive responses. Now, I happen to enjoy all of those films mentioned—in particular Man of Steel and the Ultimate Edition of Batman v Superman—but I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t in the vocal minority of that opinion. They have struggled to really get this universe going; but, they’ve seem to have righted the course with such crowd pleasers as Wonder Woman (93% on RT and 821.8 million dollars at the box-office) and Aquaman (65% on RT and 1.147 billion at the box office). I can gladly say Shazam continues that trend by giving us a very unique, incredibly sweet, funny, and heartwarming superhero film that will make you feel as if you can soar once you leave the theater.
Shazam is brilliantly directed by David F. Sandberg who perfectly balances its many tones ranging from humor, to satire, to goofy, to horror, and action. He’s also able to really capture the wonderful foster family dynamic within the film that you just fall in love with as soon as you met them. It comes across as truly genuine and sincere right off the bat. However, the most impressive thing David F. Sandberg is able to pull off here is the sheer childhood-like wonder you feel when Billy turns into Shazam. We often see the trope in superhero films where our hero just feels burden and responsibility when it comes to being a hero. Shazam is the complete opposite. Billy truly revels in having all this power and being a superhero. While personally I do gravitate more towards the serious, burdened hero, this was a really refreshing take in a saturated market.
A lot of the heart of this movie is due to the excellent performance given to us by Zachary Levi in the titular role. Zachary Levi channels his inner 14 year old self and gives the aforementioned sense of wonder and joy of what it’s like to be a 14 year old living in a superhero body. Zachary Levi isn’t the only standout here though, as Asher Angel and Jack Dylan Grazer both turn in excellent performances as Billy Batson and Freddy Freeman, almost stealing the movie with their chemistry and charm. The foster family also shines here, giving us a real sense of a loving and caring family, but in particular Darla Dudley, played by Faithe Herman, who just melts your heart from the moment you meet her.
The tone is something I’ve mentioned before, but it can’t be overstated. Shazam is something that could have either been too goofy and campy, or too serious and not enough fun. This film perfectly balances it’s tone by injecting the right tones at the right times and never missing a single beat.
However, my biggest take away from Shazam is its messaging about family and belonging. Throughout the film, Billy is looking for where he belongs. I absolutely adore this message and it pays off big in the third act.
Before I get too positive, this movie isn’t perfect and has some minor issues for me. While I adore Mark Strong as an actor, he can sometimes come across as hokey for me at the beginning of the film. It eventually evens out and I buy into him as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana but it takes some time to get used to. Also, the third act fight runs a little long for me and could have been trimmed up a bit.
Overall, this is an incredibly fun and original superhero film that packs tremendous amounts of heart and laughs that will have audiences buzzing with their hearts full of joy at the end. DC has another big win on their hands!
Grade: A