Read Ashley B's review of Shazam!
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). 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) produced the film. “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”).
Shazam! is in theaters on April 5th, 2019.
Shazam is about a mischievous 14 year Billy Batson who can transform into an adult superhero at the shout of the word Shazam! He takes ahold of his new powers testing exactly what his abilities are and must do so even faster when he learns he has a villain on his tracks. Can the DC Extended Universe keep up their good streak with Shazam?
Going into this movie knowing nothing about the character, they did an excellent job at providing a detailed origin story. From the beginning the plot pulls viewers’ attention in with mystery and does not let go from there. Much to my surprise it was full of even more varying tones ranging from funny to very dark. It added a layer of depth that I was not expecting at all from Shazam but I was happy to see.
The element that really worked for this movie is that it relies a lot on pop culture references. Most of the movie is not original however it is able to piece together details that viewers are familiar with to make something incredibly enjoyable. It was truly depicted as the mind of a 14 year boy since it bounces around from topic to topic about the latest thing that catches his attention. This worked for Shazam and turns him into something almost like a toned down version of Deadpool where the movie pokes fun at itself.
If you are looking to see the DC Extended Universe go in a lighter, more comical direction then I recommend Shazam. It is a playful movie that helps to restore hope for a better future for DCEU and its movies going forward.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Ashley (Contributing Editor) is an Orlando native who loves watching movies. Her favorite genres include comedies, thrillers and sci-fi.Click Here to check out Ashley's Articles.