It’s about time DC got in on the fun. For so long it felt like they took it as a personal challenge to go as far in the opposite direction of Marvel as possible. And the result? Not great; middling at best, with the exception of Wonder Woman. But then Aquaman came along. And though flawed in its own right, was at least a lighter, fun movie. It seemed like DC was on the right track. And then comes Shazam!.
Shazam! is the strongest entry in the DCEU since Wonder Woman, and is hopefully signaling a change for the better. They leaned into the character’s fun and whimsy, rather than going back to the well of dark and brooding heroes. And while it was the correct decision, it was also really the only decision to make with a character like this.
And just who is Shazam? Well, he’s a 14-year-old boy – Billy Batson – who is magically granted superpowers by an aging wizard. Whenever Billy shouts “Shazam!” he turns into a fully grown adult superhero, though he retains his same teenage mind. If it sounds like a superhero version of Big, well, it’s not that far off.
Given that set up, much of the movie proceeds just about exactly as you would expect it to. But in this case, that’s a good thing. Zachary Levi plays Shazam, and he completely owns the role. He actually makes you believe he is a 14-year-old boy dealing with this absurd situation. He plays it with such ease and charm and boyhood wonder that you can’t help but have a great time right along with him.
And that’s where Shazam! really succeeds: when you get down to it, it’s just a damn good time. From Billy’s relationship with his new foster brother Freddy to watching Billy slowly discover his various powers, that whole part of the movie is great. But it’s not all fun and games.
First off, let’s get Shazam’s suit out of the way. No, it’s not great. It’s better than what I thought it would be, but it’s still nothing special. The abs are especially bad, giving off a Halloween costume vibe. A minor detail, yes. But the suit is on screen so much, it’s impossible to ignore.
Of the more serious flaws, the villain here is one of the worst you’ll see. His initial motivation, his decisions, really the entire story, it’s all terrible. You don’t care about him at all; you’re really just annoyed by him. He comes off acting as a spoiled rich kid who didn’t get every single gift he wanted for Christmas. Thankfully, though, this is a B plot, as the Billy/Shazam/Freddy story is the real driving force. So while the villain arc is bad, it at least takes a back seat the majority of the fun.
And can superhero movies finally do something about CGI monsters? Either don’t use them or get together and find a way to make them look believable. Sure there are moments where the effects are passable, but for the most part, they’re noticeably bad. I don’t get it. It’s 2019. How is this still a problem? And speaking of bad effects, some of the flying shots are laugh-out-loud bad. It’s truly shocking how awful some of those sequences are. Again, it’s 2019, figure it out.
But luckily the negatives are largely overshadowed by all that Shazam! does right. And while I’m not saying every DC movie moving forward needs to take on this tone, it’s nice to know they can pull this kind of movie out when needed. So for now, just enjoy what is sure to be one of the most fun movies of the year.
