Tags
Asher Angel, Billy Baston, David F Sandberg, DC Comics, DC Extended Universe, Dr Thaddeus Sivana, Mark Strong, Seven Deadly Sins, Shazam, Shazam Film Review, Zachary Levi
SHAZAM!
Review by Paul Bowler.
Shazam! is a confident and fun addition to the DC Extended Universe. Magic and monsters collide in this wildly entertaining mix of superhero action movie and body-swap comedy Directed by David F Sandberg, and written by Henry Gayden (with story by Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke).
Thanks to an encounter with a mysterious ancient wizard (Djimon Hounsou), when Billy Baston (Asher Angel) shouts the word SHAZAM! the streetwise 14 year old foster kid is now magically transformed into the adult superhero Shazam (Zachary Levi). Billy is still a kid at heart though, albeit one in a muscle-bound, godlike body, with incredible strength, speed, and the power to throw lightening bolts from his fingertips! Shazam delights in suddenly being an adult version of himself by having terrific fun with his superpowers. But he must also master his powers quickly in order to confront the evil Dr Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) and the threat of the monstrous demons known as the Seven Deadly Sins being unleashed on the world.
With a script that essentially feels like a super-powered spin on Tom Hanks’ 1988 comedy film Big – even paying homage to it at one point during a fight in a big department store – Shazam is a goofy adventure packed with jokes and exuberant fun. Asher Angel is perfectly cast as Billy Baston, a kid that suddenly finds himself bequeathed with incredible power and responsibility, who, along with Zachary Levi playing his amusing super-powered alter-ego, brings a gloriously frank and excitable sense of wonder to the character.
The strong emotional dynamic is enhanced further by Billy’s foster family. Jack Dylan Grazer is a delight as Billy’s nerdy foster brother Freddy Freeman, and Faithe Herman is also great as Billy’s foster sister Darla. It is this warm grounding in reality that’s the key to Shazam’s success, you become more invested in the characters as a result, and it also provides a nice counterbalance to all the fantasy elements as well.
Mark Strong is well cast as the wickedly evil super-villain Dr Sivana and provides an excellent adversary for Shazam to face-off against in David F Sandberg’s sickly directed movie. Although Shazam doesn’t have quite the same epic wall-to-wall action of more recent superhero blockbusters, the conflict between Shazam and Dr Sivana still provides plenty of crowd-pleasing superhero action to enjoy, and the exciting finale featuring the scary CGI onslaught of the Seven Deadly Sins rounds everything off in fine style.
Shazam, created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck in 1939, might be one of the lesser known comic book characters (he actually sold more comics than Superman at one point and was originally called Captain Marvel until legal problems saw the character side lined for a time until he was resurrected by DC Comics as Shazam), its great to see the character appear now in the DCEU and get a well deserved share of the limelight.
Boasting a superb cast and wry blend of action and laughter, Shazam is without doubt one of the most entertaining and funny superhero movies I’ve seen in a long while. The DC film universe is really finding its feet now!
The Vintage Toy Advertiser said:
Enjoyed the review. This looks a whole lot of fun and I remember liking the trailer I saw. I’ll hopefully be seeing it soon. I only just got round to seeing Antman and the Wasp – which was great fun. Loved that film a lot. Do you think Shazam is in a similar vein?
Paul Bowler said:
Shazam is great fun and well worth checking out. Its an exciting light hearted film, with a strong family dynamic to it, and the jokes are very funny. Sure, if you liked Ant Man and the Wasp, you’ll probably enjoy the upbeat tone of Shazam as well – especially if you enjoyed the trailer 🙂
Richard Schulte said:
Can’t wait to see it! A fun DC movie!
Paul Bowler said:
Shazam is great, a really fun addition to the DC movies 🙂
Richard Schulte said:
DC almost lost me a few years back when it comes to their live action movies–with a dour Superman killing Zod, Batman branding people and attacking Superman for no reason, etc. Starting with Wonder Woman, they’ve managed to pull me back and become somewhat enthusiastic again.
Paul Bowler said:
I was the same with some of the previous DCEU movies, especially BvS. Things improved with Wonder Woman, Justice League was another miss step, but things really got back on track with Aquaman and now with Shazam the DCEU is really starting to deliver the goods.
Richard Schulte said:
I’m happy for DC. (As I young kid I preferred them over Marvel!)
Paul Bowler said:
Me too! I always liked a mix of characters from DC and Marvel, but back then I think I used to read a lot more DC. Batman, Daredevil, Flash, and the Hulk have been my lifelong favourites. Its nice to see one of the less well known characters like Shazam now doing so well in his own movie 🙂
Jade said:
Great review. Good on DC for taking on a genuinely fun character like Shazam. The franchise’s been needing a break from Zack Snyder’s moody brand!
Paul Bowler said:
Thank you! I really enjoyed Shazam, it was a lot of fun! Agree, glad they are moving away from the grim tone of Zack Snyder’s films. Shazam is like a breath of fresh air for the DCEU 🙂
Tom Lucas said:
Went last week. Loved it and it restored my hope for humanity, for at least a moment ;P
Paul Bowler said:
Hi Tom! I thought Shazam was great as well, its a really fun and exciting film 🙂
healed1337 said:
I’ve heard a lot of good things about this movie. And for a superhero who is basically a kid trapped in a man’s body, Zachary Levi seems like the perfect casting choice. He’s a likeable, goofy person in real life.
Paul Bowler said:
Shazam was really good. A fun movie, Zachary Levi was indeed perfectly cast in this. Its great to see such a funny and upbeat DCEU movie.
Starloggers said:
Great review I hope to see the film soon. It looks like DC’s streak will continue with this and Aquaman.
Paul Bowler said:
Sure you’ll enjoy it, Shazam is such a fun and exciting film. Following the success of Aquaman, The DC movies are indeed onto another real winner with Shazam 🙂
Bookstooge said:
I enjoyed Levi in “Chuck” very much, so I’m hoping that his same style of humor translates to this film, even if being a superhero is a bit different from having a computer in his head 🙂
Paul Bowler said:
Yes, its a bit similar. Shazam was very funny, a good film. As superhero movies go, Shazam is one of the DCEU’s best so far.
Chris Evans @ Geek Blogger UK said:
Nice review, glad you enjoyed Shazam too a solid addition to the Worlds of DC.
Paul Bowler said:
Thanks! Shazam was really good, and lots of fun. The DC movies are really getting their act together now.
The Telltale Mind said:
Definitely looking forward to seeing this!
Paul Bowler said:
Enjoy! Shazam is really good, loads of fun too 🙂
AZ said:
Great review! I remember the first time I saw the trailer I thought the film would do everything wrong, but I was so pleasantly surprised when it was me that was wrong.
Paul Bowler said:
Thank you! I was the same with this film as well, but I was bowled over by how good it was. Shazam is my favourite DCEU movie so far, I’d also say its the most rewatchable as well. A great fun film 🙂
Silver Screenings said:
I haven’t paid attention to Shazam, so I just watched the trailer, and it looks like SO MUCH FUN! I know I’ll love it.
Paul Bowler said:
You know, I was a bit the same in the run up to the movie. Didn’t take that much notice. I really enjoyed Shazam though, it was exciting, and lots of fun. Easily one of the best DC comics movies they’ve done so far. I’m sure you’d like it 🙂
filmandgamereviewguy said:
Hey Paul great review I loved how DC is really trying to stand out and not copy marvel now it’s great to see their redirection.
I wish I got this many likes and comments on my page I was wondering if you can encourage your followers to give my page a read as I really appreciate how you always like my reviews and you do such good ones too.
Paul Bowler said:
Hello, and glad you enjoyed the review. Yes, I really enjoy how the latest DC movies like Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Shazam have taken the DC films in a new direction. Thanks, it takes time to build a community in blogging, but you’ll get there. Like and comment on the blogs you follow and enjoy, and they will engage with you as well. Cheers for commenting 🙂
Nkosinomusa Vala said:
great blog bro yeah its cool.
Paul Bowler said:
Thank you 🙂
Nkosinomusa Vala said:
your welcome. and by the way your profile pic loos great!
Paul Bowler said:
Thanks, I thought it was very me 🙂
Nkosinomusa Vala said:
I know right anyway is this a astronaut
Paul Bowler said:
Yep, sure is!