Starring: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou, Grace Fulton, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Faithe Herman, Cooper Andrews, Marta Milans, Adam Brody, Michelle Borth, Ross Butler, D.J. Controna, Meagan Good
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% Critics, 82% Audience
Rotten Tomatoes Description: “We all have a superhero inside of us — it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In 14-year-old Billy Batson’s case, all he needs to do is shout out one word to transform into the adult superhero Shazam. Still a kid at heart, Shazam revels in the new version of himself by doing what any other teen would do — have fun while testing out his newfound powers. But he’ll need to master them quickly before the evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana can get his hands on Shazam’s magical abilities.”
Short Version:
A fun and light superhero film that asks what it means to be a hero. This has a nostalgic feel and a bunch of easter eggs and references to earlier DC films. It is a wonderful work aimed at a younger generation, with the children in the film being the primary protagonists. The plot is fairly standard, and easy to follow, and with a comedic magic that doesn’t fail its characters, the movie is one of the best from the DC lineup.
Long Version:
Shazam! Is a fun film in the superhero genre that still tackles some heavy topics, but never weighs the audience down. It was a standout in the DC universe for its control over tone and mounting action, not to mention its comedic elements. I was nervous, DC has a bad track record with its major players. Superman so overused his shine is wearing off, and Batman physically unable to crack a joke in any live action take on his story, I worried this film would fall flat like others I had high hopes for (looking at you WW:1984). I was not disappointed, and it was largely due to a few themes in the story, especially the found family storyline, the idea of worthiness being questioned, and the inclusion of more “grown-up” elements like the seven deadly sins.
So lets break it all down.
The foundation of the movie is family. It is about the ways family can hurt us, and more importantly the ways family can heal us. Billy is lost at the beginning of the movie, looking for the family he thinks he belongs in, searching for a mother he lost on the pier. He is reluctant to settle with any family, and as such he has bounced around a lot. But the new home is different, and Billy begins to really trust his new siblings, which makes all the difference to the outcome of the film. If Freddy weren’t around to help him test his powers, or if Darla hadn’t kept his secret as long as she had, Billy would probably have run away again. But this family supports him in his best and worst moments, and you can see that the parents genuinely care for Billy even though they just met him. When the moment comes that Billy knows he can’t win on his own, it is his siblings he turns to. Kids who took on the Sins to aid him, even though they had no powers of their own. The best moment in the movie is when Billy realizes he has the power to share his superpowers with them, and they become the team capable of facing Dr. Silvana. If I’m being honest, it was the one moment in the movie that really surprised me, as the plot follows a fairly standard hero’s story. But what embellishes that story is the humor throughout the plot.
So maybe the best gag in the show is Billy attempting to learn how to fly. From the various jumps and leaps and splats, we are led to believe it isn’t possible, until Shazam is falling through the sky and we think he *might* be about to test his healing/resilience on the floors of a building. In a fantastic editing cut, the camera moves away from the moment of impact, and curves back to Billy hovering over the building. I like this for two reasons, though it is a standard “Oh look, I can fly moment” the camera and relation to the audience embraces that they know it’s a trope. Then Billy’s reaction to it, continuing the fight and finding his stride as he realizes he is capable of so much more than he thinks. It is a little giggle and a lot of warm fuzzies as the fight continues.
But let’s discuss a little deeper Billy as a character. He is straddling this chasm between child and hero. The writers did a beautiful job in keeping him in this suspension, both childish and brave, immature and driven. There is not a line between Billy and who he is as a hero, he just simply inhabits an older body that can pursue some of the more risqué desires a teen boy might have. Billy runs away when he realizes he cannot beat Dr. Silvana in the first battle. He is frightened, not willing to risk his own life to stop the villain. Shazam never makes the sacrifice play, and openly taunts Dr. Silvana during their encounters. Hell, he laughed when the wizard told him the name he would have to speak to gain his powers. From what we see of Billy, it is clear he was not the pure of heart, worthy person the wizard was looking for. He was just the person who was there. Which brings me to the more adult themes in the film, worthiness and bitterness, respectively.
Dr. Silvana starts the film a son who has disappointed his father, his every action seems to be the wrong action when held in the light of his brother. He doesn’t feel loved, and he is not believed when he speaks the truth about his experiences. He is not pure of heart because he has lived in a household where shame was the main lesson he learned. He learned how to be small, and in the moment, he felt seen by the wizard, he lost his hope and fell into the hands of the Sins. The wizard may not realize the trajectory he placed the boy on until it is far too late. The idea that the sins might tempt those that are pure of heart speaks to the loss of innocence so popular when we reminisce on childhood. But it is Dr. Silvana as an adult that I want to shine a light on. There is one moment in the movie where Shazam taunts Dr. Silvana for the fact that he holds onto Envy when all the rest of the sins are released to antagonize the children.
Silvana was predisposed to envy, his childhood standing in the shadow of his brother, his father’s greed and lack of patience, it was something the boy couldn’t escape. The idea that he held this Sin inside him like a comfort. It was how he felt, envious of the family and the boy who was gifted powers he was denied. The movie showing us their villain’s fatal flaw, and how Billy contrasted him, giving to his family so that they could be equal. It is a deeper theme that gives the story more appeal to older audiences. Adults know the sins and the kind of temptations they cause. Without this added element, the sins calling out the people that they know well, the film would feel to juvenile. It is a level-up in the genre that relies on comedy and drama. Envy being the reason Silvana falls and is left weak to Shazam’s advances is telling and layered.
The film does have a few shortfalls. It doesn’t have much depth being the standout. Even with elements of the sins helping this movie travel into a more complex world, it is still a movie aimed largely at kids/teens that doesn’t want to push border for their audiences. It is a nice watch, but not something I’m compelled to watch again.
Last of all, my favorite moments:
- The symbols flashing on the magic eight ball.
- Billy running after the compass keychain at the carnival
- Billy defending Freddy with his brother’s crutch, then running when the bully’s turn on him.
- The foster parents introducing Billy to their hodgepodge of a home, and letting him do things at his own pace.
- Freddy testing Billy’s superpowers, including the secret tests that Billy always failed.
- “Get him, Batman!”
- The piano mat in the toy store
- Billy teleporting the children into the strip club because it was all he could think of.
- The stuffed tiger for the little girl
- The moment Billy makes the other kids heroes too, and their various reactions
- Freddy giving the bullies wedgies as he saves them
- The Superman cameo
- The animations in the end credits.
All images belong to DC, the production company, and the film. Thanks for stopping by!
PS have you seen the trailer for the second film? Because I am all too ready for the super squad to be back in action. How did you feel about it?
Megan’s Musings 