Shazam! Movie Review
Major Spoilers are included in this movie review. Please read with caution.
“I thought this was a kid’s move” and “wow this is so dark” have been exclaimed throughout my viewing of this movie. Yes, it is lighthearted, but the villain apparently didn’t get the memo. Shazam! is the newest DC superhero to make the big screen, following Aquaman. Starring Zachary Levi (adult) and Asher Angel (kid) follows Billy Baston, a foster kid who gains the ability to transform into an adult superhero.
The plot is kind of messy to be honest. The main story is about Shazam, commonly known as The Wizard, and his quest to find a true successor to his powers. He basically seeks the main antagonist when he was a kid, Thaddeus Sivana, but finds him unworthy, scarring the boy into finding The Wizard. Honestly, Wizard is an exposition machine and is barely a character.
Flash forward to present day. Billy Baston is trying to find his biological mom, unable to comprehend that she abandoned him, and is placed in his latest foster home with new foster parents (Victor and Rosa) and siblings: Mary, Darla, Freddie, Eugene, and Pedro. This is where the heart of the movie sweeps into view: these are loving people who want to take Billy despite his habit of running, but he can’t love or accept them without giving up on his mom.
The use of big-time superheroes like Superman and Batman feel at home in this movie, feeling organic rather than a reminder this movie is a part of a dead universe. Freddie is the biggest superhero fan and Shazam!’s main source of product placement. Is it even product placement? I don’t even know…
Moving on, the villain is one-dimensional. He isn’t developed much to my liking, but we do get a sense of how dangerous he is after the massive board room scene. The Seven Deadly Sins are pure monsters who kill (there’s no blood), but being thrown out of windows and getting devoured is still incredibly disturbing, raising the stakes whenever Thaddeus encounters Billy.
However, this is the only dark aspect of the movie. Everything else in the movie not involving Thaddeus Sivana or the Seven Deadly Sins is pure humor or emotionally heartfelt. The dynamic between Freddie and Billy (Zachary Levi edition) is a strong addition to the movie, but I wish the other kids had similar character development. Hopefully, the sequel will fix this issue.
Overall, this movie’s message regarding family and what it means to be loved is powerful and hit home for me in addition to several others. I enjoyed the movie, the transition between Angel and Levi doesn’t work most of the time, making the transformation uneven like he changed into a different person rather than a big adult. Check out the movie. I’m going to own it on DVD.