Shazam! Review

Non Spoiler Review

Shazam! is DC’s lightest movie in decades which is saying something as it was directed by horror movie veteran David F. Sandburg. It is definitely the most fun I’ve had at a DC movie. It’s an entertaining movie for both kids and adults alike. The humour was on point and probably on the same level as the MCU’s humour. There were jokes where I only heard kids laughing, and some references only adults would get.

After being bestowed with Godlike powers and an adult body, Billy Batson (Asher Angel) approaches his foster brother and superhero enthusiast, Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), to help him figure things out. Together the pair begin to explore Billy's newfound abilities while also taking on the threat of the evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong).

WARNING: Spoilers Below!!

Apart from being a really fun and goofy movie Shazam! is ultimately about family. Billy Batson spends the whole movie searching for his mother, whom he was separated from at a young age, only to discover that his true family were with him the whole time, at the foster home. That's another great thing about this movie, it had a positive portrayal of a foster family rather. Speaking of family, I was not expecting the whole Shazam family to show up in this movie, maybe in a sequel, but it was a welcome addition to the film.

Zachary Levi knocks it out of the park as the titular character, capturing that childlike innocence and curiosity of a teenager. His chemistry with co-star and scene-stealer, Jack Dylan Grazer, is on point. The pair's interactions always felt like that of two teen best friends or even brothers. It was great how Grazer's Freddy Freeman served as Billy/Shazam's mentor, considering he was younger than Billy. It really broke the stereotype of how a mentor is always older than the mentee. For his movie debut, Asher Angel did a great job as Billy Batson, the alter-ego of the titular character, considering his only other acting credit is on a Disney Channel show.

Now let’s address the elephant in the room or should I say the elephant in thein the boardroom because those CGI seven deadly sins were atrocious. Plus that boardroom scene has to be the darkest part of the whole movie with Thaddeus Sivana throwing his brother out the window of the high rise building. Not to mention allowing the sins to eat everyone in the room.

Speaking of Thaddeus Sivana, although played well by Mark Strong, he only served as a generic villain. Sure you can sympathize with him, as he was offered great power and then rejected instantly, but his motives were the same he's doing this because he wants to. Although when you put it in perspective, Billy wasn't exactly ready to take on a villain that served as a global threat. After all, he was still figuring out his powers and using them for personal gain as he wasn't prepared to be a hero just yet.

Warner Bros. and DC can rest easy knowing they have another hit on their hands following last year’s Aquaman. I give Shazam! 9/10.