Shazam! – Review

Shazam! film review; DCEU, superhero, Zachary LeviDirected by: David F. Sandberg

Runtime: 132 minutes

If I could use one simple word to describe Shazam!, I would call it ‘wholesome’. When I saw the trailers for this film, I was finally excited to see a DC film that didn’t take itself so seriously. DC has always had the dreaded curse of ‘dark’ and ‘gritty’ and it was exciting to see a funny superhero film where the character seems to actually enjoy being a hero. The DCEU is, unfortunately, in a complete mess with Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill both on their way out, but I found knowing these issues didn’t bother me at all when I watched this quirky, sweet and funny film about a young boy who gains the powers of the gods when uttering the name “Shazam!”. I just never expected to be quite so touched by the wonderful family element of the film.

The film’s strongest elements by far are the characters and the family dynamic. Billy Batson, a child who has struggled from foster home to foster home in search of his real mother, is a tough kid who means well but has a brash attitude from years of looking out for only himself. Having a child actor as the main character always seems a little risky, but he is a perfect level of arrogant yet sympathetic that had me cheering for him in every scene. His relationship with his foster brother Freddy Freeman was also fantastic because of their interesting rapport. Freddy’s geeky personality played well with Billy’s tough bad-boy demeanour while they tried to navigate this strange superhero transformation and development into foster brothers.

Sometimes you’ll watch a film written by adults that are trying to speak like teenagers and it shows (“I’m hip to the groove, yo”), but this film does a great job of showing how teenagers actually interact and uses modern slang realistically. The foster family has several young characters, all with various personalities without appearing as a ‘cookie cutter’ recipe of what a family should be. The scenes with Zachary Levi are the highlight as he portrays a young teenager in a grown man’s body. His scenes are another great example of how to write a real teenager as he experiments with his powers and uses his new age to buy beer. How many times have you had the conversation of what you would do if you had super powers? Now think about that conversation and think honestly about how many dumb things you said you would do. While Batson does eventually have his call to action as all heroes must, there’s a lot of time spent with him simply enjoying being a superhero, which a lot of films (Marvel included) seem to forget. After all, he is a teenager and of course he is going to love it, have fun with it and not instantly think of saving people and looking for his nemesis.

The family dynamic is one of the film’s strongest elements, and is executed beautifully. Shazam! (if you knew anything about the comics prior) needed a really strong base for a family, and the films does it tremendously well. The foster father and mother are so warm yet disciplined and reminded me of every amazing parental figure from the classic sitcoms of the early ’90s. The siblings, all with their own quirks, are fleshed out characters that you can get behind and cheer for. While the film begins with the focus on Billy, it quickly becomes apparent that these other characters matter, and that they too could have an effect on the climax of the film. Everyone can become a hero.

The only weakness in this film for me is the wasted talent of Mark Strong. Perhaps this is a personal battle I have always had, but can films stop typecasting Mark Strong as this B-grade character when he is an amazing actor? His character in Shazam! is menacing, and Strong does a good job with what he’s given, but the role seems a waste of his talents.

Shazam! is a sweet and wholesome film that perfectly portrays a teenager’s reaction to superpowers. The characters are hilarious but also relatable as they struggle with their lives changing personally and physically. The family dynamic, a real requirement for the Shazam universe, does not disappoint as the driving motivator of several characters in the film. It is, in essence, an easy-to-watch and touching film about the family you find (not the one you are given) and discovering your own superpower and strength.

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