In 2016, the massive success of Marvel Cinematic Universe loomed over Warner Brothers and pressured them to catch up. In a retaliatory act, they began the DC Extended Universe which came with a bevy of bad decisions, poor marketing, and most importantly, terrible movies. Shazam! is the latest installment in this franchise which, after the commercial successes of Wonder Woman and Aquaman, seems to be gaining some footing. The blockbuster features Asher Angel as DC Superhero Billy Batson, a 15-year-old foster child who is imbued with the incredible power to transform into an adult superhero after uttering “Shazam.” Starring in the film is Zachary Levi as the titular character, rising star Jack Dylan as Billy’s friend, and Mark Strong as the movie’s antagonist.
Shazam! takes a more comedic and lighthearted approach to the genre than other DCEU films, and it’s here where the movie truly excels. When the film leans into its funnier moments, the jokes consistently land. Obviously sense of humor is subjective, but for myself, there were several stretches with back-to-back laugh out loud moments. In such scenes, Zachary Levi truly shines with his enthusiasm for the role being clear and evident throughout.
However, the biggest lull in Shazam! comes from moments outside its comedic and lighthearted core. In fact, there are a couple scenes that are distinctly and tonally jarring, so much so as to interrupt the flow of the film. One scene in particular is indicative of director David Sandberg trying to show off this horror chops instead of making something interesting and compelling to the story at hand. In other moments, it appears the screenwriters tried a bit too hard at crafting a brutal, emotional confrontation, and the result ends up being nothing more than a depressing detour. While Shazam! fails to stay on track at times, the moments where it maintains its consistency are enjoyable.
Costume design is another area where Shazam! can be hit or miss. On the one hand, Shazam’s design is delightfully over-the-top with bright colors hearkening back to the golden age of comic books from which he hails. On the other hand, we have the design of the villainous Seven Sins. [Minor Spoilers Ahead] Early on in the plot, Mark Strong’s villain, Dr. Sivana, releases the personifications of the seven deadly sins. Each of these seven characters, if you can even call them that, are perhaps the worst offenders of the bland, dark CGI villain trope that seemingly dominates tent-pole films. It’s a travesty that the seven sins, each of which have so much potential, are given designs which are indistinguishable from each other. Their inclusion is unnecessary and feed into the several tonally jarring moments mentioned before.
Shazam!’s plot is one of the more unremarkable aspects of the film; it’s neither engrossing nor an overall detriment. It bogs itself down with excessive exposition, however, it does a pretty good job of maintaining strong, clearly motivated characters. Aiding our main characters is a supporting cast of likable figures who aren’t the most unique, but stand out just enough to be memorable. In the end, Shazam! has a sweet, albeit clichéd, message about found families and delivers a movie-going experience that is above all else fun.
