Image via Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. is rolling into 2019 on a wave (no pun intended) of positive momentum coming off the surprising billion-dollar success of Aquaman, proving that the demise of the much-maligned comic book universe was greatly exaggerated. Now the studio’s touting a new AND protracted release schedule that is being led by Shazam! directed by David F. Sanberg, and led with strong performances by Zachary Levi and Mark Strong, as well as a lively cast of child actors like Asher Angel.
Shazam! is a gamble for a cinematic universe—the character is a deep cut for most audiences and it introduces a lot of otherworldly concepts—but it pays off. Sanberg’s horror chops are expanded as he manages to create a strong family story that expertly weaves in some truly exhilarating action sequences that even rival some of the best superhero movies of the last few years. Shazam! is a home run for DC, and a crucial step in the studio winning fans back. These are the reasons you’ll want to check this movie out ASAP.
What 'Shazam!' Got Right
Zachary Levi: When Zachary Levi, who was more known for TV roles in shows like Chuck and Heroes, was cast as the titular character of Shazam, the internet freaked the hell out as usual. But for all of the concern over his casting, Levi knocks it out of the park. The biggest advantage that Sanberg and Levi have with this movie is that no one is particularly familiar with the character—and with that ball in their court, they have made him into a super-powerful being that is more down to earth than most of his caped counterparts (way less bro-y than Aquaman, too). What’s most endearing about Levi playing the adult face to Asher Angel’s Billy is that he channels a childlike innocence with ease. While Asher handles a bulk of the emotional weight (and quite excellently, might I add), Levi is able to exude the look and confidence of Shazam without completely coming off as a Superman clone. He’s defined the character with his earnestness and comedic timing, creating a superhero that’s completely different from what we’ve seen before.
An introduction to the Magic World of DC: The “Worlds of DC” (I hate this name) has barely scratched the surface of the expansive multiverse of its characters thus far—with the closest view into that world being an octopus playing drums in last year’s Aquaman. Shazam! is pure fantasy from the opening frame with wizards, magic, and alternate dimensions being introduced properly into the lore. A lot of die-hard fans attribute the presence of actual magic within the DC universe to be its strongest asset in the comics, lending itself to heroes with a wilder rogue’s gallery, and in Shazam! we’re introduced to a world that not only accepts superheroes but has to accept the idea of magic as well. The movie goes big with the force of magic, and instead of endlessly explaining the “why,” Shazam! merely asks the audience to enjoy the ride. Conceptually, it makes the movie feel like a product from a forgotten age—one that isn’t tethered to a wider universe in all of its story decisions (even with references to the Justice League sprinkled throughout) and is instead allowed to be as grand and weird as possible with no consequence. There’s a talking caterpillar in the movie, I mean what more can you ask for?
Tons of Heart: Yes, saying a movie has a lot of “heart” is the type of cliche comment you’ll hear in pretty much every MCU film whether its good or bad. It almost seems like an undersell to claim that for Shazam! but the movie oozes with a personality that is fun, but most of all it feels authentic. This is mostly because the core story between Billy Batson and his new family works so well. Most cape movies wrestle with providing a delicate balance of giving the heroes something to do when they aren’t flying around in CGI backgrounds, but Asher Angel and his gang of kids bring humor, innocence, and some damn good acting to the mix. I was surprised at how the movie was able to turn something I was dreading (an origin movie! again!?) into an original take on a character and his world. So, yes Shazam! has heart, but it’s carried on the shoulders of a relatable story that challenges its characters to solve them as humans instead of a MacGuffin or conveniently-timed plot twist. You believe in their struggles to become an actual family, and when they do, it comes together in a way that makes sense narratively—which is a lot more than what I can say for a lot of these types of movies.
Sivana/Mark Strong: Mark Strong turns in an excellent performance as the big bad in Shazam!—defining the role in much the same way Zachary Levi does for his character. Though he isn't given much to do storywise outside of the usual origin story beats, Strong brings a T-1000 level of menace to the villain, who often has to play straight man to Shazam’s slapstick antics.
DAT [Redacted] CAMEO: [No spoilers] You’ll know it when you see it. You’re going to freak out and wonder about the possibilities of what’s next. It’s the PERFECT way to end this movie, and I hope that they follow up on it properly.
What 'Shazam!' Got Wrong
Uneven first fact: Shazam! really concerned me in the first few minutes within the first hour. Between the dizzying flips between Sivana and Billy’s stories, to the overlong “fish out of water” sequences that we’ve seen a hundred times before, the movie was settling into “Origin Story 101” mode. It does straighten out and become an excellent movie by the end, but there is little bite to the movie in the beginning and that could concern people who have a little less confidence and knowledge about who the titular character is.
Might be a tad bit too violent: There’s no way around it—the body count in Shazam! is kind of insane for a movie marketed to kids. There’s a scene where someone’s head is bitten off, over three people are tossed out the window of a 100 story building, and there are so many people that melt in graphic detail in front of your eyes. If there’s one thing that David Sanberg is known for, it's his horror direction, and it’s on full display in this movie as well. I dug it, but I can’t help but feel like some parents should probably know what they’re in for before seeing Shazam!.
Too long!: This will be my complaint until the end of time as it pertains to superhero movies. They are extremely long, and sometimes for no reason. Shazam! is no different, with a first act that meanders for about 45 to 50 minutes before getting to its superior second and third acts. This movie could have easily been around 100 minutes, but it balloons to an extremely unnecessary two-plus hour runtime that is highlighted by a lengthy third act that goes between dimensions and a variety of different set changes until it…inconceivably ends at the very carnival that it started at. I loved the movie, but by the time you’re introduced to a completely new set of heroes in the last act, I was wondering if this could have all been condensed in some way.
The finale ends a little limp: A common, reoccurring theme in the superhero movie genre is the overblown third act and Shazam! suffers slightly because of this. As referenced in the above point, the movie’s third act is an example of the director throwing a lot of pieces at the wall, and while some of them stick—the third act could have used some restructuring to cut down on the bloat. As it stands, it actually INTRODUCES new concepts to the story in the tail end with no real explanation, and a logistically confusing final fight between Shazam/Sivana that seemed padded out to give the aforementioned story beats some time to breathe. While the conclusion does end in a heartwarming way, the road to get there almost undoes the goodwill that the movie earns in his spectacular second act.