I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for this movie to come out. Oft rumored since the Superhero craze started, Shazam, took a surprisingly long time to make his way to the silver screen compared to many other Superheroes. However, I am happy to report that the film was worth the wait.
Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel) has bounced from foster home to foster home since he was separated from his mother at a carnival when he was a small boy. He lands in the home of Rosa (played by Marta Milans) and Victor Vasquez (played by Cooper Andrews), who house an assortment of foster kids, including Freddy Freeman (played by Jack Dylan Grazer), the resident superhero fanatic. When Billy sticks up for the bullied Freddy against two school bullies, he finds himself unexpectedly whisked away to the lair of the wizard Shazam (played by Djimon Hounsou). There he is given the powers of Shazam, and every time he utters the name he is transformed into his ideal adult self (played by Zachary Levi) with a range of superpowers and an impressive superhero costume. Understandably freaked out, Billy turns to Freddy for help with being a superhero. The two team up to figure out what Billy's new powers are as Freddy helps him become a real life Superhero. Meanwhile, Thaddeus Sivana (played by Mark Strong) is searching for the power of Shazam for himself ever since he was a boy and was summoned himself by the Wizard, but deemed unworthy. Since then, with demonic powers of his own, he wants to claim Billy's powers for himself. It's only a matter of time before Billy encounters Sivana leading to an epic battle between good and evil.
The film was directed by David Sandberg from a screenplay by Henry Gayden. They have managed to create what is probably the funniest and most lighthearted film in the DCEU. First and foremost, this film is just flat out fun from beginning to end. They find the right balance with the film with the humor and the very real threat of Sivana coming after Billy for his newly bestowed powers. There is a lot of humor in the film though, mainly coming from Billy and Freddy trying to figure out how to utilize his new powers, drawing from their knowledge of superheroes like Batman and Superman. They also get into their fair share of mischief, utilizing the adult stature of Shazam to get them out of school as well as purchase alcohol (which amusingly they immediately discover they hate). They also do a good job of playfully ribbing some superhero movie tropes that I found quite amusing. The heart at the core of the film is Billy needing to let himself be open to finding a new family. He has spent a good chunk of his life trying to find his mother but has not been able to locate her. Savvy audiences can probably guess the outcome, but the payoff is touching regardless. I also did appreciate a couple decent plot twists in the film that I won't dare spoil. They also manage to work in a couple amusing movie nods, including one that should have been so obvious I can't believe I didn't see it coming.
Zachary Levi leads the cast and does an impressive job of playing a kid in a man's superpowered body. He does a great job capturing that boyish glee that really makes the role work. The is a sort of pure joy that comes through in his performance that I really enjoyed. Asher Angel does well as the boy Billy Batson and has more of the dramatic lifting to do in the film, but is up to the task, making Billy one that is easy to sympathize with. Jack Dylan Glazer is a lot of fun as Freddy, who captures the sort of excitement any superhero fan boy would be if they found out they were friends with a superhero. Mark Strong makes for an intriguing villain and shows the characters layers quite well. As a kid, Sivana was constantly berated and torn down by his father and older brother and Strong does a good job showing how that constant torment warped him into the power mad adult he is. Strong does a great job bringing the character to life and makes Sivana a formidable threat, especially for someone very new to the superhero game like Billy is. Djimon Hounsou adds some real gravitas to his role as the Wizard Shazam, even if it is a small part in the movie he makes a strong impression with his limited screen time. Also, as a side note, I find it amusing that he was also in Captain Marvel, since when Shazam originally published he went by the name Captain Marvel.
Overall, Shazam is a lighthearted and fun addition to the Superhero genre. It's refreshing to see a DC Superhero film that is bright, colorful and not taking itself so seriously. This reminds me of the joys of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, especially the first two. It's not perfect but the imperfections, mainly the climax drags on too long, are mere nitpicks in a film that was just a pure joy to watch from beginning to end leaving me with a big dopey grin at the end.
