The DCEU knocks it out of the park with their latest movie “Shazam!” delivering a hilariously fun and thrilling story about a boy who can turn into an adult with awesome power.
Shazam Poster
Billy Batson (Asher Angel), a young teen floating through the foster care system, has lived his life with one goal in mind, finding his real mother. Billy has run away from countless homes and has run into a lot of mischief in his search, and his most recent attempt leaves him caught by the police and put into the hands of a new family.
Rosa and Victor Vasquez, a happily married couple who have been in the foster care system themselves, take Billy to a home of five other foster children. There he meets Freddy, an eccentric kid with an obsession of the superheroes of this universe. One fateful day, Billy is transported to the world of the wizard where, after speaking his name, is granted the power of SHAZAM. He is then transformed to a form of his maximum potential with the wisdom of Solomon, strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and speed of Mercury. With these new found powers, he enlists the help of his new foster brother, Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), to help him develop his powers.
Shazam! diverges greatly from past DCEU movies. It’s lighthearted, funny, and doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is what makes it stand out as such an enjoyable movie. From the montage of Billy and Freddy trying to discover all of Shazam’s powers to skipping school and power busking on the streets, the movie follows what a mischievous teenager would do if he got superpowers. Zachary Levi (Shazam) does a great job tapping into a wonderstruck and quippy teenage boy,
Shazam (Zachary Levi) and Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) enjoying some cool beverages after saving a convenience store from robbers.
Photo Credit: Forbes
and his chemistry between him and Jack Dylan Grazer’s Freddy is hilarious. Billy isn’t a righteous boy scout like Superman, a hardened assassin like Batman, or even an estranged heir to a forgotten empire like Aquaman, he’s just, for all intents and purposes, a normal kid. That juxtaposition between a kid with no sense of responsibility and the superpowers and mantle of one of the greatest protectors of the universe not only makes for hilarious hijinks but also some interesting character development.
At the other side of the coin is the villain of the movie, Doctor Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong). His whole life he was abused and tormented by his father and older brother because he wouldn’t grow up. As a child, Sivana was also brought to the world of the wizard and was tested to see if he was worthy to wield the power of Shazam, however, after being tempted by the Seven Deadly Sins, he was returned to Earth. His failure of the test caused an outburst that led to a car crash that left his father paralyzed below the waist. Of course, he and his so-called delusions of a wizard and powers were to blame and led to even more abuse. From that day onward, he made it his life’s mission to go back to the wizard and obtain power. When he finally does make it back, he rejects the wizard and instead sides with the seven deadly sins that originally tempted him. From that, he gained the power of
Shazam (Zachary Levi) v. Doctor Sivana (Mark Strong)
Photo Credit: IMDb
the sins, power that matches that of Shazam’s, and started his evil quest to get revenge on his family and defeat Shazam. One scene, in particular, that was especially cool was when Doctor Sivana confronts his father and brother in the office board room. The director, David Sandberg, has a history directing horror films, and he really put that on display in this scene. It was very chilling and horrifying, something we don’t really see in a PG-13 superhero movie, but it did a great job showcasing the power and brutality of the Seven Deadly Sins.
At the core of this movie is a story about family and finding a place where you belong. Billy, a kid who constantly grasped at straws trying to find his mother, deluded himself into thinking that the only place he could ever belong was with his mother. But, throughout the movie, Billy grows as he and Freddy develop a real brotherly connection and has some really touching moments between the other foster kids. All of them, including the parents, were all lost within the system at one point or another, and yet they found belonging within each other. On the other side, Doctor Sivana’s childhood shows what a family shouldn’t be; a family that is abusive and tormenting, one filled with hatred rather than love.
Overall, Shazam! is a hilarious movie that’s fun for the whole family. The DCEU is really starting to pick things up with their movies and Shazam! is certainly a showcase of that improvement!
Shazam! hits theaters on April 5th. Check out a trailer for the film below:
April 5th, 2019.
