Shazam - Movie Review

I wasn't sure what to expect with the new Shazam movie. It was nostalgic. The trailers brought me back to Saturday mornings a few decades back. But it also looked like it had potential to be really bad. The trailers looked just a little bit campy. Campy can be fun, but it can also mean certain disaster. Shazam threaded the needle deftly, delivering campy fun without seeming ridiculous.

Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is not your typical teenage kid. Billy became separated from his mother as a child, leading him to a revolving door childhood in various foster homes. To be fair, it is normally Billy who runs away. He is obsessed with finding his birth mother. His latest escapades lands him at a group home. His roommate Freddy (Jack Dylan Glazer) is a superhero fanatic. He even owns a bullet that Superman stopped with his body. Billy tolerates Freddy, but doesn't plan to stick around long. However, fate has different plans. Billy is summoned by an ancient protector, whose powers are transferred to the anxious teen. The powers transform the gangly teen into the powerful Shazam! (Zachary Levi). Billy takes his newfound powers for granted, mugging for cameras for money. He matures into his gifts when his new family is threatened by arch-villain Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong). With a little help from family, Billy can learn to master his gifts and defeat the evil doctor and his seven deadly sins.

Henry Gayden doesn't have a lot of work under his belt. At least, nothing I have heard of. But his screenplay was engaging. He managed to engage in some campy fun, pay homage to the source material and create engaging characters that were worthy of the time I invested. I enjoyed this story. It was campy, it was fun and it delivered enough substance to make a sequel seem fathomable. I liked the dialogue and never felt manipulated. The story also had a nice flow. It was a bit cliche at times, but I was engaged.

Zachary Levi has done plenty of television, but hasn't done a lot of film. I don't really recognize him, in spite of the fact he has been around the industry for two decades. This film was a great opportunity for him to break out. I hope he does. He managed to deliver a believable fourteen-year-old character with some tongue-in-cheek fun. His delivery was spot on. I enjoyed Angel in the lead role and thought Grazer played a good supporting role. This film was well cast. I think the combination of writing and casting helped sell this story. While I watched the old series, I don't think it ever really struck me as being exceptional. This movie was better than I expected. The casting and writing helped elevate it.

Shazam is a teenager. He is a comic superhero who is essentially just a teen, with the typical teen angst. The concept is one that should appeal to teen fans, so the PG-13 rating was probably essential to the success of this film. The rating is based on crude humor, intense action, scary creatures, language and suggestive themes. I didn't find it overtly objectionable. I would not limit this film by age. The run time comes in at a healthy two hours, twelve minutes. It didn't feel that long. The film had great pacing that kept it moving along at a good clip.

Shazam was a bit silly, but it was fun. I felt that Director David Sandberg took the time to make a film that mattered. The story does not take itself too seriously, poking a bit of fun at itself, yet delivered a decent plot. It is the typical graphic novel fare. Good vs. evil. Good triumphs over evil. An inkling that evil still lurks for the inevitable sequel. But it was a fun story with enjoyable dialogue and characters that mattered enough to invest in. I will probably go see the sequel if DC decides to make one. I have a feeling that will be a "yes." This film appears to be doing well at the box office. 7.5/10.

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