SHAZAM! (2019) MOVIE REVIEW
Superhero fatigue has been spreading just as fast as the beginning of said genre. With Marvel and DC wanting to pump out box office success after success, it's fair to say that there haven't been a few slip ups along the way primarily on DC Comics part. Attempts at popularising obscure characters with Suicide Squad has proven difficult for DC where Marvel has seemed to over-deliver in that regard with Guardians of the Galaxy and their upcoming, guaranteed financial success, Avengers: Endgame. A lot of this continued failure by DC has been due to their black and depressing tone apparent throughout most films. Which brings us to Shazam, the companies' attempt at doing a light- hearted and fun superhero feature, and does it pay off. Short answer? Yes.
Shazam follows 14 year-old Billy Batson (Asher Angel) as he continues his search for his long lost mother. His search is put on pause however when he is assigned to a foster family where he soon befriends family member Freddy Freeman (Jack Grazer). Not only does Billy have to adjust to his new school and home but is chosen by a wizard to be entrusted with the power of gods and bare the name Shazam, a gift that gives him the ability to transform into a more powerful and older version of himself (Zachary Levi) by saying the word 'Shazam!'. But he is not the only one that holds the gift. Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) releases his life goal to take said power by force as he was denied the wizard's gift when he was young. Now with Sivana also wielding the wizard's power, Billy Batson must learn how to be a superhero and put an end to Sivana before he ends Billy.
One of the reasons this movie was a joy to sit through was exactly that. Shazam excels in making the audience actually enjoy a superhero film and reminds us why heroes are dubbed super. Zachary Levi provides the perfect template for Shazam and displays the charisma, charm and passion a 14-year old would have if he were to become like their heroes. Throughout the long run time of 132 mins, Batson's alter ego steals the screen and when he is in this ulterior persona it is easily the best parts of the movie. That's not to say that the rest is bad however as Asher Angel does a good job in his lost child role by providing sympathising and touching moments especially towards the film's drawn out climax. Which brings me to the film's biggest downfall, the time. While I would have loved for this film to go over 2 hours, the reality is that the much of the time early on is spent on backstory for Thaddeus and Billy. Execution wise these backstories were fine but unfortunately were brought down by their ludicrous lengths and could have been compressed into 20-30 mins tops.
Overall Shazam does what I have wanted from a superhero movie for a while, the feeling of what it means to be a superhero. Blending both comedy and action seamlessly, DC's newest gamble has more than payed off in my eyes and is a clear stand out in their cinematic universe. Zachary Levi, while initially doubted for his choice as Billy Batson, pulls off both the child and crusader sides impeccably and could be a major reason for DC's possible futures successes if they play their cards right. Here's just hoping they haven't used all their aces quite yet.
OVERALL
8 / 10
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