Film Review: Shazam! (2019)

Directed by: David F. Sandberg
Written by: Henry Gayden, Darren Lemke
Starring: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer
IMDb Link

Strike me with lightning if DC hasn't finally made a superhero movie in this era worthy of being called great.

14-year old troubled foster child Billy Batson (Angel) is looking for his birth mother, running from every home he's put in and getting himself in to a lot of trouble along the way. After being taken in by the last family who would, and a brief moment of heroism, he is called upon by an ancient wizard to take up super powers in the body of the ancient champion, Shazam (Levi, and basically Superman but with lightning powers). If that sounds goofy and dumb to you, that's only because it is, and the film revels in this without ever mocking it.

The film takes so much of that which is taken for granted in superhero stories today, the origin story, and imbues it with newfound enthusiasm. It tries its hardest to breeze through the clunky exposition as quickly as possible, and shifts right to the focus on the characters and their reactions to such an event. Billy's new foster brother Freddy is a superhero fanboy, and the two of them work together to figure out exactly what Billy can do, and exploit it in every way you would expect of a teenager that's given super powers and made to look like an adult; drinking beer, pulling pranks on bullies, uploading viral videos, etc. Everything is executed with the exact glee that's needed to make such a rote part of these sorts of stories fun and engaging; there's a real joy to watching this film because of how genuine the reactions of Freddy and Billy are to all that's happening, and the silliness of the mischief they get up to because they're just teens.

Part of this is in Levi's performance, of course, who imitates Angel's Batson seamlessly as Shazam, a constant excitement flowing through him that only adds to the pure happiness that this movie exudes, and it contrasts so well with the film's darker and grittier moments, of which there are a surprising amount. This film is definitely targeted at younger audiences, but it's not afraid to let things get scary when it needs to, while also throwing some hard-hitting emotional punches that I really wasn't sure the movie's gusto would allow it to pull off, but the film lands these moments largely because they flow with the film's narrative and contrast the emotions of superhero conflict with normal human conflict so strongly. Billy is just a kid who wants to find his mum, and even in the midst of superhero conflicts and familial conflicts, this thread is never lost, it feeds in to the other narratives, either explicitly or thematically, and as a result the film can reduce itself down to the quietest of sombre moments before finishing in one of the loudest and most smile-inducing ways possible, and all of it fits together.

That finish is perfect, by the way. I wouldn't dare to spoil it, but everything about the climax is so wonderful that I would need another review to go over it properly. It's not just great, it puts every other superhero finale of the last decade to shame.

The Short Version: Shazam! taps in to what superhero stories are about in a way that's delightfully goofy, heartwarming, and giddy with excitement. It's an outstanding example of how embracing a story meant for kids can make you feel like one again.

Rating: Go watch it right now/10

Published April 7th, 2019