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Shazam -- a review


When I finally saw Shazam, the latest superhero movie from the DC Comics Universe, I thought it was marginally good at first. It was interesting, and a little bit funny…cute, even. But as I kept watching Shazam, something really nice happened.

It got better.

And then from that point, just when Shazam was getting really, really good, something even more amazing had occurred.

Shazam had become fantastic.

I should mention that I have been a fan of the Big Red Cheese from a very long time ago, back when he was known as Captain Marvel and had a TV show alongside another superhero named Isis (this was back in the 1970s, before that name became thoroughly trashed by real-world connotations). You see, “Shazam” was the phrase that young Billy Batson used to turn into Captain Marvel, a super powered hero to comes to the aid of those in need.



But since Marvel Comics hijacked the Captain Marvel name for their own second stringer hero, the Shazam filmmakers, led by director David F. Sandberg (Lights Out), decided to turn this into a very funny running joke where Billy (well-played here by Asher Angel) struggles to figure out a proper superhero name for himself. Having been abandoned by his mother at a carnival, Billy has been raised in various foster homes over the years, until he lands at his present one, where he’s one of six kids living in a loving household.

Billy, still intent on finding his mother, gets rewarded the powers of Shazam by the old wizard (Djimon Hounsou) right after Billy protects his disabled foster brother Freddie (Jack Dylan Grazer, who’s great here) from a pair of bullies. Zachary Levi takes over as the adult, super heroic Billy, and he’s perfectly cast for this part. His red, gold, and white outfit is very well done, retaining the original design while adding some spiffy upgrades (I love how the lightning emblem on his chest now lights up).



But while Levi plays the adult Shazam, he’s still a fourteen year old boy at heart. The scenes of Freddie recording the adult Shazam while he discovers his powers with boyish glee are delightful to watch, and Levi really shines here. Another bit of perfect casting is Mark Strong as the villain, Dr. Sivana. The young Sivana was originally offered the powers of Shazam as a young boy, but was rejected by the wizard, and since then the adult Sivana has single-mindedly stalked the wizard and his hidden magical temple--gaining his own, dark-side powers in the process. The result is that when Sivana finally meets up with Shazam, their super powered confrontation is a joy to watch.

While Shazam has a much needed lighter tone, like Aquaman, it still threats its threats seriously (just like Aquaman did). Dr. Sivana comes with a crew of demons--all based on the seven deadly sins--who are some serious heavy hitters who don’t take prisoners. Fortunately, Shazam gets some help in a wonderful scene that should please life-long fans of the Big Red Cheese; it certainly brought a smile to my face when I saw it.

Unfortunately, while Shazam made money, it didn’t do the box office-busting numbers that Aquaman did, and because of this, there’s some doubt as to whether there might be a sequel. Having enjoyed the movie a great deal, I sincerely hope we see a sequel, maybe obe having Shazam finally fight his old adversary Black Adam (a part that Dwayne Johnson has been itching to play). Whatever the sequel's story line is, here's hoping Shazam returns soon. --SF



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