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[highlight]PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS FOR A MOVIE THAT HAS NOT HAD A WIDE RELEASE YET. WHILE WE CONSIDER THIS REVIEW SPOILER FREE, SOME MAY CONSIDER ANYTHING SEEN IN THIS POST POTENTIAL SPOILERS FOR THE FILM. PLEASE DO NOT PROCEED UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN THE FILM OR YOU DO NOT MIND MINOR PLOT POINTS.[/highlight]
This past weekend, we had the opportunity to see Warner Brother’s latest DCEU installment, Shazam! 2 weeks in advance (scheduled release date: April 5th). Thanks to Fandango, hundreds of DC fans were able to experience not just a new superhero film, but a new take on the superhero origin story. Having been a major DC Comics nerd for over a decade, it is safe to say that Shazam! successfully delivers a fun and geeky time for audiences. For those unfamiliar with Shazam as a comic book hero or film, here’s the rundown:
Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is a foster child in Philadelphia that moves from home to home, constantly rebelling and running off. When given a new home with genuine foster parents and 5 foster siblings, he is introduced to his new roommate foster brother, Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) that has a soft spot for him. After defending his new siblings from school bullies, the bullies chase Billy down to the subway station, where is suddenly transported to a dark lair known as The Rock of Eternity. It is here Billy meets an Ancient Egyptian Wizard named Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) who bestows upon Billy the powers of the gods and gives him his new hero name, Shazam. Due to being a young rebellious teenager, Billy’s uses his powers selfishly until he faces off against his first super villain known as Doctor Sivana (Mark Strong), an enemy of the original Shazam Wizard.
An Unlikely Hero in an Unlikely Origin Story
By this point in 2019, comic book fans and audiences know how the superhero origin story traditionally plays out. Someone is blessed or born with god-like powers to use for the good of humanity and to take down the super-villain Similar to 20th Century Fox’s Deadpool (2016), it turns away from the traditional route and goes towards something new. Though given the new powers, Billy is anything but humble and has to learn along the way on how to truly use his godlike given abilities. At first, he messes around with Freddy in testing his new powers, but eventually has to learn how to truly use them for others. Especially for younger audiences, there is much in common with Billy and Freddy, where one may feel invisible to society and to a family. On that same scale, the story successfully demonstrates that family is not primarily in blood, but in the people that genuinely love and care about you. Through Freddy and the rest of the foster family, Billy is put in a vulnerable spot to truly understand what family love is, and that while life dealt him a bad hand, he himself has the power to change the course for the better of himself.
Similar to Billy, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana has a similar origin, where he was neglected as a child and dealt a bad hand in life. While given the same opportunity as Billy with the Egyptian Wizard, both have different responses in their confrontation that shapes the rest of their lives. Though these decisions set the course, they still have their own choices on how to respond. The parallels between the two are unique, both in their pasts and in their reason to fight the other. Mark Strong is a fan favorite actor that portrays villain roles significantly well. Though his portrayal of Dr. Sivana is not on the Thanos level, it was great to see him given a shot of redemption in another DC movie, after the flop of Green Lantern (2011). While his role was simple, it was not overdone or over-the-top, but just right for the tone of this film.
From Script to Screen: Comic Book Accuracy & Adaptation
As a comic book nerd, there is a curiosity to see the accuracy and changes made in film adaptions. While being a legalistic traditionalist is a waste of time, the foundations and backgrounds of characters in literature when adapted are heavily important.
One major difficulty with the film is that the Shazam’s origins play off the question “Can someone be pure and good?” In DC’s New 52 comic series, this theme plays heavily in Shazam’s story as he tells the Egyptian Wizard that his search is in vain for someone who is pure since that person doesn’t exist. The Wizard then searches for the good in Billy and sees it, thus giving him his powers. In the film, it appears the Wizard gives him his powers more out of desperation than actually finding the good in him. Even with his given situation, one would assume that in his position of power, he would continue to stick to his morals and try to find the good in anyone, even in Billy.
Without any spoilers, a few comic book side characters show up to face Billy throughout the movie along with Dr. Sivana. Comic book wise, they had more character and personality in them, while in the film adaptation, they were there for the sake of the villain and plot. It did not take away highly from the film since there were more important areas to focus on, however, it was noticeable. That all being said, some other characters make their way into the story from that boosted the film’s enjoyment and excitement for audiences. Again, no spoilers, but it definitely was not expected at all. A bold move on the writer’s and studio’s part. “It is a fun movie throughout, so, why not?” was probably the question asked in the writer’s room.
Final Film ThoughtsÂ
Similar to the comics, the comedy and humor are developed and written well. What else could one do with the story of a 14-year boy in the body of a 30-year-old man, let alone one with godlike powers? It is nearly impossible to see this type of movie in the DCEU if it was but a few years ago during the Zach Snyder phase. Now that the tone has changed, Shazam! fights right in with the other DC origin films. While it was comedic, it was not over-the-top, but a brand new take on the coming of age story. Were their choppy and slow moments? Sure. Did it take away from the film as a whole? Absolutely not, and the pay off towards the end was definitely worth it.
Shazam’s entry into the DC Extended Universe has been a long await one since its first announcement in 2014. Around that point in the DCEU, there was already the rocky start with Man of Steel (2013) and the set up for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Four and a half years in the making, Shazam delivers a spectacular performance as a comic book movie, and as an enjoyable superhero origin film. While it was simple in story-telling as many origins are, they used that to their advantage as they went all hands on deck in adapting the comics. Zachary Levi and Asher Angel, welcome to the DC Extended Universe! Give it up for the original Captain Marvel!
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