Shazam! Review

               Hey y’all. Let’s talk about the best superhero movie since Captain Marvel: The OG Captain Marvel. I’m sure you know by now what’s up with that, but if you don’t, check out this excellent writeup from Micah Peters. I’m going to be trying a straight up essay-style review for this one instead of the impactful moments list of Captain Marvel. Just to see how I feel about the two. Let’s begin!

Spoilers Ahead

               Shazam! is an excellent film. This is the first of David F. Sandberg’s work I have seen, and it is excellent. By going a bit outside of his wheelhouse, Sandberg has created a fun throwback to mid-80s coming of age films like E.T., The Goonies, and Stand By Me. That is very much both the general tone created here as well as the gist of the story told here. Yes, if the good guys fail, the seven deadly sins take over the world or end it or something, but that really isn’t important. The important part is Billy learning that he doesn’t have to be alone and that he has found a family. And this is manifested in the perfect way: When all hope is lost, Billy remembers the explanation the wizard Shazam gave him for being a worthy champion of magic. Because Billy’s greatest power is his family and he shares his power with them. That was such a cool scene that matched the themes so well.

               The post-battle scene where the family sits down for dinner and Billy leads them in their predinner ritual follows that up and had me really deep in my emotions. Especially the part where Billy refers to the house as home. That scene was setup spectacularly earlier in the film when Billy’s new foster parents Rosa and Victor, believing Billy had run away, commiserated about it. Rosa especially is hurt before Victor reminds her that they were foster kids and they ran away plenty of times, and that they can’t make their home Billy’s home unless he wants it to be. All while Billy-as-Zach Levi is sneaking upstairs behind them. This moment, aside from clearly stating the main theme, is really good at establishing these characters and what they stand for. It is honestly astounding how economically the dialogue here explains everything you need to know about them, especially when they have severely limited screen time. Victor and Rosa were foster kids, that’s how they met, that’s why they are foster parents. That’s more characterization than the other family members, Freddie aside, get in the film.

               And boy do I have issues with the characterization of the kids. Mary is kind of generic and bland, but inoffensive. Eugene is a one note really smart kid. He’s their hacker. Because they have one of those. Darla is a sweet kid that talks a lot and just wants to feel like she is a good sister. I love her even though she isn’t much of a character. And Billy and Freddie take advantage of her insecurity of being a good sister and the film plays it for laughs. That is a terrible thing to do and while I don’t believe end of movie Freddie and Billy would do it, I don’t like the way it is framed in the moment. It’s kind of slimy. But let’s move on to the last kid: Pedro. Pedro is such a nothing character that I had to look up his name before writing the previous sentence. There just isn’t anything there. At least Mary has school problems and Eugene is a hacker.

               Mark Strong as Thaddeus Sivana doesn’t fair well either. Strong is an excellent actor and does his best with what little he has to work with. He is definitely menacing and angry, but not much more. He does star in one of the best scenes in the film though. Sivana confronts his father during a board meeting and allows the Seven Deadly Sins to kill them all. It sets up Sivana and the Sins as credible threats and allows Sandberg to stretch his horror muscles. It is sufficiently frightening.

               But let’s move onto the main course: Our stars. Billy Batson is a really likable and understandable character. The film makes it very easy to sympathize with him, even early on when he is being a jerk. Asher Angel is really good in this role and makes the most of his time on screen. This goes triply so for the scene where he finds his mother and talk. The look on Billy’s face when he realizes his mother didn’t want him just breaks your heart. Billy finally understands that family doesn’t have to be blood. It’s fantastic filmmaking.  Zachary Levi is similarly fantastic as Captain Sparklefingers (Side note: The superhero alter ego is never officially named in the film; it’s a clever way to avoid the whole issue). I’ve been a fan of Levi since the Chuck days and was excited when he was cast for this role. He excels at the lighthearted wonder and comedy that is required of this film. Levi also strongly portrays Billy’s fear the first time he comes up against Sivana and the gravitas needed when hope seems lost. I assume the pair of actors spent a decent amount of time on set together because they seem to be completely in sync with who Bill Batson is at all stages of his journey.

               Jack Dylan Glazer as Freddie Freeman is the real star of this film though. Freddie is a huge superhero fanboy (Shout out to the prop department for all the Superman and Batman toys in this film) to the degree that he has a model batarang and an authenticated bullet that bounced off Superman. Naturally, Billy comes to Freddie for help trying to figure out the superhero thing. They bond throughout this film as Billy discovers himself and Freddie overcomes his jealousy of Billy. And Glazer nails everything thrown his way. He’s serious when he needs to, but always hopeful and believing that Billy can be a hero. Freddie also gets his own villains, two school bullies. While Captain Sparklefingers ultimately helps him deal with the two, Freddie must deal with bullies because he is disabled, and he does so with courage. Freddie never backs down from them even when he knows he’ll get beat. I think that is a valuable and underdiscussed aspect of this film.

               Overall, this is an excellent film. It struggles, as many superhero films do, with creating a well-rounded cast and a compelling villain. What it does have is a fantastic cast and charming leads. Shazam! also has heart. SO. MUCH. HEART. This is a story that will resonate with people of any age or demographic because we’ve all felt lost at some point. And you just have to find your place to call home.