Shazam!

While the tone is a little all over the place – ranging from juvenile humour to scenes which may be too scary for younger viewers – this is definitely a more light-hearted and accessibly film, that takes its central premise (a teenager discovers he can transform into an adult superhero) and runs with it.

Premise:  Cynical teenager Billy Batson is taken in by a new foster family, having run away countless times previously looking for his long-lost birth mother.  After sticking up for his disabled foster brother Freddie, Billy is chosen by the ancient wizard Shazam to inherit his magical powers and become a champion who is pure of heart (Zachary Levi), in order to defeat the demonic seven deadly sins and their human vessel, Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong).

Review:

Reading the premise above gives you an idea of the outlandish subject matter that this film has to cover – ancient wizards, magical powers, and demonic spirits are the most “out there” that the DCEU has gone so far (and that’s saying something given its previous heroes included aliens, demi-gods and fish-men).  But don’t get too bogged down with how (or even if) Shazam! fits into the wider DCEU, as for all intents and purposes, it’s a standalone film doing its own thing, and it probably benefits from that freedom.

So while it clearly exists in a version of the world where Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Aquaman are real, all that really means is that superhero geeks collect press cuttings and the toy stores are full of superhero merchandise, but otherwise the tone of Shazam! is unlike any of the previous DC movies.

“…doesn’t seem entirely sure what tone it wants to aim for…”

In some ways, this benefits Shazam!, as it means the film can find what works for it without having to worry about whether that tone also works for any other DC heroes.  But the flip side of that is that Shazam! doesn't seem entirely sure what tone it wants to aim for.  At times, the film can almost be an out-and-out comedy, focusing on the Big-style premise of having a teenage character experience the wish-fulfilment of suddenly having an adult body – only this time with added superpowers.  But then other scenes border on horror territory, with some fairly intense (if bloodless) moments that are likely to be way too scary for younger children drawn to the movie by the comedy-centric marketing.

Balanced against both of those competing tones is the innate cheesiness of the premise – the prosthetics and beard for Djimon Hounsou’s ancient wizard is about as convincing as a mall santa, and Shazam’s super-suit, with its inflated muscles and glowing lightning bolt, looks like a Halloween costume (and hides the fact that Zachary Levi got genuinely ripped for the role).  But maybe that’s the point – rather than try to modernise or ground the more fantastical elements, they’ve lent into them?  So the wizard intentionally looks like he’s from a children’s story, and Shazam looks like a child’s image of a superhero’s physique?

“…when it hits the right comedy notes, it is very funny…”

The changing tone is by no means a fatal flaw, but it is something to be aware of.  Shazam! effectively divides into three acts – the first is rather dark, with some moments reminding us that director David F. Sandberg was, until now, known for his horror films.  The second act is the funniest section of the film, once Zachary Levi takes centre stage and sets about testing his newfound abilities, before the third act becomes an action-packed (if slightly underwhelming) finale.  The end result is that older children might find the film light-hearted and funny overall (with the laughs taking the edges off the more horror-based elements), but younger children expecting something closer to the trailers may find the film too scary and intense in places.

When Shazam! hits the right comedy notes, it is very funny, and a couple of the jokes in particular really stood out.  But those expecting an out-and-out comedy should be prepared for the fact that there’s more to the film than cheap laughs – as well as the horror elements, there are some serious moments touching on parental neglect and emotional abuse, tying in to both the hero’s and the villain’s backstory.

“…there’s a disconnect between Billy-as-an-adult and Billy-as-a-teenager…”

Cast-wise, it is a slightly mixed bag.  Zachary Levi is great as the adult Billy/Shazam, capturing all of the Big-style humour perfectly, as well as the more serious moments later in the film.  But there does seem to be a disconnect between Billy-as-an-adult played by Zachary Levi, and Billy-as-a-teenager played by Asher Angel – both are good in their roles, but there’s no real sense that they are actually playing the same character.  You could argue that Angel plays the teenage Billy with his emotional armour constantly raised because hiding who he really is has become second nature, so that you only see the “real” Billy when he’s Levi’s adult character – but that doesn’t completely explain how Levi and Angel seem different even in private when they’re with their foster brother Freddie (an excellent Jack Dylan Grazer).  If you compare the dual performances of Levi and Angel in Shazam! against the dual performances from the cast of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, for example, there’s none of the echoes between the adult and teenage characters that that film had.

Meanwhile, Mark Strong chews the scenery as you might expect as the main villain, but despite having his backstory set out in the prologue, he still feels like a largely one-note villain, especially as he plays second-fiddle to a bunch of CGI monsters for much of the finale.  Perhaps the biggest surprise of the film was Billy’s new foster family, who strike just the right balance between earnestness and quirkiness, and who are characters you genuinely enjoy spending time with, rather than just feeling like filler (or worst, an annoyance).

“…Zachary Levi is great…”

Overall, Shazam! Is a lot of fun – but it’s not an unqualified success, nor is it exactly what the trailers might have led you to believe.  It is funny, but it’s not a comedy, and it has some edge to its emotional moments, as well as the more overtly horror elements.  Older children and teenagers may love the blend of chills, thrills and laughs, whereas more cynical adult viewers may find the shifting tone and other flaws a little distracting, and younger viewers might want to steer clear entirely given the intensity of some of the scarier moments.  There are also some odd choices that seem to evoke other (better) movies – the end credits, for example, play almost like a homage to Spider-Man: Homecoming’s.  But Zachary Levi is great, the final act has a handful of developments that I didn’t see coming, and there are some great gags too – so there’s more than enough to keep you entertained for a couple of hours, and I’ll be interested to see where they take the sequel now that all of the scene-setting has been taken care of.