‘Shazam!’ answers the question if ‘Big’ was a superhero movie
By Jack Murphy// A&E Editor
The DCEU or whatever is left of it returns with “Shazam!” “Shazam!” is directed by David F. Sandberg and stars Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, Grace Fulton, Faithe Herman, Djimon Hounsou, Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans. The film tells the story of Billy Batson (Angel), a fifteen-year-old boy who has lost his mother and is moving from foster home to foster home. One day Billy is given superpowers by a wizard (Hounsou) turning Billy into a superhero like Superman (Levi), and has to learn how to use his powers and grow up. I’m a huge fan of Sandberg’s work because of his past work in the horror genre, whether it’s his debut short “Lights Out,” which you should check out on Youtube, or “Annabelle Creation” in 2017, which wasn’t bad at all and is easily the best of the “Conjuring” universe spinoff films. Needless to say, I was incredibly interested in what he was going to do. Plus, the trailers made this look like the superhero version of the Tom Hanks classic “Big.” I’m happy to say it’s exactly like that. “Shazam!” is great.
The best thing about “Shazam!” is without a doubt Zachary Levi and Jack Dylan Grazer. Levi not only has to play a 15-year-old kid in the body of a superhero in his thirties while making it believable. His charisma, charm and comedic timing are fantastic. Dylan Grazer, if you’re unaware, played Eddie in “It” and was one of the best parts of that film. He plays the disabled foster roommate that knows everything there is to know about superheroes. When Billy acquires the powers of Shazam, the scenes that Grazer and Levi have together trying to figure out his powers are absolutely hilarious.
The time it takes for Billy to learn how to deal with his powers and how to actually be responsible is realistic and understandable. Any 15-year-old kid wouldn’t try to save the day immediately after getting his powers, he would rather use it to earn some money, become a viral sensation or try to pick up girls like Billy.
The fact that Billy’s character evolves over time while learning how to control his powers is where “Captain Marvel” falls short. I implore anyone to watch “Shazam!” and you’ll see exactly what “Captain Marvel” was missing.
Angel also does a great job with his scenes, in which most of them are about him learning how to be a part of a family. There are moments that actually got me emotional while watching Billy and his foster family, which was the last thing I expected from “Shazam!” Fulton, Herman, Andrews, and Milans are some of the other notable members of Billy’s new family, and they really are the heart and soul of this film. Faithe Herman plays Billy’s foster little sister Darla, and she’s really good for a child actress. She is incredibly sweet and tries her hardest, which shows.
My biggest complaint with “Shazam!” has to do with the villains of the film played by Mark Strong and a bunch of CGI demons. The demons are supposed to represent the seven deadly sins, and they really are just incredibly generic superhero villains. Mark Strong plays the main villain that harnesses the power of these monsters, and while he does have a backstory, he’s very average, but it doesn’t negatively affect the film. He works well when he’s on screen with Shazam because the two characters are polar opposites. It’s like the Batman and Joker or the “Guardians of the Galaxy” versus “Ronan the Accuser,” except not as good as either of the two.
Overall, I loved “Shazam!” way more than I expected to, and it is an original addition to the massive collection of superhero films. Everyone in the family would love this film, and I wholeheartedly recommend going to see “Shazam!” while it’s in theaters so more movies like this are made. So far it’s my favorite superhero film of the year, although “Avengers: Endgame” comes out in two weeks, so that might overtake “Shazam!” Regardless of that fact, go see “Shazam!” I give the film an “A.”
Jack Dylan Grazer and Zachary Levi star in DC’s latest superhero blockbuster “Shazam!” Photo by Forbes.com