“He’s Not So Serious.”
Directed by David F. Sandberg
Starring Asher Angel, Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Granger, Djimon Hounsou, Grace Fulton, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Faithe Herman, Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans
In 1974, a young boy is brought to the Rock of Eternity by a wizard (Hounsou) and offered the chance to become a champion of justice, but is then rejected when he is tempted by the power of the Seven Deadly Sins, demonic ‘enemies of humanity’.
Some years later, a young boy named Billy Batson loses his mother at a fair and enters the foster care system.
In the modern day, Billy (Angel) is a troubled youth, searching for his mother. Arrested for breaking into a police system to try to find her, he is placed with Rosa (Milans) and Victor (Andrews) Vasquez, alongside fellow foster children Mary (Fulton), Eugene (Chen), Pedro (Armand), Darla (Herman) and Freddy (Grazer). After he intervenes to protect Freddy from the regulation school bullies and Sivana (Strong) manages to ‘hack’ the Rock of Eternity and seize the magical eye which gives him the power of the Sins, Shazam summons Billy and passes his powers on to him.
With help from superhero nerd Freddy, Billy learns to use his powers for personal gain, espousing a philosophy of absolute self-interest. A confrontation with the now super-powered Sivana, however, leads to an escalation which brings all of Billy’s foster family into danger, and forces him to make choices about what really matters.
What’s wrong with it?
I’m sorry, but he’ll always be Captain Marvel to me.
There’s something about that suit that is just a little too… padded? Colourful? I know I’ve complained about the greyness of other DCEU efforts, but superhero costume adaptation is a delicate matter, and this one is perhaps a little too faithful to the source.
I know the modern Billy Batson is a bit rougher around the edges that the old one – the one Superman thinks is a bit of a boy scout – but he does also seem to have been a little short-changed on the Wisdom of Solomon.
The denouement is a little predictable, or maybe that’s just if you know the comics a bit.
What’s right with it?
For once, this is a film that really benefits from its ad campaign, because from the trailers made it look terrible. This was because the early trailers focused hard on the goofy ‘learning the powers’ scenes, whereas they are actually just a part of a more varied film.
Billy and Freddy actually have an interesting arc, as they learn to be less self-serving both together and from each other.
I will never not be here for a Mark Strong villain.
Levi isn’t really asked to move much out of his comfort zone, but Angel and Granger turn in fine performances, with young Billy’s eventual encounter with his mother completely heartbreaking for all sorts of reasons.
How bad is it really?
I’ll be honest, I was not on board for this from the trailers, but the movie itself was a very pleasant surprise. While he isn’t pushed at all, Levi transitions well from goofball to serious (it is kind of his bit) and a very strong cohort of child actors give some needed emotional heft to the film.
Best bit?
Billy’s confrontation with the mother who never looked for him is a brilliant emotional punch. It’s surprisingly rare to see such a flawed maternal figure – although crappy fathers are ten a penny – and it builds to a powerful moment where Billy has to choose between his mother and his foster family.
What’s up with…?
- The Wisdom of Solomon? It’s part of the traditional power set for Captain Marvel/Shazam, and the wizard references it specifically, but I’m not sure how that squares with accidentally blasting a bus with lightning.
Ratings
- Production Values: The DCEU goes all in once more. While it lacks the all-pervading CGI of Aquaman, what there is integrates well with the live action material and there’s a minimum of rag-dolling. 8
- Dialogue and Performances: Levi is pretty good, and Strong is always worth the price of admission, but it’s a surprisingly good youth ensemble that really lifts a workmanlike script. 8
- Plot and execution: Shazam! struggles a little with the fact that it is, with the best will in the world, an origin story, with all the usual beats. It manages a bit of a twist at the end, however -predictable, but still unusual – and its generally upbeat and wondrous tone is a breath of fresh air. 9
- Randomness: The Rock of Eternity kind of unexpectedly connects to the weird, cosmic level of the DCU, but otherwise Shazam! plays it pretty tight. 3
- Waste of Potential: Man, I will say it again, nothing in this world is better for a movie’s reception than expecting it to be bollocks. I still missed the boy scout, although that’s mostly a shift in the more recent comics. 3
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