‘Shazam!’ Is A Surprisingly Realistic Portrayal Of Giving A Teen Superpowers
Starring Zachary Levi, Michelle Borth, Djimon Hounsou, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, Asher Angel, Meagan Good, Adam Brody, Ross Butler
Rated PG-13
Action, Comedy
Run time: 2 hrs, 12 min
Directed by David F. Sandberg
In theaters April 5, 2019
Going into Shazam!, I was not having high expectations. The last movie that DC tried to go lighter with (Aquaman), I hated it. Granted, that wasn’t a majority opinion, but I was still slightly wary of how Zachary Levi playing a grown man who was actually a teenager was going to go. Turns out, the joke is entirely on me. This is officially my favorite DC film since Wonder Woman. The more I think about it, the more impressed I am with how Levi portrayed Billy/Shazam and how well his performance synced up with his younger counterpart.
The story of Shazam is definitely not one I had heard of, but I’ll confess I don’t know very much about the comic book world, especially if it has nothing to do with the X-Men. In the tale of 14-year-old Billy Batson, he encounters a wizard who passes on his powers, immediately making the teen become his ‘best self,’ which includes aging up (he’s at least in his 20s - maybe even 30!) and getting some muscles, not to mention super powers. There’s even a power-hungry villain (Mark Strong, who at this point I would probably never believe playing a good guy) who is determined to go after Shazam’s powers for himself after having a rough encounter with the wizard himself when he was a kid. However, while the powers may be cool and all, Billy still has to deal with some of his own issues: like where his mom is, how to find a ‘home’ in his foster group house and just what it means to be a hero.
Oddly enough, the best thing about this movie involving superheroes, magic and wizards is how realistic it is. It’s one of the best origin stories in the way it portrays just how a teen boy would react to being gifted immeasurable power. He’d screw up. He’d struggle to figure out how to use his powers. His best friend would film his attempts at learning said powers, post them on the internet and make him a viral sensation. He would waver on whether to try to show off (maybe making some money while doing so) or to save the world. He would wonder how to save the world. And honestly, Levi shows all of that off pretty impressively.
Like most DC movies, however, I would say the run time on this is a bit too long. Cutting off 20-25 minutes would probably bump it up to a 4.5 for me. Another thing that loses a little bit for me is that I just didn’t care about the villain and his motivations at all. It was a bit eye roll-inducing to me, but maybe that’s just how it is in comic book movies. One wrong encounter when you’re a kid can ruin your life, turn you into an evil mastermind and make you covet everything you’ve ever been denied. Who knows? Either way, I will grant Shazam! one final pro: its ‘final battle’ scene is not quite like every one we’ve gotten used to, and any time those can be made a little more unique is a win in my book, and will make me root for that hero even more.