If there’s one major complaint about many of the DC Extended Universe’s movies, it’s the fact that they’re not really as fun as their competitor, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even with some of their better-received films, the company has always struggled to find a proper balance between humorous and emotional moments, with early films like Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice being more somber experiences, while films like Suicide Squad and Justice League being jarring shifts from comedic to dark.
Their first big success, Wonder Woman, did a much better job at making its audience laugh though was a mostly serious film, and was viewed as fun more for its action than its humor. Aquaman also did an even better job than most of their other films of not taking itself too seriously, which largely made up for some storytelling issues and corny dialogue. DC seemed to solve one problem only for another to appear, though it seems like they finally found the right balance with their seventh entry into the DCEU, Shazam!
The film centers on a young foster child named Billy Batson (Asher Angel), who finds himself mysteriously transported to a magical temple called The Rock of Eternity, where he comes face to face with a wizard named Shazam (Djimon Hounsou). The wizard transfers his powers over to Billy before dying, causing Billy to become an adult superhero (Zachary Levi) upon saying the word, “Shazam!” With the help of his foster brother Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), Billy gets accustomed to his new powers and finds himself a social media sensation as Philadelphia’s new superhero, which gains the attention of Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong), who was once rejected by Shazam as a child and has been seeking his powers since.
What makes Shazam! stand out from many of its other films is the fact that it manages to maintain one consistent tone through just about most of the film. Even during the film’s more serious moments, it doesn’t totally shift gears and become a complete downer. The film stays on these heavier moments just enough to get its point across and then quickly moves on. Unlike many of their earlier films, there aren’t extended sequences dedicated to characters sitting around, brooding, and essentially begging for the audience’s sympathy.
The moments where the audience finds themselves connecting with the protagonists feel earned, and it’s in large part thanks to each of their strong personalities. Even though Billy is a troubled child, there’s still a positive energy about him, as he still has a personal goal, which is that of finding his birth mother. Freddy, too, has the same confident traits, cracking macabre jokes about his disability when he’s first introduced and knowing how to stand up for himself, even when he knows he’s clearly not winning a situation, such as against some bullies that consistently torment him.
The fact that the protagonists have some standout qualities makes up for the fact that their stories can tread into some familiar territory. Billy and Freddy follow many of the same footsteps as other troubled protagonists, and the dramatic beats of their arcs can feel a bit predictable. In fact, the story seems so familiar that the sequence of Billy running from some bullies only to find himself transported to the Rock of Eternity feels like a beat-by-beat recreation of another film released earlier this year, The Kid Who Would Be King, which followed a bullied child who’s deemed worthy enough to essentially be the next King Arthur.
Despite some familiar territory, the film doesn’t attempt to hone in too much on its story and instead focuses on just being a fun superhero movie. The movie is easily the funniest of the DCEU films, and probably the funniest adaptation altogether of a DC property. Characters are constantly cracking jokes and find themselves in humorous exchanges. While there will be plenty of moments where the film will stop what it’s doing for the sake of a joke, it’ll also be “in the moment” with its humor, with characters still maintaining their current emotional state while still getting in a solid one-liner that’s relevant to the situation at hand.
The film even has a sense of self-awareness to it, in two aspects. The first is the fact that many have commented ahead of time that it’s a superhero version of the Tom Hanks movie Big. The film took advantage of the comparison and managed to include a fun tribute to the previous film by briefly parodying one of its more iconic moments. The film also references DC’s over-reliance on both the Batman and Superman characters in most of their media. Since this is now well into the DCEU, both characters are already heavily established within the universe and there are multiple visual gags made that comment on the fact that DC doesn’t need either of the two characters to be successful. They can be “blink and you miss them” moments, but they are well-done if one can catch them.
The film also benefits immensely from its performances, which can often be overlooked in a blockbuster movie. Zachary Levi feels right at home with this film, as it plays to the strengths that he built during his often-forgotten TV series, Chuck, which also combined action with a lot of one-liners and visual gags. Levi captures the childlike naivety perfectly while not coming across as too forced, maintaining a great charisma and never once taking himself too seriously. Jack Dylan Grazer is arguably even better, getting in some of the film’s funnier moments and constantly feeling at ease when on screen. While he’s the source of many of the film’s jokes, one of the film’s most emotional moments involves him, with an exchange that elevates him as the film’s most developed and well-layered character.
Mark Strong, meanwhile, does a solid job as Dr. Sivana, with a convincing performance that’s given him the most to do in a movie in quite some time. Unfortunately, the only downside to Sivana is the fact that, like many other supervillains, he’s not exactly the most well-written. While the film begins to develop a solid arc for Sivana that involves his family and his obsession with Shazam’s power, it’s quickly tossed to the side and he’s mostly a generic villain through the remainder of the film. There’s an occasional reference made to his backstory here and there, but he essentially feels a bit one-note all too quickly, which undermines the talented actor’s performance.
Despite hitting some familiar notes, Shazam! is DC finally getting into their groove. The movie is pure fun, never taking itself too seriously, and maintaining a consistent, light-hearted tone, with only brief detours into moments containing emotional weight. It’s very funny, well-written, contains some great characters, and finally allows one of their lesser-known heroes to shine. Easily the best movie of the DCEU so far, DC needs more movies like Shazam!
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