We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s case, by shouting out one word – SHAZAM! – this streetwise fourteen-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult superhero Shazam.
“Shazam!” is DC’s third successful superhero movie in a row, beginning with 2017’s “Wonder Woman” and last year’s “Aquaman.” I say third because I am getting ahead of myself and predict it will do big business at the box office. At least I hope it will because it deserves to be seen. With so many uninspired superhero films filling the huge void of popular entertainment and fanboy demand and expectations, this movie actually delivers.
DC was on somewhat of a losing streak with their entries into the DC Universe, “Green Lantern,” “Man of Steel,” “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” “Suicide Squad,” and “Justice League,” pretty much all of them, excluding “Green Lantern,” made big business at the box office but they were all met with critical and fanboy disdain. It seemed DC was doomed to put out mediocre superhero movies but thank God for Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot, between them, their “Wonder Woman” was a huge critical and commercial success, racking up more than $800 million worldwide. Then James Wan’s “Aquaman” came along and made over $1 billion worldwide, finally putting DC squarely back in the superhero game and with “Shazam!,” I can see it making incredible numbers.
Billy Batson (Asher Angel) has been moving from foster home to foster home ever since his mother abandoned him when he was a child. When he is given the opportunity to move in with Victor and Rosa Vasquez (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans), who own a foster home, he reluctantly agrees and makes friends and shares a room with Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), a paraplegic. Along with four other foster kids, Billy attends school and one day, after saving Freddy from some bullies, they give chase but Billy manages to elude them, winding up on the subway and escaping their clutches.
As the train leaves the station, everyone on board disappears and the train comes to a sudden stop. When the doors open, Billy finds himself in an old throne room, surrounded by statues of demons which represent the seven deadly sins. In the middle of the throne is an old man with a long grey beard who calls himself The Wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou). He explains to Billy that for thousands of years, he has fought the armies of evil but has grown too old and needs to transfer his powers to someone younger and deserving of them. He asks Billy to hold his staff and say the name Shazam!, which will then turn him into an adult superhero that will allow him to harness the power of the gods – Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury, hence the name “Shazam.” Initially, Billy laughs at the preposterousness of his predicament but when the old man shouts at him to do so, he screams out “Shazam!” and immediately, he is transformed into an adult version of himself but with his fourteen-year-old mindset still intact. The old wizard then slowly disintegrates.
Having been gone late into the evening, Victor and Rosa are worried sick about him but when he sneaks up to the kitchen window, startling Freddy, he asks him to come outside. Freddy manages to sneak away and meets Billy in the backyard where he convinces him of his real identity. Because Freddy is a superhero geek and knows all about their capabilities, between them, they figure out exactly what Billy’s potential is, including being bulletproof, fireproof, faster than light speed, and eventually, having the capability to fly. Whenever Billy wants to transfer back to his teen self, he just has to say Shazam!.
As he becomes more advanced with his new powers, he comes face to face with Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong), a man who was once given the opportunity as a child by the old wizard to become Shazam but failed miserably. Harboring a grudge all these years, he is determined to find Shazam and take from him all the powers he believes rightfully belonged to him as a child. With the ability to manifest the seven deadly sins into monstrous, diabolical demons, once Sivana uncovers Billy’s alter-ego, he sets out to destroy him and his new family but Billy has other plans!
“Shazam!” never once panders to its audience, infusing its 132-minute runtime with an assortment of jokes and visual gags that thankfully, never turn into adolescent, eye-rolling shenanigans. The constant barrage of comic drama that imbues the film is a nice change of pace from DC’s quintessential “seriousness” that plagued all of its earlier movies but which began to lift with “Wonder Woman” and more so with “Aquaman.” Zachary Levi is absolutely perfect as the childlike superhero who struggles between doing the right thing, and that which is fun. Put yourself back into your fourteen-year-old self and imagine having incredible superpowers, including the ability to fly and you just might get a sense of Billy’s predicament. Jack Dylan Grazer who plays Billy’s best friend and foster brother Freddy, is more than a match for Mr. Levi and is Billy’s conscience when he is distracted by his own powers. Mr. Grazer was one of the standouts in Andy Muschietti’s effectively creepy “IT” and here manages to hold his own against Mr. Levi and Mr. Strong, proving to be one of the film’s highlights. “Shazam!” has the perfect blend of comedy and drama and for a superhero movie, that is quite a feat. The action setpieces are impressive and the story reminds us of the importance of family and friendship, a lesson Billy finally learns in the end.
Now available on Digital HD and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD July 16
