Shazam is a blast! It was fun and had tons of heart. There are moments where Sandberg’s horror elements really shine through, but at its core this film is about family and a kid becoming a superhero and it showcased both perfectly
The cast really shined in this film with Freddy taking the reigns. Freddy is us, he is the DCEU fan. This added a nice angle to his perspective on Billy’s powers that was fun and interesting. This film unlike previous films is rooted more into comedy but that isn’t a bad thing. This is about a kid becoming a superhero in a world of superheroes and that in and of itself is fun. But unlike the last to MCU films, Shazam does a perfect job balancing the humor and the heart. The jokes are natural and well timed and actually funny and not borderline cringe like recent MCU films. When the film needed to be serious and sincere it did so and didn’t unnecessarily throw in any tension breakers which was a relief to see. The heart and family aspect is prevalent throughout the film and it was shown perfectly through Billy’s foster family and certain other important plot points in the film. Though the cgi wasn’t as strong as let’s say Aquaman that is attributed to the lower budget and all in all wasn’t a big issue. If anything they did a great job with the resources they had.
For the longtime DCEU fan there are some awesome moments and great Easter eggs. As a huge fan of Snyder’s Batman there was one scene that was particularly awesome for me and was a great callback to Batman v Superman. Aside from that, the film overall had good structure and pacing. It could’ve been extended a little bit in run time to add even more character moments between the shazam family, though I am pleasantly satisfied with what we got. Zachary Levi did an amazing job as Shazam. Almost having you convinced that he’s actually a kid. The synergy between him and young Billy and the dichotomy of their personalities was handled well. Doctor Sivana as a villain didn’t reach the mark of previous villains in the DCEU but still was enjoyable to watch, especially with the various horror elements incorporated throughout. and the Wizard Shazam were great as well.
Overall there aren’t many problems with the film. Cgi was a little weak here and there but not too big of an issue and was understandable given the budgetary limits. Shazam is a good film and these characters are a welcome addition to heroes of DC’s live action films.
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