Shazam! (2019)

Starring: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Djimon Hounsou, with smaller roles from Meagan Good and Adam Brody
Grade: B+

You remember 1988’s Big? Okay, now imagine that when the kid turns into the adult Tom Hanks, he also gets superpowers. This is essentially the idea of Shazam!

Summary

In Upstate New York in 1974, a young Thaddeus Sivana (Ethan Pugiotto) is traveling with his father (John Glover) and older brother Sid (Landon Doak). In the backseat, he’s playing with his “Magic 8 Ball” toy, but his father reminds him he said not to bring any toys to their grandfather, despite the fact that’s Christmas and all. Sid grabs the toy from Thaddeus, so he complains to his dad. However, his father tells Thaddeus that he can’t go crying to other people all the time and how “a man needs to know when to stand up for himself”. They continue to drive, and Sid makes fun of him and his toy, tossing it back to him. As their father laughs at what Sid said, Thaddeus notices the messages in the “Magic 8 Ball” toy turning into weird symbols. Then, he looks up to see Sid and his father suddenly missing from the moving car. This leaves Thaddeus by himself in the backseat. The glass frosts and the car transports itself to the Rock of Eternity, a special cave in another dimension. There, he runs into an ancient wizard named Shazam (Hounsou), the last of the Council of Wizards sworn to protect the realms from the Seven Deadly Sins. Sadly, he’s weakened with age and seeks a “champion” who will be his successor and inherit his magic abilities. With Shazam’s staff, Thaddeus could have it all. First, he needs to prove he has a pure heart and a strong spirit. Immediately, the Seven Deadly Sins, who are trapped in statues in the cave they’re in, try to influence Thaddeus to not believe in Shazam and to grab the Eye of Sin, a magical, sphere-like object. Shazam stops Thaddeus in his tracks when he tries to grab it, saying only the purest of hearts can resist the temptations from the Seven Deadly Sins. Because of this, he tells Thaddeus that he will never be worthy of his power.

Thaddeus is sent right back to the moment in the car with his father and Sid. Realizing what he missed out on, Thaddeus starts to freak out. He tries opening the door and exclaims he’s worthy. This results in Sid trying to fight him and his father being distracted and spinning out of control on the road. He’s able to stop the car safely, but he chastises Thaddeus right after. Immediately following this, they get nailed by a car and Thaddeus’s father is launched through the windshield. As Sid checks on him and blames Thaddeus for what happened, Thaddeus sees the “Magic 8 Ball” on the ground with the message “Find us” and an electric current coursing through it. Back at the Rock of Eternity, the statues talk shit to Shazam about how it’s only a matter of time before they take him out, so Shazam sends out a Seeking Spell to find one person who is worthy of taking over the mantle, no matter how long it takes.

In present-day Philadelphia, Billy Batson (Angel) is a delinquent 14-year-old orphan. He breaks into a pawn shop and calls the cops himself. When they show up, he tricks them into walking inside and locks the door from the outside on them. This buys him enough time to use the computer inside their car. He is trying to find the address of his supposed mother and is able to get enough information to check out yet another house. At the same time, the police call for backup, but Billy gets on the police radio and cancels the backup. In addition, he steals the one cop’s lunch. Waiting outside the house and trying to build up some courage to knock on the door, Billy gets a flashback to when he was a child. He was with his mother (Caroline Palmer) at the carnival. He wanted a stuffed tiger as a prize for the game his mother was playing, but she’s only able to win a compass. Even so, she says it’s the “real” prize because he can always find his way with it. When they walk together, he drops it in a crowd by accident. Upon recovering it, he can’t find his mother anywhere. It was the last time he saw her. Jumping out of the flashback, we see that Billy still has this compass. Finally, he decides to walk up to the house. Unfortunately, it’s not his mother. To make matters worse, the cops apprehend him right after. Back at the foster care place, the worker E.B. Grover tells Billy that the foster home he was at in Pittsburgh reported him missing two weeks prior. He asks if they’re sending him back, but she says “No” because they legitimately don’t want him back, a comment he laughs off. A serious Grover reminds Billy he’s run from foster homes in six different counties. Billy insists he doesn’t need them because he has a mom. Grover agrees with him, noting all of the similar stunts he has pulled before to try and find her. Apparently, he has searched through seventy-three Batson’s to find his mother.

This kind of crazy in itself because “Batson” isn’t that common of a name.

Anyway, Grover says he’s out of options, but he can’t be on his own until he’s 18, despite it being his preference. She also reminds him that his mother hasn’t seemed to search for him, which is a good point. Grover wants Billy to take a chance on this group home led by the incredibly sweet couple of Victor (Cooper Andrews) and Rosa Vásquez (Marta Milans), who were former foster kids as well. Victor and Rosa drive him back to the house and get him acclimated with his surroundings, as well as the other five foster kids who all have very different personalities. There is the tech-kid and gamer Eugene (Ian Chen), the innocent and loving Darla (Faithe Herman), the shy Pedro (Jovan Armand), and the older sister who’s about to enter college in Mary (Grace Fulton). As Billy is getting all of this thrown at him rather quickly, Mary is also in the middle of a college interview on the phone with Caltech and she’s given a question of what she’s most excited about. She asks Victor for help, and he tells her to bring up that she’s a foster kid because colleges eat that up. Well, he’s not wrong. After the smoke alarm goes off because they burned the tofu-based turkey, Rosa takes Billy up to his room to meet the last kid of the family and the one he is rooming with, Freddy Freeman (Grazer). Freddy has a bad leg, so he uses a crutch to walk everywhere. Despite his situation, he has a fun (and somewhat odd) sense of humor and messes with Billy a bit as they get to know each other. Billy sees a replica of Batman’s Batarang in the room, which Freddy tells him about because it turns out that he’s also a huge comic book/superhero fan. Next, he shows Billy a bullet he has that was shot at Superman himself. Apparently, it’s worth a lot of money. Privately, Billy throws his notebook with all of the names and addresses of women that could be his mother in the trash.

The next day, the kids go to school together. Darla tells Billy all about the place to the point where she gets a little annoying. She hugs Billy and wishes him good luck, but Billy is still standoffish and reminds her that they’re not actually brother and sister, so she doesn’t need to do that. She apologizes and walks over to Freddy in a saddened state, making Billy feel bad. Meanwhile, a now grown Thaddeus Sivana (Strong) is funding Dr. Lynn Crosby’s (Lotta Losten) research project to interview people that have experienced the same meeting with Shazam that he had when he was a kid. Crosby talks to one patient over a video chat, and she talks about similar events Thaddeus experienced, with Crosby passing it off as some sort of fictional mass hysteria thing many people went through. Thaddeus interrupts to have Crosby ask about the symbols the patient saw. The patient doesn’t recognize the symbols Crosby shows her, but she does say there were symbols on her alarm clock that she has on video. Thaddeus demands to see the women’s video of the event before she entered the Rock of Eternity, and he sees the symbols on her alarm clock. He storms out of the room, with Crosby going after him and expressing her anger over being interrupted. Thaddeus bypasses this and tells her there has been fifty-six abductions and he never saw “it”. He walks into his office and Crosby follows. Bringing out this wooden door into the center of the room, Thaddeus explains that after all these years, he thought he had the incorrect sequence or perhaps the wrong symbols to open the door to the Rock of Eternity. On the women’s alarm clock, he saw the seven symbols and how the sequence repeated itself seven times. As he writes the sequence seven times directly on the door, Crosby wonders if he’s joking around.

Thaddeus explains that they aren’t studying mass hysteria. All the information gathered from the people and what they saw is completely real.

Crosby still doesn’t believe it but when she touches the door, it activates and incinerates her. Thaddeus opens the door, and it allows him to enter the magical portal to the Rock of Eternity. Immediately upon seeing Shazam, Thaddeus reminds him who he is and admits he’s not pure of heart. He grabs the forbidden Eye of Sin. The Seven Deadly Sins announce that Shazam wasn’t able to find his champion, but they found theirs. The Eye of Sin releases the monsters from their statue prisons, they knock Shazam to the ground, and float directly into the Eye of Sin. Next, the ball jumps straight into the eye of Thaddeus, giving him all-encompassing superpowers. In a last-ditch effort, Shazam tells Thaddeus the Sins are using him as a means to escape. He tries to attack him with a blast from his staff, but Thaddeus stops it and harnesses it. Then, he takes out Shazam and tells him no soul is worthy and has the pure heart he seeks.

At school, Freddy tries to bond with Billy by asking him a hypothetical question on what superpower he would pick between flight and invisibility. Billy just lets him talk and tries to walk away. Finally, Freddy tells Billy he knows he’s going to run away and that he stole his Superman bullet. He knows Billy’s been screwed over too many times and tries to talk with him, but Billy denies stealing the bullet. After school, two asshole kids ride up on the curb, hit Freddy with their car, blame him for damaging the car, and attack him in front of his family and the rest of the school. Billy tries to walk away but is triggered once one of the bullies makes a comment about Freddy not having a mom. Billy attacks them but is overwhelmed until Eugene distracts them with a failed nun chuck stunt. This allows for Billy to run, so they go after him. Billy escapes by getting onto the subway just in time, though everyone disappears during the ride. The symbols show up on and the windows become frosted. The subway takes him straight to the Rock of Eternity! There, Shazam tells Billy about their history. The Rock of Eternity consisted of seven thrones of seven wizards. Long ago, they chose a champion but were very wrong about him, as he used his power for revenge. It released the Seven Deadly Sins, a group of demons, onto Earth. Millions of lives were lost and entire civilizations were erased from existence. This is why Shazam vowed to never pass on his magic until he found one truly good person. Billy insists he’s not a pure person. Despite this, Shazam tells him to lay his hands on his staff and to say his name to transfer his powers to him, as he’s the only hope they have. Billy is initially freaked out by Shazam’s offer. In his defense though, everything Shazam says sounds sexual. An agitated Shazam points out that his brothers and sisters from the Wizard Council were slain by the Sins and his magic must be passed on.

Finally, they both grasp the staff and Billy says “Shazam” after learning the wizard’s name. Powered by the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury, Billy Batson transforms into his full potential of adult superhero Shazam (Levi). The old Shazam hands him the staff and disintegrates in front of him.

Billy/Shazam reappears in the subway in his adult body and superhero costume and leaves in a panic. At home, Victor and Rosa make calls trying to figure out where Billy went, and the kids try to search online to see if they can find anything. As Pedro finds Billy’s notebook in the trash and examines it, Freddy does the dishes in private. Just then, Billy shows up outside the window and asks Freddy for help. Naturally, Freddy freaks out because Billy is in his new adult body, but he decides to hear him out after Billy mentions how he’s the only one who can help, referencing their conversation about superpowers from earlier in the day. After Freddy lies to Victor about being worried about Billy’s disappearance, he goes outside to talk with Billy. He threatens to call the authorities because he’s not sure if he’s a supervillain using telepathic abilities to trick Freddy into thinking he’s Billy. To prove himself, Billy pulls out the Superman bullet he did actually steal from Freddy’s room, though he accidentally drops it into the sewer when he shows him. Freddy believes him and asks to put his hand next to the lighting emblem on Billy’s costume. When he does, the electric current from it connects with Freddy. Right after, they start testing to see what superpowers Billy has. Following Freddy messing with Billy a bit, Billy shoots an electric blast inadvertently at a power line. They find out he has superspeed as well after he takes out a purse-snatcher. An annoyed woman, who took out the guy with pepper spray anyway, asks what his name is. Freddy calls him several different names but none of them really fit, confusing the woman. After Billy uses his super strength to throw the criminal across the park, the woman gives them $73 and books it.

Realizing how they can use this adult body to their advantage, Billy goes with Freddy to a convenience store to buy beer. While looking, two criminals run inside to try and rob the place. He goes up to them and is shot several times. Realizing he’s impenetrable as well, Billy takes them both out. As Victor calms Rosa about the whole Billy situation since she feels like they failed him, Billy sneaks into the house and goes upstairs with Freddy. However, Victor and Rosa hear their footsteps, so Freddy says Billy is back but is tired. They run into the bedroom and an awake Darla sees the Freddy with the adult Billy. She’s about to scream, but Billy quickly covers her mouth and tries to frantically explain himself. After mentioning how some old guy brought him to a temple and made him say “Shazam”, he turns back into his regular 14-year-old self and knocks out the power while doing so. Now, they realize he can switch back and forth just by saying the word. Right away, Freddy tells Darla she can’t say anything because a hero’s loved one’s are a perfect bad guy target. Admittedly, she’s not great at keeping secrets but agrees once Billy says good sisters are able to do this.

At Sivana Industries, Thaddeus goes into the board meeting to confront his father and his now adult brother Sid (Wayne Ward). Thaddeus talks about how his now paraplegic father blamed him for what happened in that car crash all those years back and never believed him when he talked about what he saw. Sid tries to get tough with him, so Thaddeus tosses him out the window, killing him without hesitation. To further his revenge tour, he releases the Sins into the room, and they kill everyone in the room, leaving just his father. His father screams for help, but Thaddeus tells him what his father said all those years back about how he can’t go crying for other people all the time. He asks his father what sin fits him the most. After his father offers him money and even the entire company, Thaddeus realizes it’s greed. He talks about how what he has now is real power, not the material stuff his father has. The Sins pipe in and say there is one who is more powerful. Another one mentions that the “wizard has found his champion”. Another tells Thaddeus to kill the champion before he realizes his true potential, or he will defeat him. After telling the Sins to show him where this champion is, he lets Greed take out his father. Now, just as Billy finds out how to be a superhero, he’s already on a collision course with a supervillain.

My Thoughts:

Zack Snyder’s DCEU has gotten a lot of flak for its intense approach compared to the more balanced superhero films coming out of Marvel’s camp during the same timeframe. It seemed like this darker take on the DC Universe was intentional to avoid comparisons with the MCU and to present these classic characters in a more realistic modern context. At times, this seemed to work against them. On the flip side, when DC was able to branch out a little bit, show some personality, and have some fun with their characters, while retaining necessary “serious” moments and action, they succeeded. We saw it with Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and now Shazam!, arguably three of the most well-rounded movies coming out of the DCEU. To give you an idea of what you’re walking into, if Man of Steel is like the early Thor films in style and presentation, the breath of fresh air that is Shazam! is Warner Bros.’s answer to Ant-Man. Though it contains darker elements and moments in it, this comic book adventure is much more family friendly than its counterparts and succeeds with its approach due to a committed cast, a well-developed origin story for both the hero and villain, impactful themes and messages, and an overall fun narrative to follow.

Despite the titular role feeling like it was tailor-made for John Cena, the fake-muscled Zachary Levi did a much better job than any of us thought he would. He was very fun as cinema’s newest superhero and had no problem with making a fool of himself because even when he did, he still pulled off the role of a legitimate leading man. For the first time in a while, I’m starting to see the untapped potential in Levi as a star, whether it be as a comic actor or even a borderline action hero. Here, Zachary Levi comes into his own as a star while retaining the comic sensibilities he’s known for in shows like Chuck. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing more opportunities for the man. Now, I know playing a kid as an adult may seem easy to do on paper, but you have to think about the nuances of the performance. Levi is playing a 14-year-old orphan who is lucky enough to be gifted superpowers and an adult body seemingly out of nowhere. He’s not a superhero fan nor is he a comic book nerd who knows anything about the subject either. He’s trying to figure this out as he moves along and is just a troubled kid who looks to mess around, not realizing the responsibility he now has as a “champion”. Levi is able to convey all parts of this characterization (excelling in the excitable parts where he figures out his powers) while being goofy and amusing enough to entertain the masses. Most importantly, he’s able to pull off this characterization without being extremely corny. This last part is the toughest part to pull off and it’s probably the reason Levi was able to get the role over someone like John Cena, the supreme emperor of being a cornball.

Levi’s ability to say things like “I’d like to purchase some of your finest beer please” with a fake smile ear-to-ear while at the convenience store trying to convince the worker he’s an adult, or using his power to charge any phone near him is actually much more amusing than it has any right to be, but it’s a testament to how well Levi can play a kid trying to act like a cheesy adult. The line between acting like a child and going too far to where you’re taken out of the movie experience is tiptoed heavily by Levi, but he always stays on the right path. What’s as equally as impressive are the performances from the child actors of the movie. Usually, I get bored with child actors in film, especially in this case because we know the real reason that we tuned in to see Shazam! is to see the superhero/supervillain dynamic. However, the plot developments and the narrative in general is grounded by these kids, and their performances become crucial to the overall presentation of the film. In doing so, the beating heart of Shazam! instead becomes centered around these foster kids trying to accept Billy Batson into their family when he’s still trying to find a way back to his own, refusing to acquiesce to those who are trying to help him get on a different path. This theme of family and what it means to these foster kids with very different lives is a very heart-warming side story for all of the supporting characters, and they win you over in short order. Not enough can be said about the sweet Faithe Herman as Darla or the soulful and loving combination of former-foster-kids-turned-parents to this beautiful household in Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans. The family-like atmosphere they make up is a loving one, and it’s because of how well everyone played their role from top to bottom.

Though it’s done just as well, the superhero stuff ends up becoming a major “bonus” instead of being the best part of the movie. This is how surprisingly good the non-superhero stuff is done.

It starts with Asher Angel setting the tone with his “mischievous troubled youth” routine who shies away from his emotional problems and Jack Dylan Grazer’s nutty foster brother who becomes the comical all-important sidekick. Some of the best moments of the film happen because of these two and their believability in the roles they play. Grazer in particular was outstanding. Likable, funny, and an ability to garner sympathy without begging the audience to feel bad for him (something the character himself says he tries to avoid), Grazer steals the show more often than not and he carries this momentum straight into Shazam! Fury of the Gods without missing a beat. He’s loads of fun onscreen and his knowledge of all things involving superheroes and comic book mythology is a lot more interesting when presented by such a funny character who isn’t portrayed as a nerd. Though he’s considered to be an outcast at his school, he’s so likable, you genuinely don’t know how this is because he’s sure to win over any viewer watching this film. As good as Grazer is with the comedic parts of the movie, he’s just as good when he gets serious too. At one point, he gets into an argument with Billy, and Billy hits him with the digging line of, “You just wish it was you”. Freddy is physically disabled, a genuinely nice guy, and he loves superheroes. Of course, he wanted to be Shazam! In an impassioned speech that digs even deeper, Freddy tells him without hesitation, “No shit. I would kill to have what you have!”. You feel that line in the soul.

Once again, we are reminded of the unfair criteria of Shazam and the situation he puts these children in like with Thaddeus and Billy. When you think about it, why wasn’t Freddy chosen? If anyone has a pure heart, shows a genuine interest in the responsibilities of a superhero, and seems to vaguely fit the description the old wizard was talking about, it could have very well been Freddy. With Billy, he finally comes across a supervillain and tells himself “You don’t have to fight this guy. This isn’t your job. You can run”. It may look like a joke in the moment, but this small aside tells us a lot. Not only does this show the predicament our hero is in, but it raises questions on the mythology behind the wizard, why someone is chosen and others who seem right for the job aren’t, the feeling of being worthy, what makes a hero, who means it and who becomes one by circumstance, what is earned, and what is deserved. All things considered, it’s a very well written screenplay about the superhero mythology because of the questions it raises and answers by the time the end credits roll. It also shows us how flawed our hero is and how he has to force himself to become a better person because of him learning who and what matters to him, along with the responsibilities he now has by becoming a superhero, echoing the much-repeated phrase from Spider-Man (“With great power, comes great responsibility”). Billy not realizing the severity of his situation and how lucky he truly is to be in it creates a very serious strain in his and Freddy’s relationship, which was already struggling to begin with because of Billy’s refusal to conform. It gives us a lot of depth that adds even more to the story. Again, we talk about the humorous tone and family-orientated vibe that Shazam! does so well, but this script doesn’t shy away from the tough conversations or moments, with a lot of intelligent dialogue sprinkled into the screenplay to ground the goofiness when it needs to.

The film never shies away from adult conversations or jokes either. This is why it works for everyone. Yes, it’s playful and funny, but we go through car accidents, emotional trauma, paralysis, disablement, murder, abandonment, and the struggle of living as an orphan, as these kids search for direction, purpose, and love. Again, it’s a very well-rounded adventure and much deeper than it looks at first glance.

You won’t even realize how much Billy’s search for his birth mother affects you until he finally finds her in a pivotal, heart-wrenching scene that gives Billy exactly what he needs to move on. Without spoiling it, I will say it hits you like a brick. Through Angel and Levi’s combined performance, we establish an important connection to the distant Billy Batson because we know how his mother’s existence is the only reason he is holding onto this part of his life and not seeing the family that’s in front of him. This is why Shazam! succeeds though. Though it’s comedic at heart, they never force it to the point where it’s a detriment to the story. It’s a focus, but when it’s time to get serious and show us the trials and tribulations are characters have to go through to reach their final form on who they have to become in the grand scheme of things, they fearlessly go headfirst into it.

This is why I absolutely loved Thaddeus Sivana as the villain, played very well by Mark Strong, a man who has taken over the ever-important mantle of the go-to antagonist actor. His consistency as a bad guy without being boring and believability in the role is putting him right on path with becoming the Ed Harris of his era. When I say this, I’m referring to the crucial “bad guy” role that is memorable enough to make a statement and look believable enough to be a threat to the hero but without overshadowing the protagonist. Usually, guys like Ed Harris or even Sean Bean were called, but Strong has slowly been rising in the ranks ever since Sherlock Holmes, and I’m all for it. He just has this certain wickedness to him that only he, Harris, and very few others possess that seems to work on a regular basis. As we know, the supervillain origin story is almost as important as the superhero’s. We need a big enough moment and a strong enough backstory to convince us that this person or “being” has experienced enough in life to be okay with being considered a bad guy. It has to make sense from his perspective, so we can understand where he’s coming from. Well in Shazam!, they absolutely nail it, with a heavy opening scene that is so well put together in its simplicity, that we continue to empathize with him when he turns into a full supervillain as an adult.

Imagine the hell Thaddeus has been through for a moment. To begin, he’s just a child who is trying to figure out his way in the world. Unfortunately, he’s disrespected by his own father and brother on countless occasions. Out of nowhere, he’s presented with the opportunity of a lifetime to become the next Shazam but because he’s tempted by the Sins, the opportunity is taken away from him just as quickly as it was explained to him. How unfair is this? You catch a kid on their worse day, immediately after being talked down to and made fun by family members, and you expect him to react without having hate and anger in their heart? It doesn’t get more unfair than that! I guess falling for the temptation of the Eye of Sin makes Thaddeus an inherently sinful person, but you’re telling me if a younger Billy Batson was faced with a similar situation after one of his many escape attempts trying to look for his mother, that he wouldn’t have been in a bad mood too and reacted with anger? Plus, Billy looked noticeably older than when Thaddeus met Shazam, so the chances of him reacting more intelligently in the situation instead of reacting out of pure emotion are much higher, only furthering the unfairness of this situation little Thaddeus found himself in. Once again, Thaddeus was at a disadvantage and was dealt cards that seemed to be out of his control. Honestly, you truly feel for this kid. You understand why he thinks of this pivotal, life-changing moment that happened to him as a child for the rest of his life.

His family were a bunch of assholes. Even as Thaddeus is an adult and performing villainous acts, the writing has given us enough evidence to sympathize with the man and understand his perspective on the matter, which makes him such a compelling villain. Bar none, the most satisfying moment in the movie is when he enters the board meeting, launches his brother out the window, and kills everyone in the room. With some carefully constructed lines and mannerisms, they imply heavily that the disrespect Thaddeus faced as a child has carried into adulthood with the way his brother Sid acts when he walks into the room and immediately targets his own father. It’s tragic what happened to his dad, but what hurts is that he blamed his son ever since. All Thaddeus could do after that car crash was tell the only people he could about the magical happenings he faced that could have changed the course of his life, but it meant nothing to them. His only support system treated him like a piece of shit forever after. It all fell on deaf ears, and Thaddeus was looked at as this little idiot who caused his father’s paralysis, with no one else accepting any responsibly. When he plainly reminds them, “You never believed me”, it tells us everything we need to know about their current relationship, as well as everything we missed in-between the timeframe of when he was a child to where he stands now in Sivana Industries. We aren’t vengeful people, but the writing of Shazam! does such a good job that even with everything that happens, there’s a good chance you’ll end up rooting for Thaddeus in the moment. You’ll shake your head because you know who to root for, but you privately say to yourself, “I get it”. Obviously, when he targets Billy Batson, things go back to normal, but this singular scene makes us understand Thaddeus and the shit he’s been through.

Because of this one, five-minute, life-changing scenario in the Rock of Eternity as a child, he worked his entire life to get back to it to prove everyone wrong, and to tell Shazam himself that he’s an asshole for putting him in such a stressful position as a child. It’s very relatable. It’s no secret that certain things said to you or moments in your life that happen as a child can stay with you for a lifetime and can shape who you become as you grow up. Strong’s Thaddeus is the embodiment of this concept. Though he’s a supervillain, he has a lot of depth and is relatable enough to where you find yourself wishing he just had someone to talk to during his adolescent years.

On a side note, can we acknowledge how insane the school bullies are in this movie? These two assholes beat up a physically disabled kid and spit on a baby. That’s fucking wild.

Powered by an excellent cast, solid action, a well-developed backstory, and outstanding special effects fit for a superhero film of this caliber, Shazam! is a funny, charming, and lovable mainstream introduction for the DC superhero that sets itself apart from the rest of the hit-or-miss DCEU films. It’s awesome that we’re finally getting to see other superheroes from DC that aren’t named Superman or Batman. Though it may not be the best comic book film of the year, Shazam! is the start of something new and a great step in the right direction. I loved what they did with the concept, I enjoyed Zachary Levi as the wacky kid-like superhero he is, and the child actors did a fantastic job in making us care about their real-world/non-superhero problems, which is admittedly a tough thing to do. It actually got me excited for a sequel. Unfortunately, Shazam! Fury of the Gods wasn’t what I thought it was going to be.

Fun Fact: John Cena and Billy Magnussen auditioned for the role of Shazam and somehow Cena didn’t get it.