Over recent years movies based on DC comic book characters have been dark and brooding affairs.. Which is quite ironic considering that the DC comic book movie that launched it all Superman The Movie was fun and bright and gave us a hero who embraced his destiny to be a hero. Now this approach isn’t always appropriate. I mean Batman, by his very nature, is a dark and brooding character. The way he became the Batman leads to the way he fights crime. When filmmakers move away from this dark persona, like the Schumacher’s Batman and Robin film it just doesn’t work, certainly not for today’s audience. This was clearly evident by the popular, well written, and shot, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. However, some characters just don’t lend themselves to this, like the aforementioned Superman, which has starred Henry Cavill as Supes. The only levity was his digitally removed moustache the Justice League. So with this approach for DC movies being the norm, along came a nice surprise with the release of a gem..Shazam.
Now I don’t want to give too much away, as I myself had little knowledge of Shazam, apart from a 70s show, as such it was a delight to watch the character evolve. I will say, that the story focuses on a young boy, 14 year old Billy Baston, who has been from one foster home to another, as he constantly runs away from them. It turns out when he was around 5 he accidentally got separated from his young mum while at a fairground with her. Since then he has been searching for her which has seen him get into trouble with the law. As it happens Billy ends up in another foster home with a superhero loving roommate, Freddy. That’s when the fun begins, as Billy himself ends up becoming a superhero, and as superheroes do, he faces off against a villain and in so doing learns about what it means to be a hero.
The cast is great. Asher Angel who plays the ‘young’ Billy Batson is perfectly cast as a boy looking for a family, so too is his friend Freddy, played by the effervescent Jack Dylan Grazer. The villain, Dr. Sivana, embodied with the right amount of evil by Mark Strong, is a good first up nemesis for our hero. The supporting cast too brings a fun presence. But it is Zachary Levi, as Shazam (the older Billy Batson) who steals the show. His ability to channel his ‘inner child’ is spot on, and as such his performance is great. The childlike wonder he shows as he discovers his ‘super powers’ is a joy to watch. So too is his discovery of the benefits of being an adult.
Shazam is a combination of Big and Superman the Movie. It revolves around what it means to be a hero, and what it truly means to be part of a family. So sit back and enjoy as Shazam lights up the screen.
9/10