Review: SHAZAM! Isn't What I Expected it to Be, But I Liked it!
I was pretty pumped up about seeing DC’s Shazam!. Judging from the trailers, it looked like it was going to be a crazy fun and humorous action-packed movie. For the most part it was that, but damn... it also dealt with some heavy and very sad dramatic elements.
I was actually surprised by the way the story played out. I really wasn’t expecting it to go the direction that it went. I thought the story and the dark elements that were worked into the story were fine, but my biggest issue with the film was that it was marketed as a light and fun action movie. I felt the marketing set me up to really like the main character Billy Batson (Asher Angel), but for the most of the movie he was kind of a bully and I didn’t really care for the character. Not even when he was Shazam! (Zachary Levi). I get that the character had to do some growing in the story, but he definitely didn’t seem like the pure in heart person that should have taken on the mantel of Shazam!.
As for Mark Strong’s villainous character, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, his back story was super tragic and I can see why it led him to turning into the kind of villain that he became. Hell, he seemed like he was a much better kid than Billy Baston, but the Wizard who was looking to give his powers to someone was an ass to him. His experience with the Wizard completely changed his life for the worse and set in motion the events that would turn him into a villain.
For me, the best part of the movie was Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), Billy Batson’s friend, who Batson is a complete a-hole to at first. Freeman was the most relatable character for me in the movie and he was easily the most entertaining. He was the character that I was rooting for the whole time, the one really deserved to be the superhero, and in a way he was, but he didn’t need to have the powers to be one. He was just a good, kind-hearted person that had the power of a great sense of humor.
Look, Shazam! was a great film, with a solid story, script and direction by David S. Sandberg! There were some great moments in the film and I dug the tone and the visual style of it. And while I did laugh several times throughout the film with my daughter, it just simply was not what I was expecting based on the trailers that we got before it was released. I was expecting more lighthearted fun and comedy, but it got into some very heart-wrenching territory that kids like my daughter could have a rough time processing.
My favorite part of the movie was final act, the big climatic conclusion. I don’t want to get into the details of how it plays out because I don’t want to spoil anything for you in case you haven’t seen it because a lot of cool stuff happens, but if you have seen it you know exactly what I’m talking about.
The final battle sequence just filled me with so much joy and happiness. Yeah, I may have not really cared for the Billy Batson/Shazam! through most of the movie, but the ending of the film brought it all home and set up story up for future installments that I’ll be excited about seeing.
Did I like Billy Baston by the end end of the movie? Yes. But I still liked the other foster family characters in the film a lot more and I’m looking forward to see their story continue in the sequel.
If you’ve seen the film, let us know what you thought about it!