The DC Universe finally learns how to laugh combining big chuckles with heartfelt moments DC rarely placed in the Man of Steel or Batman. Zachary Levi is the latest likable superhero, stepping into the recent box-office-gold footprints joining Gal Gadot and Jason Momoa of Wonder Woman and Aquaman.
Director David F. Sandberg (Lights Out) takes on the task delivering Shazam’s origin story. Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is an ordinary 14-year-old street kid who keeps running away from foster homes in search of his real mother. Even though this is a DC movie and Marvel is owned by Disney, that doesn’t deter writer Gayden from using the standard Disney device of MMIA (Mother Missing in Action). We’re shown the gut-wrenching moment when toddler Billy becomes separated from his mother at a carnival. This Dumbo-esque moment sets up the quest of his life to reunite with his Mom.
Asher’s Billy has the kind of face that makes you like him even when he’s showing ultimate attitude and trying to be totally detestable. Sandberg and writer Henry Gayden put Billy on the path toward finding his true family, but unexpectedly unleashing his inner hero in the process.
Philadelphia is the new Gotham/Metropolis for this hero. Billy is placed in what appears to be the perfectly diverse, foster family group home, even though he can’t see it at first. Billy’s new guardians Victor and Rosa Vasquez (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans) are warm, encouraging and almost too good to be true. The scenes in the house are stiff. All the other kids in the home, Grace Fulton, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand and the adorable Faithe Herman are checkmarks on the Diversity Board, until the final act. Their eventual emergence cements the family theme of the script.
The stand-out foster sibling is Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) who emerges as the sidekick. His fast-talking mouth makes up for his withered leg. Grazer is perfect for the part and the timing on his reactions and one-liners is impressive and not forced at all. Freddy uses a crutch to get around which also makes him an easy target for a couple of school bullies. Some of the best laughs are found when Billy and Freddy hang out discovering his new powers by unleashing them on unsuspecting objects and/or people. Director Sandberg has fun with Levi not perfecting them on the first try. It’s like learning how to ride a bike with bigger repercussions. One lesson these two boys learn is that a hero becomes super by how he uses the powers, not just by possessing them. The boys bond after Billy defends Freddy against the bullies who chase him into a Subway train. Director Sandberg effectively builds tension in this freaky ride foreshadowing what may come as it magically transports and unloads him into a huge eerie cave.
Billy encounters the failing Wizard (Djimon Hounsou) whose powers need to be passed on. The Wizard tells Billy he is the only person “pure of heart” enough to conquer the coming evil and gives him the Wisdom of Solomon, the Strength of Hercules and a few other fun powers to play with. He grants Billy his amazing powers of super-strength, speed, flight and even throwing electric lightning bolts.
To do all this Billy transforms into his prodigious, muscular, grown-up alter-ego, played by Zachary Levi. He is tasked with looking like a classic superhero (cape and all) while still having the brain and sensibilities of a teen. The suit is a throwback to superhero costumes, but instead of just a letter on his chest, he has a lighting bolt. It glows! Great costuming by Leah Butler (Ray Donovan, Black-ish, Chuck). But Billy finds out quick enough that the costume doesn’t necessarily make the man. It takes him awhile to figure out who he is and what he can do and even his name, which Freddy humorously keeps changing as if they’re trying them out. But he finds the one that gives him the power. This film obviously goes out of its way to avoid using the original comic book name for this superhero, which was Captain Marvel. Levi pulls his characterization off with wide-eyed wonder and a wink which gives him an endearing quality.
Levi’s Shazam is watchable even when he devolves into several unnecessary detours into silliness. There have been comparisons between this role and Tom Hanks in Big. There’s even a sly and funny reference to that movie classic which are fun but could have been executed better. But just like in Big, this dichotomy gives him the opportunity to do what any kid might do if suddenly possessing adult status. In the case of Shazam, his first very normal inclination is to buy beer and go to a strip club!
Shazam’s nemesis is Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong). Sandberg’s background directing horror films really brings out the worst in Strong’s doctor making him a really frightening villain. HIs evil powers are backed by the Seven Deadly Sins. They’re pretty run-of-the-mill CGI statues that come to life but they are not terribly exciting. They appear as gruesome, grotesque, toothy, drooling monsters who must help Sivana take the hero’s power to complete his world domination. Pretty standard plot line for this genre. Sivana’s backstory and the reason for his extreme wrath is well constructed so it’s easy to understand how his mind became so twisted. The goriest, scariest moments of the movie come when Dr. Sivana exacts revenge in a boardroom scene from hell. There is a lot of destruction and flying glass in addition to the flying superhero in this film.
By now, we’ve all seen so many films of this genre that it’s all but impossible to “wow” a crowd out of their seats. Besides the boardroom, the superhero’s rescue efforts with a bus and a ferris wheel keep the action going. But good storytelling, memorable characters and emotion still carry the load. Sandberg effectively displays this hero’s superpowers as they develop toggling between serious and funny. In the end, it’s about finding your true self by finding your true family. Stay in your seat until the very end of the credits. No need to say more, except “Shazam.” Here comes the franchise.
Warner Bros. 130 Minutes PG-13
