Despite flaws, ‘Shazam!’ soars in creativity, visual thrills
Some of the best joys in life come with patience. Fine wine is not made overnight — it’s aged and served when it’s ready to be consumed.
Over the past decade, DC Comics has had a rocky road with its films. Many of these critical, overly-dark movies have left a bitter taste in viewers’ mouths. But like aging wine, the company has improved its quality and creativity with its recent entry.
“Shazam!,” DC’s newest film, has continued this trend. Despite a slow start and a weak antagonist, “Shazam!” excels at developing a well-rounded main character with heart and a strong sense of humor. This characterization plus the film’s fantastic visuals provide an overall satisfying treat.
Billy Batson is an orphaned teenager who lost his mother at a carnival when he was 3 years old. He has been escaping foster homes across the country to find her, and after another failed attempt to meet her, Batson is placed with a new foster family.
The wizard, Shazam, chooses Batson to defend his power from the seven deadly sins. By saying “Shazam,” Batson transforms into an adult with demigod powers. With the help of his superhero-loving brother, Freddy, Batson hones in on his strength. His skills are put to the test by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana — who is consumed by the seven deadly sins — and his newly inflated ego.
The film has two major issues, the first being its slow start. Batson’s introduction is relatively standard, and the jokes are very hit-or-miss.
Sivana’s backstory is pretty rushed. He goes from being a child, hated by his brother and father, deemed unworthy, by Shazam, to use his powers, to an adult searching for the wizard. After finding the wizard and being consumed by the sins, he seeks to get revenge on his father and brother.
This ties into the film’s other issue: the villain. Mark Strong does an amiable job as Sivana, but the character is not well-defined and is too dark and generic for the more light-hearted hero. Even as a foil to Shazam, he only interacts with Batson in the third act and only once is a joke written around him being too serious. He feels like someone who would appear in “Batman Vs. Superman,” not this film.
Susie Teuscher | Digital Design Editor
After Batson becomes Shazam, the film kicks into another gear. Zachary Levi is incredibly charming as the adult form of Batson, clearly enjoying the role while acting like a teenager in a grown man’s body. With Levi, the comedy also picks up immensely, as the writers have fun creating unique visual and verbal jokes surrounding the hero and people around him.
Visually, “Shazam!” is surprisingly well-shot. Director David F. Sandberg offers a variety of interesting angles and gorgeous clean shots. He stays away from using a shaky-camera during the action, which allows for the choreography and the creativity of the set-pieces to be on full display.
Most importantly, “Shazam!” connects with the heart of the main character. Batson is no perfect child. He constantly runs away from foster homes and other issues, in the name of searching for his mother who he has little memory of. It’s because of this that he has trouble being part of a family in a foster home and calling his new siblings his brothers and sisters.
Batson grows from this, as he realizes that you might not have to run away to find a home and the importance of having a strong team. This is a difficult situation for any foster child. Sandberg and his team handled this situation with nuance, while also maintaining a relatively light tone.
“Shazam!” is far from a perfect entry but, like the universe it exists in, is a project that gets better as you keep watching. It connects with the core of the character while providing a visually interesting and hilarious ride. This is definitely a film worth waiting for.