Score: C+
Directed by David F. Sandberg
Starring Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Mark Strong
Running time: 132 minutes
Rated PG-13
Long Story Short: Shazam! is DC Film's latest effort to pivot to lighter superhero adventures. While Levi's hijinks as a teen in an adult superhero body are enjoyable, there's just not enough going on around that to keep it interesting. Along with the weak acting of the younger leads, there's little to entice the regular superhero fan, instead relying on typical genre fireworks to capture its younger, family-oriented audience. If that's not you, just wait for the real show, Avengers Endgame.
Billy Batson (Angel), a teenage foster kid, is unable to adjust to his new families, continually searching for the mother he remembers as a young child. His newest home, where he is joined by five new siblings, seems like more of the same, although Freddy (Glazer) does his best to help him fit in. When Freddy is attacked by bullies at school, Billy intervenes and ends up fleeing - but suddenly finds himself in a whole new world. He meets a wizard there who searches for a champion to take on his powers. Billy is transformed into an adult superhero (Levi) with powers, and when he returns home he giddily shares the news with Freddy. However, Billy and Freddy are not the only ones who know the source of Shazam's powers - and others have less innocent intentions for them.
Shazam! has a fairly large cast and some familiar faces, with mixed results. Zachary Levi, best known as TV's Chuck, is a lot of fun as the adult superhero version of teenaged Billy. Similar to the stars of the Jumanji reboot, Levi clearly has a blast literally acting like a kid, and his style is even more exaggerated than that film. All of his moods are highlighted in neon - typically glee in testing his powers, but at times fear, annoyance and others. Still, the film is at its best with Levi on the screen. The young actors struggle, ranging from mediocre to poor. Asher Angel in particular comes off as practically a novice, overacting at every turn and rarely seeming natural. Grazer does a better job as Billy's disabled superhero fanatic of a brother, but he also often tries too hard, perhaps a bit competitive with his costar. The other siblings have bit roles, with Faithe Herman by far the most charming of the group. Mark Strong is the villain, a role he's well acquainted with, but he is either phoning it in or just hamming it up too much. Djimon Hounsou is a waste of talent for such a small part as the wizard, but he at least plays it up more effectively than Strong.
Shazam! is a reasonably entertaining superhero film targeted at a younger audience, but mediocre execution and some bizarre narrative choices hold it back. The film starts with a solid premise with its teenage lead acquiring superpowers not directly, but by actually inhabiting a different, adult body. Jumanji demonstrated the potential in this, particularly for humor, and the film is most fun when Billy is exploring his new powers, using them how you might expect a young person to. Unfortunately, there's only a modest amount of this, and the surrounding elements are not particularly interesting. Of course there's the fantasy part, including another dimension (essentially a large, dark hall) and the bad guy and his plans. Pretty typical stuff, perhaps cornier than usual - with an occasional wink - but also with a few scenes more violent than expected, as when Strong's character attacks his tormenting father. The film really prefers to focus on Billy's normal life as a teenage foster kid. Unfortunately, as already mentioned the young actors just aren't up to snuff. There are some potentially interesting themes to be explored, particularly the sociology of the foster home, but it's oversimplified and blurred with more typical coming-of-age elements. Also - spoilers! - for some reason they let Billy finally find his mom... only to find out that she intentionally left him, and doesn't want him in her life even now. Obviously, this is something that (tragically) happens in real life, but was entirely unnecessary for the story and inappropriate to the tone and audience. Finally, the action is fine, but if you watch action movies, you've seen it all before, and done better.
***
Shazam! is yet more proof that DC is to Marvel as DreamWorks is to Pixar. Sure, it's fun at a certain level, but in a generic, forgettable way - without the signature style and level of quality of Marvel (or Pixar). I'm rather stunned that it has a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I suspect either critics are just so desperate for something positive out of DC, and/or they are so sick of the genre that they are automatically attracted to something that even clumsily satirizes the genre. If you have young kids or teenagers, this is a fine choice for a family outing. But I hope that DC begins putting more effort into their films, going beyond an interesting premise and a Marvel-imitating lighter tone. Outside of the family audience, if you haven't seen this yet, just wait another few weeks for the must-see event: Avengers Endgame.
By Warner Bros. - Warner Bros., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60344684
