The Magic Word

Wonder Woman earned the DC film franchise some goodwill. I've sat through some pretty bad DC movies because of Wonder Woman, that one shining example that they're not all bad. But I probably didn't need that example to take a chance on Shazam!; the very premise guaranteed a movie that would shatter the dour mold of other DC movies to have fun.

Shazam! embraces a childhood fantasy in the form of Billy Batson, a troubled teen who gains the ability to transform into an adult superhero. It's a vehicle for a lot of humor, featuring the silly antics a kid would engage in if they suddenly had superpowers (and looked like an adult). Along the way, it lampoons the staple elements of the "origin story" (even while using them), makes overt references to the movie Big, and generally makes the idea of having powers look fun and not burdensome.

The comedy really works, and that's largely thanks to Zachary Levi in the role of the hero Shazam. I only sampled the TV series Chuck before giving it up, but it seems like you could draw a direct line from that to this -- Levi knows how to play the unlikely hero uncomfortable in his abilities; he can do serious action while bringing the funny. His performance here is also well-coordinated with Asher Angel in the role of Billy Batson. There's a continuity between the two that lets you effortlessly believe they're the same person.

There are some serious elements to the story, and some of those do work as well. Billy Batson is a foster kid who has bounced from home to home, always searching for his birth mother. The scenes surrounding this yearning, and searching for meaningful connection, is a surprisingly potent throughline in this mostly light movie.

But if this movie is more fun like Marvel usually is, and has a more rounded main character like Marvel usually does, it also inherits one of Marvel's most consistent flaws -- an uncompelling villain. Nothing against actor Mark Strong, but I'm beyond tired of seeing him as the villain in basically every movie made. (Somebody give him something different to do!) Yet he's not even the biggest miss here, because of course he has his brand of villainy down to a science.

The big problem is his "lackeys," a cadre of seven creatures embodying the seven deadly sins. That just sounds like an inherently awesome premise. (I mean...) The movie squanders that premise by giving the creatures indistinguishable personalities and barely distinguishable appearances; nothing about "Lust" is any different from "Sloth" or "Pride" or anything else. And sure, doing anything meaningful with those concepts probably would have been too sophisticated and serious for a movie meant to welcome children into the audience. But then... why bother writing them in in the first place?

Still, there's a much more to like here than to be disappointed by -- including a great supporting cast that includes Jack Dylan Grazer (another one of the kids from It), a strong group of child actors as Billy's other foster siblings, and some surprise appearances in the final act.

I think Shazam! comes out at a B+. I enjoyed it, and am looking forward to the announced sequel.