Shazam! - Review

Shazam! reminds me a ton of a superhero movie that I would have watched back in the early 2000's and doesn't feel like it's a part of the DCEU what so ever. With Man of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice etc. we are accustomed to having DC movie be dark, gritty and in my opinion, not that much fun to watch. Shazam! was a ton of fun to watch and it gave me superhero chills. With the massive volume of superhero films being released today, it's getting more rare to get those chills. Shazam! pulled it off.

With films constantly focusing on setting up future sequels and cinematic universes. It's nice to see a film about somebody discovering their powers again in a lighthearted fun way. While some will argue that we saw this in Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel, those films can't compare to the laughs that Shazam! delivers. Instead of your average snarky character in whatever profession their in, Shazam played by Zachary Levi, is a kid in a grown man's body (a superpower wielding man's body) and is a total show-off. Let's be honest, how would you react if you were 14 years old and you got Shazam's powers?

This is where a majority of the comedy is and it warrants a ton of laughs, but the film isn't all fun and games. we have a villain played by Mark Strong who actually gets a backstory and has a legitimate motivation, but of course is willing to do terrible things to get what he wants, and we have an actual message and theme about what it takes to be a hero. Haven't really seen those in a while haven't we.

Not since the first Spider-Man movie back in 2002 have I felt the "what it takes to be a hero" message really resonate with me. Talking about themes of family and always being there for the people you care about in ways that aren't eye-rolling like some of the Fast and Furious films, as well as that uplifting feeling when our heroes stick up for the little guy.

Shazam! is not only a movie that will have you smiling and laughing, but it teaches us a lesson that we have seen before, but it does a great job at reminding us in a time where that message is somewhat lost.