"Shazam!"
Shazam!
Mini Non-Spoiler Review
[April 03rd, 2018]
[PG-13 | 2hr 12min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Musical]
Having one Captain Marvel done earlier last month (that's going to be covered as well later...), it is time for the original wielder of the name to take the spotlight. DC movie universe did not start on the right footing but they are currently in a successful self-correcting endeavour starting with the empowering Wonder Woman and of course the zany Aquaman. Adding to the effort going in the right direction, being the Big of superhero movies is quite the perfect summary as we see a young boy being given the powers of gods and learning how to be responsible for it, with of course a lot of juvenile hijinks Shazam-style. There's even a close friend that knows the secret!
The one throughline that spearhead the narrative is the friendship between Billy Batson and Freddy Freeman, portrayed wonderfully by Asher Angel and Jack Dylan Grazer that have undeniable chemistry and natural interactions in this film, certainly capably carrying the brunt of the storytelling. They are delightful together but having the crippled kid interacting with Zachary Levi portraying the titular character is my personal highlight! From trying to figure out his powers and involve in a lot of careless abuse of power, they have so much fun together with him being able to play such a convincing kid trapped in a superhero's body, his natural charms allow him to give out believable reactions and definite glee to the whole situation. Adding to the wonder is a whole lot of heart from that tumultuous relationship between the two kids as well as the foster family and their heartwarming family members and how important family is to the franchise. Mark Strong is solid as the villain Doctor Sivana and while it's main just on the surface level, we are able to see where he is coming from since the first scene of the film and his gravitas alone present the character in a much more threatening manner. His minions while do not as creative of designs as many would have hoped are brought to life well with surprisingly detailed CGIs. The final third act fight is worth the price of admission for me personally with the final showdown brings Shazam to life to the fullest.
Having Freddy being a superhero fan through and through help to give a meta commentary on the genre in general and DC heroes specifically in the feature itself. Aquaman is a really entertaining flick itself but this is the most pure and delightful superhero film in terms of childlike wonder and the power of responsibility.
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