Sense of humor can't carry Shazam!

Asher Angel in Shazam! Image courtesy Warner Bros.

Shazam! is supposed to be the fun D.C. movie, the one where the humor is intentional and the characters aren't as dark as they have been in the last decade. It's designed to be the wink to the audience saying they, too, think things went a little too serious over the past 10 years. Shazam! is almost an apology, although a quick look through the pee jokes and hamming reveals the same mean streak that plagued the worst parts of the Snyder films.

Shazam! stars Asher Angel as Billy Batson, a foster child whose search for his mom gets him sent to a new home with the kindly Rosa (Marta Milans) and Victor (Cooper Andrews). His new family is a collection of quirky folks, from the enthusiastic hugger Darla (Faith Herman) to video game addict Eugene (Ian Chen) to the quiet Pedro (Jovan Armand) to college applicant Mary (Grace Fulton). Billy falls into a strange friendship with his new roommate and superhero enthusiast Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), who keeps finding ways to get into trouble. Billy ends up defending Freddy during one of those moments, resulting in a meeting with the mighty wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou). Somewhat desperate at the moment, the wizard Shazam gives Billy his powers, turning him into the super powerful hero, Shazam (Zachary Levi). Billy stumbles into acts of heroism shortly thereafter, but is soon pursued by the villainous Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong), who has a history with the wizard and an revenge against society on his mind. Billy has little time to learn about his complex powers as he defends Philadelphia from Sivana and the seven deadly sins.

Shazam! is a throwback, more akin to Adam West's Batman movie than the Ben Affleck or Christian Bale flicks. It sort of suits the character, a legendary boy scout who is a bit out of step with the modern teenager. Shazam as a character is something of a goofball, mildly dim-witted and often out of his element because of his super powers. Levi ramps up his character's goofiness to a degree that is nearly insufferable, but never quite crosses that boundary due in large part to his inherent earnestness. His sincerity is charming and sometimes endearing, aligning himself with the overarching silliness of the whole endeavor. And it's kind of realistic given the scenario the movie paints for him. Giving a 14-year-old brilliant powers and zero guidance will result in mayhem and mild disaster. When faced with an evil being with powers equal or greater than his own, his instinct is to run as far away as possible from the angry man with magic powers and a killer grudge. It's probably the best joke the film has going for it, the consistent inability for its hero to be heroic because he has absolutely no idea of what to do.

Yet the Shazam sections of Shazam! are also the least interesting aspect of the film. The superhero sequences have pretty much been done, with no visual flairs or execution to distinguish it from the rest of the genre. And the story of Billy Batson is far more engaging than the story of how Billy Batson turned into Shazam. That's due in large part to Angel, who gets a lot of mileage from a soft voice and a subtle sense of crushing disappointment in his life. There's a really excellent film in Shazam! centered solely on Billy Batson rediscovering his trust in his family, and Shazam! comes somewhat close to finding that movie. Throwing in Levi's silly antics diminishes that story, leaving a more generic superhero movie in its place.

 

The film is oddly regressive with its treatment of its female characters. The filmmakers make a really, really troublesome choice on how the film portrays Batson's mom, turning her into the biggest villain in the film. The film gives Sivana more justification to murder people than it does Batson's mom for making what should be a soul-crushingly difficult choice. Mary also gets a strange scolding for debating whether or not to leave her family to go to college. The film gives her room to be conflicted, but it paints the decision to better her future, and perhaps the prospects of her family, as the selfish choice.

 

Shazam! has a lot of these weird little choices in its story. Freddy does something incredibly stupid and selfish, and yet Billy is painted as the bad guy. Two high school jocks threaten to beat a child who needs a cane and no one bothers to help the kid. This movie's version of Philadelphia is less of a comic book version and more of an illogical one. For a movie that aims to be lighthearted and friendly, it's filled with an incredible amount of wanton cruelty.

Review: Two and a half out of Five Stars

Click here to see the trailer.

 

Rating: PG-13

Run time: 134 minutes

Genre: Action

tl;dr

What Worked: Asher Angel, Zachary Levi, Sense of Humor

What Fell Short: Story Issues, Sexism

What To Watch Instead: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse