Shazam! (2019) - Review
Essentially, Shazam! is a New Line Cinema production made for around $80-100 million and directed by David F Sandberg, a director with a plethora of (mostly horror-based) short films and low-budget horror flicks to his name. On the one hand, hiring a horror director to make a superhero film isn't uncommon - see the likes of Zack Snyder (Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) and James Wan (Aquaman) - but this film is a passion-project from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (who will appear in future installments as a significant character), and a fairly mid-budget blockbuster from a studio who don't make a huge number of films, but when they do, are pretty successful (New Line Cinema produced The Lord of the Rings trilogy and It). This is the first DC Films film to not be produced directly by Warner Bros, which is interesting in itself - although the studio is distributing the film worldwide.
The story sees 14-year-old Billy Batson selected by an ancient wizard to become a fully-fledged superhero in order to combat an ancient evil. Upon saying the magic word "Shazam!", Billy transforms into his adult superhero alter-ego, complete with a bright red costume and a giant yellow lightning bolt on his chest. Billy tries to get help from his foster brother Freddie, and together the two attempt to experiment with the powers given to him by Shazam!
There's actually a bit more to the story of the film than that, but in the interests of not spoiling what the film's marketing has kept well-hidden, but there's lots of fun hi-jinks along the way, as well some cool action set-pieces. This is the cheapest DC film, and one of the cheapest superhero films in recent memory, but somehow Shazam! looks considerably better than, say, the $110 million Deadpool 2, and definitely looks more polished than the $300 million Justice League. David F Sandberg must've had a hard time working around the budget, but he clearly knows what he's doing, and his experience in low-budget filmmaking has paid-off here. Shazam! has its fair share of spectacle, but it's often quite grounded. Billy tests out his super-powers in alleyways and small parks, and a big confrontation occurs in a shopping center. Despite the magic and the superheroics of Shazam!, the film grounds it's central characters very firmly in the real world. Even Billy's foster home feels real with bits of wallpaper peeling off, and the film's emphasis on social media makes it feel much more grounded and realistic than the more dark and somber "realistic" superhero films.
Zachary Levi is an absolute delight in the role of Shazam!, and his alter ego Asher Angel as Billy is a great find. Jack Dylan Grazer is an amazing find as Billy's foster brother Freddie, whose one-liners and surprisingly dark sense of humour gives the character an extra layer. In fact, all of Billy's foster family are all well-rounded and fun characters, and their interactions with one another make them all feel very believable. Mark Strong gets a surprisingly engaging supervillain role, and the way his role ties into the broader story is quite interesting to see unfold. In fact, the film's screenplay as a whole feels very tight, and everything comes together to make a satisfying and cohesive story. Quite where the film goes in terms of story in the inevitable sequels, I don't know, but this film is definitely satisfying as a standalone piece.
Shazam! is the sort of film that's really hard to discuss in any kind of detail without spoiling the entire thing, but it's definitely a fun time at the cinema, and has a really strong central story at the heart of it all. It's a very well-made production (and looks like it cost a lot more than it actually did), and definitely feels like more of a kids' film than any of the other DC films. With this, Wonder Woman and Aquaman, I feel like DC have gotten their act together, and I look forward to the next 300 installments.
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