Shazam!
Starring: Zachary Levi, Jack Dylan Glazer, Asher Angel, Mark Strong, Djimon Hounsou
Director: David F. Sandberg
Based on the DC Comics character "Shazam!" created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck
I must admit to something. I am a big DC fan. I liked the extended cut of Batman v. Superman (which I think will be culturally reappraised at some point) and I really hope that there is a Snyder Cut of Justice League out there that I can one day get my grubby hands on.
With that bias out in the open, I think that Shazam joins Wonder Woman at the very top of the heap not just for DC Films, but also for the entire comic book genre in general.
Shazam is the story of a young kid named Billy Batson (Asher Angel). He has been bouncing around foster homes since he lost his mom in a crowd as a toddler. Determined to find her again, he continuously runs away and gets into trouble, leading his foster parents to disown him. When the film starts, Billy has been placed in the Vasquez’s care. They foster a bunch of kids and are warm and welcoming people. Billy shares a room with Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), who is obsessed with superheroes. Billy has no interest and honestly thinks it's kind of lame. One day while riding the subway, Billy is transported to a massive cave layer where he meets a wizard named Shazam (Djimon Honsou, who has now been three different characters across Marvel and DC). The wizard is looking for one pure of heart and he is out of options so he gives Billy the power to transform into a superhero (Zachary Levi). All he has to do is say “Shazam!” Billy teams up with Freddy to help discover and hone his newfound powers, but lurking on the sidelines is a threat (Mark Strong’s Dr. Sivanna) who wants to take Billy’s powers and add them to his own.
While this may sounds like a generic superhero yarn, there are two major things that set it apart from the rest (other than a few twists and turns I won’t spoil here). The first is the commitment to character. This movie cares about the people who populate it. Billy is trying to find the family he believes he deserves and the movie takes time exploring that. Freddy is bullied at school, clearly has no friends other than his family, and struggles to find a place to fit in. Time is spent there too. Even characters defined mostly by a single trait are brought to life through creative decisions and performances so that they never feel like cardboard cutouts. Hopefully these single trait characters can be fleshed out in a sequel. The film is overall very Spielbergian and that extends to its handling of family and characters. Shazam is as much a coming of age family comedy as it is a superhero movie.
Fun Fact: Zachary Levi doesn’t show up until about 45 minutes into the film. All that pre-superhero time is used to build characters so that it matters what happens to them after the sparks start flying. In the grand scheme of this genre, the scale of the threat in Shazam is relatively small and immediate, but the stakes are real and felt because we truly care about everyone. Even the villainous Dr. Sivanna, while relatively standard in terms of motives and backstory, is given far more screen time than most villains in these kinds of movies. He is a consistent presence and never feels sidelined in the second act like so many of his evil brethren in similar films.
Caring for character also makes this movie devastatingly funny. In a move away from the Marvel style of snarky one-liners delivered to perfection by the likes of Robert Downey Jr., a lot of the comedy here comes naturally from its characters and their reactions to situations. To watch Zachary Levi contend with his new powers is delightful, hilarious, warm, and positively endearing, not to mention his perfect chemistry with Jack Dylan Grazer. It’s so good that the movie actually suffers from the moments that Zachary Levi isn’t around.
The second major difference is the marriage of project to creative team. ONE writer is credited to the screenplay, Henry Gayden (who has already been re-tapped to tackle the sequel). This is exceedingly rare in modern blockbusters, which are usually written by a multitude of people before they hit the screen. The care and focus of a singular vision shows throughout the movie. Shazam also benefits from a great score by Hans Zimmer protégé Benjamin Wallfisch.
Probably the most controversial member of the team is the director. David F. Sandberg has been known up to this point as the successful horror director behind Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation. This ruffled a few feathers since he now had the keys to a family film and people (the internet) assumed that his horror inclinations would lead him down the “gritty” path DC films had wallowed in before. I personally had faith from the start. I believe that horror directors are among the best out there. What is good horror other than an exercise in emotion and tone on a (usually) tight budget?
If you are trying to make a Spielberg inspired superhero movie, it makes sense to hire a horror director. Spielberg himself broke onto the scene with a horror movie that created the “blockbuster” and has infused horror into so many of his best films. Shazam follows in those footsteps. The horror-tinged villain compliments the warmth and humor of the main story nicely. Sometimes, as when Sivanna confronts his father and brother in a boardroom, the comedy and horror intertwine in a way that would make Joe Dante or Sam Raimi proud.
Go see Shazam! It’s one of those movies I immediately wanted to see again the moment it was over. It is stupendously warm, funny, joyous, scary, exciting and just a blast of good vibes. It’s no Black Panther or Wonder Woman. It doesn’t change the world, but it does make it a little brighter and for that it is just as essential.
A