Shazam Review, Trailer, Plot Synopsis, Posters And More
We all have a superhero inside of us -- it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In 14-year-old Billy Batson's case, all he needs to do is shout out one word to transform into the adult superhero Shazam. Still a kid at heart, Shazam revels in the new version of himself by doing what any other teen would do -- have fun while testing out his newfound powers. But he'll need to master them quickly before the evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana can get his hands on Shazam's magical abilities.
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SHAZAM! - Official Trailer 2
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SHAZAM! - Official Teaser Trailer
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Shazam Posters And Photos
Shazam Review
Shazam! introduces the 14-year-old Billy Batson (Asher Angel), a troubled foster kid who spends more time looking for the mother who abandoned him than trying to acclimate to any of the foster families he's been placed with. That all changes when he's placed with the Vasquez's, meets superhero buff Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) and is turned into a superhero himself. After gaining godlike powers from the Wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) and becoming the hero Shazam (Zachary Levi), Billy needs Freddy's help to figure out what abilities he possesses. It's a fairly typical origin story as far as superhero movies go, though Shazam! has a new twist because we get to experience it through the eyes of two kids who are more full of wonder and excitement than responsibility.
Like many superhero origin stories, too, Shazam! toils under the effort of developing its villain enough to be a compelling foil to Billy Batson. Shazam!does give Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) his own backstory in an effort to establish him enough, but the movie doesn't quite get there. Although Shazam! reveals Sivana's motivations to become a villain, he's still rather one dimensional. On the script's surface, Sivana does make an interesting foil to Billy, but Sivana never really becomes more than a one-note villain. In fact, he works best in humorous moments with Billy/Shazam when he's positioned as the straight man in the superhero's comedy schtick. Strong's melodramatic performance, contrasted with Billy's more grounded tone and humor, makes for some of the film's most entertaining moments. Since Shazam! focuses most of its time on Billy and Freddy, and to a lesser extent Sivana, the movie doesn't quite have time to develop the characters of the Vasquez family. Darla (Faithe Herman) is a scene-stealer as the talkative youngest member of the foster family, and the rest of the kids - Mary (Grace Fulton), Eugene (Keith Choi) and Pedro (Jovan Armand) - get moments to shine. Though they're instrumental enough to Billy's origin story, the movie simply doesn't have enough time to spend with the other kids. That said, they do contribute to the overall theme of family in Shazam! and since this film is only an origin story, they are one of the aspects of the movie that has a great deal of potential to be further developed in a possible sequel. Ultimately, Shazam! is a different kind of DC movie than those that have been released in recent years, but that derives from Sandberg and Gayden building the film from a character-focused standpoint. Because Shazam has a sillier origin story, it makes sense for the movie to be on the lighter, more humorous side. Though it still has moments of darkness and drama, they are mostly earned by the film, even if the balance isn't always quite right. On the other hand, Shazam! isn't necessarily reinventing the wheel and largely sticks to a standard superhero origin story. The filmmakers have added a twist by combining superhero action with the dramedy of Big - and some meta humor in a similar, if PG-13 vein as Deadpool - to craft an entirely enjoyable experience in Shazam!, even if at times it feels more like a hodgepodge of other movies. Still, fans of DC and superhero movies will no doubt want to check out Shazam! for its action and heart, and a delightfully fun time at the theater. 7.9/10 |
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