Movie Review: “Shazam!”

“Shazam!”

Release Date: April 5, 2019

Runtime: 132 mins

Director: David F. Sandberg

Starring: Zachary Levi

                 Mark Strong

                Jack Dylan Grazer

               Asher Angel

The superhero genre of films has changed quite dramatically in the last decade or so. The money-making powerhouses of Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy and the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe have set the precedent for what modern, successful superhero movies should be.

A slew of imitators has attempted to follow in those footsteps, virtually all of which fail miserably because they want to accomplish what those films did without putting in any of the same massive efforts of world building and character development.

“Shazam!” bucks this trend by looking for inspiration in the superhero films of the past. It feels much more like the 2000s Spider-Man trilogy or the first two Superman movies of the 1970s. In other words: “Shazam!” is a lot of fun.

Director David F. Sandberg definitely wanted to invoke these earlier films—he even utilizes John Williams’s incredible score for the original “Superman.” In fact, this feels more like a modern-day interpretation of Superman than “Man of Steel” was.

Anyone who has seen those Superman or Spider-Man movies would be able to tell you how incredibly cheesy they are. “Shazam!” is no different. However, that is not necessarily a bad thing.

A main character who wears a bright red leotard with a giant yellow lightning bolt on it and a frilly white cape draped over his back is almost impossible to take entirely seriously. That is why most recent superhero films have massively desaturated the colors and often look insufferably bland as a result.

The world of “Shazam!” is morally black and white. The villain is unambiguously evil—he even looks exactly like Dr. Evil. This may annoy some audience members, but I find its innocence and simplicity a charming breath of fresh air amid the genre’s current landscape.

Given the cheesy and silly tone the film is going for, I am not sure whether certain actors were just plain bad or if they are directed that way. In the case of star Zachary Levi (“Chuck,” “Tangled), I am relatively sure he is making an intentional choice. He demonstrates a gift for comedic line delivery, and the moments of awkwardness can be easily explained by the fact he is playing a child in a grown man’s body. In the case of most of the many child actors and even several of the adults, it seems more like they are just not good.

The directing is pretty bland. Sam Raimi brought an exaggerated, comic book inspired style to the “Spider-Man” movies which perfectly matched the tone those movies were going for. David F. Sandberg is simply not as talented a director as Raimi as his film is not visually interesting.

In fact, the first 30 minutes or so of “Shazam!” before the plot started to gain momentum were pretty unbearable in how boring and formulaic they are. The film adopts more than just the spirit of those older films and feels more like a bad family movie from the 90s or early 2000s before the main character gets his superpowers.

Once that happens, though, it is extremely entertaining. The script features several smaller subplots and character arcs which are tied up in the most satisfying ways. The heroes are genuinely likable, and we enjoy seeing them succeed in the end.

The script also deserves some credit for how the comedy in the film hits more often than it misses. However, the chemistry between Levi and Jack Dylan Grazer deserves a good chunk of that credit as well.

Like Spider-Man and Superman, “Shazam!” has an enormous heart to go along with its extreme goofiness, and its emotional payoffs feel earned. The individual child performances may be questionable at best, but one thing which shines clearly through is how much these characters care about each other. I genuinely believe they are a family.

I am not totally sure if I would call “Shazam!” a “good” movie. Did I enjoy it because it emulated movies for which I have extremely nostalgic feelings or because it was actually well made and well executed? Maybe both. I do not see myself coming back to this film every year or so like I do with “Spider-Man 2.” What I do know is I had an overall fun time watching “Shazam!” and I am almost positive that most everyone will have a similar experience.

Drew Eckhart is a sophomore history and pre-law major from Edmond, OK. He has loved movies for as long as he can remember but thinks his passion really began when he watched “The Dark Knight” for the first time in theaters. His favorite type of movie blends comedy and drama seamlessly, and he loves great action films. In Drew’s free time, he enjoys reading and playing video games, as well as watching TV and movies. His favorite TV show is “BoJack Horseman” and his favorite movie is “Whiplash.”