“SHAZAM!”: Celebrating Mediocrity

“SHAZAM!” somewhat unexpectedly topped the box office for two weekends in a row, and earned favorable reviews from critics. There was quite a bit of pressure on the film’s shoulders, as it stood as a test of whether “Wonder Woman” and “Aquaman” were either flukes or good luck. The film’s success has restored faith in the DC Extended Universe and hope for the future.

“SHAZAM!” has a lot to offer and is not at all a bad film. However, it seems most of the reason that it has been getting all of its buzz is because of its quality in comparison to other DCEU films (looking at you, “Suicide Squad”).

One of its strengths is that it takes a mostly unknown character and throws him into the mainstream. DC loyalists, like myself, might recognize him, but Shazam (formerly called Captain Marvel, which is another story) is not very entrenched in the zeitgeist. In a world with three versions of Spiderman within 20 years and an endless stream of Batman films, this movie was refreshing.

Its originality wears off slightly in the story, though. The villain is pretty generic, and his motivations are equally as bland. There is no nuance to him at all: he’s evil, his greedy father runs a corporation of some sort and he wants to take over the world. Cue the eyeroll.

Another fault in the plot is that it is pretty predictable. Billy Batson, Shazam’s foster child alter ego, acquires his powers then lets them get to his head and starts neglecting his foster family. By the end of the film, he takes more responsibility with his powers and appreciates his family, even though they aren’t his “real” family. Never seen that before.

Another strength the film has is its humor. Similar to “Aquaman,” this film embraced the absurdity with full stride. In a movie with magical doors, wizards and gargoyle-like demons representing the seven deadly sins, the filmmakers shouldn’t take themselves too seriously, and they don’t.

The jokes, with some exceptions, are genuinely funny and well-timed. Naturally, most of the jokes center on the fact that Shazam, though he appears like an adult, is actually a teenager.

Speaking of which, Zachary Levi delivers an excellent performance as Shazam. I was honestly pretty shocked when I heard that he was cast, but he delivered, and far surpassed my expectations. He perfectly channels a teenager suddenly transformed into a powerful superhero who has to deal with the unwanted results.

Mark Strong is also decent as the villain, Dr. Sivana, but he didn’t have much material to work with. Asher Angel did a good job as the teenage Billy.

Jack Dylan Grazer’s performance as Billy’s foster brother/friend is the best in the whole cast. His rapport with both Billys is terrific, and his nerdiness and humor are a welcome addition to the film. Marta Milans and Cooper Andrews also do a wonderful job as Billy’s foster parents.

I would definitely watch this film again. It stands on its own and only includes a few references to the greater DCEU that are not forced at all.

Ultimately, it feels like so many other movies and that wasted some of its potential. It’s not great, but it’s good.

Rating: 7/10