Shazam Review - NO SPOILERS !!!

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Shazam is an origin story that is a mix of Spiderman's boyish energy and naivety with Superman's heroic wonder and superpower. The mix is exactly what has made Shazam a successful comic book since the 1940's. The writers harness the boyish energy into a movie that has enough action and comedy to satisfy comic book fans and families looking for a good weekend blockbuster. I heartily recommend Shazam. 


Shazam is DC Comic's latest cinematic superhero excursion into the comic book world inhabited by Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and Aquaman. Director David Sandberg returns to the director's chair after directing horror thrillers Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation in the last couple years, both of which received warm reviews. Zachary Levi (best known for the sitcom Less Than Perfect and the TV series Chuck) plays Shazam.

 Shazam is a resounding victory for DC. It is bubbling over with cleverness, adventure, wit, and action. Director Sandberg brings his horror sensibility to Super Villain Dr. Thad Sivana (Mark Strong), who makes a deal with the devil (almost literally) to gain immense power, with wonderful result. The tone and special effects of the villain(s) had the flavor of the Goosebumps movie with an extra sinister flare. Some of the scenes featuring the villain(s) are definitely not for younger kids because they're a little too intense and violent. However, it is a very effective and formidable villain for Shazam.


Official description of the movie from New Line Cinema:

We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson's (Asher Angel) case, by shouting out one word--SHAZAM!--this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Zachary Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart--inside a ripped, godlike body--Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he'll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong).

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