Mark Reviews Movies: SHAZAM!

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Review by Mark Dujsik | April 4, 2019

For a while, it has seemed as if it's quite a lot to ask that a superhero movie do something different. Shazam!, though, shows just how easy it is to do something different with a typical, worn-out story. The film also shows how rewarding it can be to take such a chance.

Here's a film that isn't just a superiorly entertaining superhero tale. It's also a very funny one, which skirts the line of parody without ever fully crossing it. Director David F. Sandberg and screenwriter Henry Gayden don't take the usual superhero clichés, the basic origin story, or the universe that has been established by other movies in the current DC franchise of comic book adaptations seriously. That's more than fine. Clichés always can use a little bit of poking and adjusting, and the origin story has been done to death so many times that, even when one is successful, the result still possesses a lingering, stale odor of familiarity.

As for this particular universe of superhero movies, they've had difficulty—to put it mildly—figuring out what tone to strike, how to portray their characters, and why anyone should care about these heroes. One of the smartest moves this film makes is to treat the other superheroes of this world as an idea—separate from whatever adventures they may have had in the previous installments in this franchise.

Superman's exploits are celebrated in the headline of a newspaper, and every kid here would love the chance to meet him, because he's the best of good guys. A replica of one of Batman's many crime-fighting toys is a prized possession. Unlike the guy's own movie, this one has the common sense to point out that maybe Aquaman's ability to talk to fish isn't exactly the most useful or exciting of superpowers.

The filmmakers here know that superheroes serve as something simpler yet more powerful than vehicles for some complex mythology, some chaotic action sequences, and some inevitable team-up with other heroes. Superheroes show us what we could be, and that aspiration has little to do with the ability to fly, to deflect bullets, or to shoot lightning. Such powers are just the benefits. The real aspiration is in being the best person one can be.

In its own innocent and goofy and clever way, this film, more than any superhero film of the recent crop from any universe of heroes, understands and communicates the allure, the promise, and the sheer, giddy thrill of the superhero fantasy. Sandberg and Gayden may not take the specifics of comic-book storytelling seriously, but they do take the underlying desire to read and see such stories seriously. That makes all the difference.

In Philadelphia, Billy Baston (Asher Angel) is a foster kid who can't stay in one place. He's searching for his mother, who lost him at a local carnival when he was boy. After another run-in with the cops, Billy is placed in yet another foster home.

His new foster parents (played by Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans) have taken in a group of foster children of various ages, including Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) who walks with crutches, because of a disability, and idolizes superheroes. At one point, the two have one of those serious discussions that probably every teenager has had: Which superpower would you rather possess? Gayden's screenplay smartly turns it into a discussion of the ethics and accountability of having such powers, because that's at the heart of this story and, for that matter, the superhero fantasy in general.

After rescuing Freddy from a group of cruel bullies, Billy is magically transported to an ancient temple, where a wizard (Djimon Hounsou) is looking for a new champion to keep the forces of evil—namely, demonic embodiments of the Seven Deadly Sins—at bay.

The utter absurdity of this setup shows that we're not expected to take the mechanics of this superhero seriously, but there's also something pure about this premise. There's no need for familial tragedy, a bite from a radioactive animal, a blast from radioactive energy, or an encounter with a puddle of radioactive slime to make someone into a superhero. It's all a matter of magic, accessible to anyone, and, when it matters, a desire to do good.

The story's villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong), by the way, had that chance when he was a kid but failed (as seen during the movie's prologue). He spent his entire life trying to find the wizard again, in order to confront the magical man about the declaration of his worth as a person. Sivana, who eventually gains the powers of the Seven Deadly Sins, may be a generic villain, but we can sympathize with his feelings of inferiority—stated multiple times by his family members and seemingly confirmed by the wizard.

Meanwhile, Billy is made the wizard's champion, giving the kid the ability to transform into a muscle-bound, skin-tight-costume-wearing adult, simply by shouting the hero's name: Shazam. The adult hero is played by Zachary Levi as an affable, awkward fool. He does, after all, have the mind of 14-year-old boy, who finds his sudden super-powered adulthood a source of terror (as it would be, suddenly being about quadruple your size), wiliness (He stops a robbery because he was trying to buy beer at a convenience stores), and joy.

Much of the film is about Billy/Shazam discovering his powers, with Freddy creating internet videos of his new superhero friend (whom he dubs "Captain Sparkle Fingers," due to Billy/Shazam's ability to shoot bolts of lightning from his fingertips) testing out the usual abilities—and often failing. This may start as a comedy, but the story and the character evolve—not only because of the threat of Sivana but also because Freddy knows that superheroes are meant to do more than show off, sign autographs, and use their powers for self-aggrandizement.

As Shazam, the character has to learn that old chestnut from a different superhero universe about the relationship between power and responsibility (The action sequences have a real weight, because they're as much about learning this lesson as they are about spectacle). As Billy, the character has to learn the hard truth of his past, as well as the promise of a real, loving family that's right in front of him. The way in which those two concerns—what it means to be a superhero and the importance of family—merge in the climactic showdown is inspired, exciting, and unexpectedly touching.

Shazam! is a great superhero film, because it pokes at the silliness of these stories while still embracing the core of why they matter. Whatever may come of this particular universe of superheroes, let's hope that Shazam remains his own endearingly goofy and sincere entity.

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