This weekend, we saw the next step in DC’s longterm plan with Shazam! Starring Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer and Mark Price ‘Shazam!’ follows the story of a confused 14-year-old Billy Batson’s (Asher Angel), being the proverbial chosen one to carry on the torch of Shazam. With the heart of a 14-year-old child, Shazam(Zachary Levi) has way too much fun in the new version of himself by doing what any other teen would do — have fun while testing out his newfound powers. But with a great hero comes an equally sinister villian, with Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Price) lurking in the background in order to get his hands on Shazam’s magical abilities.
Our team at Def Pen watched the highly anticipated film and had to write our thoughts. Without further ado, here is our roundtable discussion (Minor spoilers ahead):
Unlike the majority of filmgoers, I appreciated most of the “Worlds Of DC” films up until this point. I find Zack Snyder’s Man Of Steel criminally underrated and found enjoyment in BVS: Dawn Of Justice, but it’s clear Warner Bros/DC are going under a culture change.
With the more lighthearted tone that Aquaman took(and the ridiculous amount of money it had made), I was bracing myself for a different DC cinematic universe going forward.
Someone forgot to remind me change is good.
2019’s Shazam! is a special film and is guaranteed to satisfy both hardcore DC fans and skeptical comic book movie fans alike. Shazam! is a home run for DC, with horror director David F. Sandberg superseding expectations to direct the film with a sense of childlike innocence.
The casting of the cast is as perfect as you could possibly imagine, Zachary Levi as Shazam carries himself with the kind-heartedness that we expected from the actor, but where the film transcends from a good to a great film is the supporting cast that creates the foster family that Billy Batson enters.
Where most comic book movies excel in having large action pieces, Shazam! is at its best when it’s a family film, with characters that you are easily convinced to root for and get behind. Asher Angel fits perfectly as the confused Billy Batson, but Jack Dylan Grazer as his sidekick (and foster brother), and the rest of the foster family-Grace Fulton, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand and Faith Herman are the heart of the film.
Filled with strong comedy, thrilling action and emotional resonance, Shazam! is a film that everyone should see, whether you like superheroes or not.
Shazam and Zachary Levi may have just revived the DC Universe. Like Ananth, I wasn’t as down on the DC films as many fans have been. I think Man of Steel and Henry Cavill’s ‘Superman’ is ridiculously underrated and the uncut version of Batman vs. Superman will change your mind about the whole universe.
Sure, Justice League was a failure. Suicide Squad– a disaster. But Wonder Woman, Aquaman and now Shazam, have provided life to a universe that was begging for it.
The film covers all the basics of a funny, feel-good superhero movie. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of the first ‘Iron Man’ movie because we see the evolution of a kid like Billy Batson, who in a lot of ways, views the world like Tony Stark. I can even remember both Tony and Billy at moments in their respective movies saying that ‘there are no good people anymore’.
This was by far the funniest DC movie yet and that’s a good thing. The studio has been trying to move away from the dark material over the last couple of films and it’s obvious if you’ve watched Aquaman and Shazam, and the success shows.
While this film had all the basics of a superhero film, it thrived in the fact that you didn’t know what was going to happen next. In the last 30 minutes of the film, there is a twist that will shock all of you.
This movie is definitely re-watchable and is already on it’s way to make some history of it’s own. David Sandberg was phenomenal with his direction and a sequel is inevitable.
If you want one movie to convince you about the DC universe, it’s this one.
