Shazam!

Movie, 2019, PG-13

Premise - A wizard must pass on his powers before passing on, but over several decades, cannot find someone who is truly pure of heart. Before his final passing, he desperately transmits his powers to 14-year-old foster kid Billy Batson, who turns into an adult superhero by simply shouting the word "Shazam!" Meanwhile, the seven deadly sins have also found a champion to pass their powers through, an evil doctor who was denied the wizard's powers.

Review - IS IT POSSIBLE TO CONVEY HOW PROUD I AM OF ZACHARY LEVI NO IT IS NOT THANK YOU VERY MUCH. It breaks my heart seeing all of these new interviews and social media posts with Zachary Levi talking about his struggles with self-worth, knowing how amazing of a career he has already had. He's healthier now than he's ever been, mentally and physically, and said he has learned to love himself not BECAUSE of getting a massive, leading man role like this, but because he now knows to love himself even when he doesn't get roles. I really cannot describe how much Zachary Levi meant to my tween and teen self, no matter where his career goes from here on out. Chuck was my everything, and therefore I followed everything related to Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski. I would watch them in obscure things like that movie about a wiener truck where he strips... I don't even remember what that was. I'd watch all of the interviews and convention panels, especially from Nerd HQ! Zachary Levi was probably the first celebrity that I was in love with during the age of youtube, so if anything related to him was on the internet, I was able to find it and watch it. It has now been over SEVEN YEARS since Chuck ended, so the flame has died down a bit, but that's not saying much because I still watch the show regularly and have it memorized. But I admittedly haven't seen a lot of Zac's work since the show ended (I did see Alias Grace, though, which I enjoyed), and my obsession with him has now muted to the category of "I'll watch him in something if it's actually worth watching for me."

WELL THIS IS ACTUALLY VERY VERY GOOD AND HE IS THE STAR AND I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT IT. I'm not a superhero movie fan, generally speaking, but I have a few exceptions (Spiderman, come on). This was definitely one of them. I found myself thinking throughout the movie, "If all superhero movies were like this, I would watch them more often!" It was funny, sweet, and full of love. It was an origin story, which I love, and features a superhero who now has a complicated double-life and a very night/day identity. The weight of his double life is not nearly as burdensome as, say, Spiderman, because his family are people he just met (as a foster family in a group home), but still. I also love unexpected heroes, as nobody suspects Shazam literally has an entire alternate identity/body to hide in.

On the other hand, it's a bit too lighthearted for my taste at times. There isn't any serious, gritty drama to balance with the fun tone. There are some emotional moments, like Billy looking for his biological mother, but it's not... dark... I suppose. I honestly thought the movie was PG, and not PG-13. Also, the few moments that are a bit sadder are not acted by Zachary Levi. We never see Zac really be vulnerable because when he's in superhero form, he's perfect. Billy has the flawed, vulnerable, human side of the character, and is acted by Asher Angel. So while the character of Billy Batson/Shazam is really multi-faceted, Zachary Levi's acting is pretty straightforward. We only ever see him in the one costume. I don't think it's as meaty of a true double-life acting role.

What I did wonder at times is why Billy Batson was chosen. He's a likeable kid, don't get me wrong, but am I supposed to expect that he's the MOST pure-hearted, and NONE of those other candidates for DECADES were? I got the sense, personally, that he wasn't any more qualified than anybody else the wizard tested. Instead, the wizard didn't have a chance to test him. The seven sins had already escaped, and the wizard was literally dying right before Billy's eyes, so he was just like, "Gotta pass it onto SOMEONE!" I wanted to play with that idea later in the movie, that Billy was just as human and flawed as anybody else, and would still be tempted by the sins once they had an opportunity to prey on him. I wanted to hear his darkest thoughts. But instead, they really make light of that moment, where Billy is so NOT tempted that he pretends to be just to freak everyone out and then bursts out laughing.

I don't think his reaction had to do exactly with his pure-heartedness, in the way people think. I do think Billy has a pure heart, but I think that has more to do with the fact that there's nothing he wants, so nothing could tempt him. His whole life, all he wanted was to find his biological mother, and when he finds out she didn't even want him, there's nothing left for the sins to use against him. He's been broken by the foster system, and been forced to become far more independent than most teens. He knows he can't have a perfect life, so he's grateful for what and who he does have now, and that's enough. This character development all happened AFTER the wizard gave him his powers though. It was becoming Shazam that made Billy become close with Freddie and the rest of his family, so I don't even think he was pure-hearted pre-Shazam necessarily, which is part of the irony of the story. I also think it's evident in how bitter Billy is, and how gleeful Shazam is. Zachary Levi as Shazam is not recognizable as Billy not only because of his stature, but because all of a sudden Billy became a friendly person who wants Freddie around. But that's just my personal opinion on Billy's character.

As the story progresses, Billy no longer is our only superhero of this story, though. It becomes a team effort with all of the other foster kids, who are equally pure of heart and had gone through the same trauma. It reminds me a bit of Big Hero 6, where the narrative starts out as a single-character story, and then turns into a collaboration. I think it's very heartwarming and fun, but I kind of enjoy the sick tortured loneliness of a superhero who is alone in his struggles.

Loved the jokes. Loved the enthusiasm for superhero stardom. Loved the classic superhero sequences (i.e. saving the bus). I just wish the stakes were higher and the film had its extreme dark moments to counterbalance the extreme light moments. (89/100)

Quote - "GET HIM BATMAN!!!" **throws a toy batman at the evil super-villain**

What to watch for - ZACHARY LEVI WAS THE ORIGINAL BAE

If you liked this film, I'd recommend Chuck of course! But, as I said, the team element reminds me of Big Hero 6!

Directed by David F. Sandberg
Distributed by Warner Bros.
A DC Comics Film