The DC Extended Universe, or the remnants of it, has seemed
to finally get a grasp on the creative potential of superhero films. Gone are
the dreary and brooding heroes, replaced with the light-hearted, fun, and
entertaining nature of Wonder Woman, Aquaman and now, Shazam!. Add
in a little heart and some good old fashion magic, and Shazam! may just
be the best the DCeU has to offer.
We all have a superhero inside of us -- it just takes a bit
of magic to bring it out. In 14-year-old Billy Batson’s (Asher Angel) case, all
he needs to do is shout out one word to transform into the adult superhero
Shazam (Zachary Levi). Still a kid at heart, Shazam revels in the new version
of himself by doing what any other teen would do -- have fun while testing out
his newfound powers. But he'll need to master them quickly before the evil Dr.
Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) can get his hands on Shazam’s magical abilities.
The opportunities of a film centered on a fourteen-year-old
kid who transforms into a superhero with a magic is ripe with opportunities for
wonder and wish fulfillment around every turn. Shazam! harkens back to a
simpler time, to films that were adventurous and light and fun for all ages,
just with some weird comic-book elements along the way. None of it gets too
complicated, but the themes of family and power shine through really well and
give this film an emotional center like few big superhero films possess.
Another huge opportunity is provided to Zachary Levi, who
gets a highly coveted superhero role, but with a twist. He still gets all of
the heroic moments associated with capes and superpowers, just with the added
element of fourteen-year-old antics. And Levi absolutely knocks it out of the
park, showcasing his leading mad potential and his comedic chops all in one go.
Of course, there are other good performances too. Asher Angel
and Jack Dylan Grazer have great comedic timing, and really develop a
believable friendship over the film. Mark Strong, back for round two as a DC
villain, is the perfect amount of motivated and evil as Sivana, proving there
is a reason he is typecast as a villain so often.
Often the most appealing element of the whole superhero
craze Hollywood has been in for the past decade or so is and always will be the
action. Shazam! doesn’t honestly feature too much, but when it does, its
solid and exciting for the most part. The big final showdown, outside of a
really fantastic surprise, gets a little overlong and some of the CGI shows
some flaws, particularly on the villain end of things, but even then, Shazam!
offers a quip or a visual joke that brings the audience back in.
Shazam! is the epitome of DC and Warner Brothers
collectively figuring out exactly how to handle a specific character and the
tone they bring with them. The seeds were there in Wonder Woman and Aquaman,
both of which had to overcome being tied to the darker, pre-Justice League DC
Extended Universe in their solo films, but Shazam! feels like a huge
step towards the whole film being exactly what it should: a comic book come to
life in the best possible way.
No comments :
Post a Comment