Hey kids, want to know what happens when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson signs up to play Black Adam in the latest DC Extended Universe film outing?
Ok, that’s kind of a trick question. Unfortunately, The Rock is not actually in Shazam! (Let that be a lesson to you, kids.) Fortunately for all, the movie is none the lesser for it, which is great news during a time when the DCEU is undergoing some much-needed renovations.
Shazam! tells the story of the titular character, alias Billy Batson — a kid who gains the ability to transform into an adult superhero (From a wizard Djimon Honsou no less, adding yet another actor to the dual cinematic universe list). Although nearly everyone I’ve chatted with about it sees the connections to Big and 13 going on 30, Shazam! would not work as well as it does without the unbelievable chemistry of its uber-talented cast.
I am not exaggerating in the least when I say that I would gladly watch a movie entirely about the adventures of Billy Batson/Shazam (Asher Angel/Zachary Levi) and his too-smart-for-his-own-good foster brother Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer). Or how about a movie entirely about the dynamics between the rest of the gang? The super adorable Darla, the almost too nerdy to function Eugene, the quietly struggling Pedro, and the overachieving Mary (Faithe Herman, Ross Butler, Jovan Armand, and Grace Fullerton) are just as compelling. I might even want to watch a third movie about what drove Rosa and Victor (Marta Milans and Cooper Andrews), the gangs’ foster parents, to build their family as they did. Not because I can’t imagine how this might have happened, but because the characters feel fully developed within this world.
Of course, going through with any of these grand plans would be missing the point of Shazam! entirely. Packed as it is with character development, its two-hour plus runtime never feels like it. It’s more than apt then, that the movie’s villain, Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) is at his weakest when he allows himself to be spread too thin.
For a story that was in the works for as long as Shazam! (pre-production began in 2008), and what’s more, one centered on a comic book character with a complicated history, (Shazam! was actually the original Captain Marvel) the potential for yet another origin story to slip into cliché and/or self-parody was high. With its focus on a small group of characters rather than World-Ending Plot #893, the movie smartly manages to avoid these pitfalls, with some slight room for improvement to be found in the transition between Billy Batson and his superhero alter-ego. While Asher Angel and Zachary Levi are both playing a 14-year old boy, it wasn’t always clear to me that they were playing the same boy.
By and large, however, Shazam! succeeds. Not only as a superhero film, but also as a fully-realized story about finding your true family, the journey of growing up, and discovering your potential, wherever it may be found.
