Shazam! — KB Movie Thoughts

*WARNING POSSIBLE SPOILERS*

Seen 4/5/19

Zachary Levi was announced as Shazam back in October of 2017 and as soon as I heard that news I was excited for this movie. I have been a fan of Levi ever since the show Chuck ( side note: if you have never seen Chuck I highly recommend it. You can find all 5 seasons on Amazon Prime video). I got a chance to meet Levi at New York Comic Con this past fall and he was just the coolest person you could meet.

Me and Zachary Levi at New York Comic Con 2018

Earlier in my day at NYCC I was walking around the DC show area and they had someone passing out the Shazam! #0 issue from the new 52 run. When I met Levi, I handed him this #0 issue to sign and as he was signing it he asked me if I had seen the trailer for the movie, I told him yes and I think it looks like fun. Levi finished signing the comic and he continued talking to me about the movie, saying that it was fun, telling me he hopes I enjoy it when it comes out because he and everyone else really enjoyed making it.

I’m glad to say, I did enjoy it. I enjoyed it a lot actually.

The movie starts off with this scene from the past which I thought was very smart. It sets up the whole story for the movie perfectly. We understand why a kid is being chosen to be given powers. We understand the villain and where he is coming from. Meanwhile this is all just the first 10 minutes of the movie. I think scenes like this work so well because it shows the movie makers understood they aren’t just making this for comic fans. You can’t just assume everyone walking in to the movie will understand these characters without any background information.

The overall story of this movie worked really well for me too. It was simple. There were 2 aspects of the story. The 1st part being; A kid who gets superpowers, has to learn how to use these powers and then what to do with them. The 2nd part being; A kid who has family issues and has to understand what is like to be a part of a family and what family actually means to him. By the end these 2 aspects get intertwined and work very nicely together.

The 2 main kid actors, Asher Angel and Jack Dylan Grazer, do an amazing job. Angel, who plays Billy Batson ( the kid who then turns in to Shazam) and Grazer, who plays Billy’s foster brother Freddy, have such great chemistry together. Both of them are able to show such great acting talent in the emotions, whether it be a comedic scene or in a serious scene. You are really able to connect with the characters they play.

Additionally, Zachary Levi does a great job as Shazam. What I found really impressive was how good of a job he did in transitioning Angel’s performance as Billy to his own as Shazam. You believe he is this same exact 14/15 year old boy who now just looks like an adult in a “silly” costume.

I also found it really interesting that this movie really stands alone from all the other DCEU movies. They make references to, and will talk about, other heroes of the DC universe. But it is not like the events of Man of Steel or Justice League affect the events of this movie. This could be an indicator of DC moving away from their shared universe.

Again overall I really enjoyed this movie and I think this movie can be enjoyed by all, not just the comic fans. It had a lot of heart. If you get a chance to see this one in theaters I definitely recommend you do so.