SHAZAM! (O-RVZ MOVIE REVIEW)

Shazam is a superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name which previously known as Captain Marvel at one point (his original name). The film is the 7th entry to the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) franchise and is directed by David F. Sandberg who previously directed two horror hit films such as Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation. In this iteration, Captain Marvel/Shazam character is played by Zachary Levi and also starred young up and coming stars who are Jack Dylan Grazer (Freddy Freeman) and Asher Angel (Billy Batson) with Mark Strong (Dr. Thaddeus Sivana) playing as the main villain of the film.

DC films are quite particularly known for having this moody and dark tone in contrast to the Marvel films which are somewhat lighter, colorful and brighter. They may be doing that to differentiate themselves to the Marvel brand but at the end of the day, if you're doing something wrong with your films no matter how darker or lighter the tone is, then the movie will not just work. I'm not saying that the lighter tone of the movie will guarantee that people will like it but if the source material was properly executed and the story works so well then rest assured people will be loving it. Shazam is not just about the fun and the lighter tone of it but the story within it works so really well. I like the theme playing around Shazam/Billy Batson as an irresponsible hero without knowing the true purpose of why he was gifted these such powers. It really provides the character so many layers to his personality. The movie itself is very funny. All the jokes really landed to me and it's because Zachary Levi really did a wonderful job playing as Shazam. It's quite difficult when you're a grown man and you have to act like a 15-year old boy without having some overacting or cringy moments. I see his performance genuine and he really understands what a 15-year old boy would do. He and his young co-actor really have some chemistry and it just fun seeing them interact with one another. This movie reminded me of my favorite film "Big" which both films basically have the same plot minus the superpowers. Both of these films really provided that feel-good vibe and a fun adventure. Surprisingly, the movie has some horror elements to it since the director of this movie had previously directed horror films. There was this particular scene that I find disturbing, horrifying and scary. It works because it really balances out the bright and funny side of the film. I really love the part in which both Billy and Freddy tries to discover what are Shazam's superpowers and those moment really provided some of my biggest laughs from the film. The visual effects of the film were really great. Technically, Shazam is like a Superman 2.0 but in this film, they really toned down a bit the action sequences. They might have gone through with that and come up again with the Man of Steel level of destructions considering they are all mighty powerful such as Superman but I really like the change of pace of using another tool instead of using all the superpowers. It's not just about those godly powers but also the film really puts an emphasis on a certain part of our body that we all have that we rarely use. The villain of the film is not like any other villains from the DCEU franchises. I like this villain because it has his own backstory that provides a little bit dimension to his personality.

OVERALL

SHAZAM might be my favorite DCEU film up to date. It's not just about the fun but the movie has a heart as well that talks about the importance of family. Some of the scenes and jokes were too funny and I have the biggest laugh that I ever had than any of the Marvel and DCEU films out there. It's a fun, light-hearted and heartwarming film that will genuinely make the people from loving it.